Village Voice

Mamoun's has been a favorite cheap meal of New Yorkers for more than 40 years.

Arizona has an up-and-coming food scene, and there's a lot to be proud of, for sure. But when Chow Bella published a list of things that make Phoenix a better food town than New York City, I just had to laugh. The difference in size alone makes the two incomparable. Since moving back to New York six months ago, I've come to miss the food at Phoenix haunts like Short Leash Hot Dogs, La Tolteca, St. Francis, and -- quite obviously -- dessert at top restaurants like Cowboy Ciao. But, by comparison, I still miss a lot more from the food scene in Portland, Oregon, where I lived for four years. So for me, Phoenix is small potatoes, but to give the Valley something to shoot for, here are 10 food favorites New Yorkers take for granted that Phoenix will likely never see.

See also:
- 9 Things That Make Phoenix a Better Food (and Drink) Town than New York City
- Cobbler on Quack at Cowboy Ciao

Cheap Food After Midnight (that's not greasy Mexican fare)
When I first lived in NYC in 2004, this was one of the attributes that hooked me on the city. If you want off-hours food in Phoenix, you'd better be in the mood for a burrito, quesadilla, or a few tacos. The salsa bars at these late-night hubs for greasy Mexican food can be surprisingly good, but overall, the options in the Valley are really lacking after regular dinner hours. Not so in New York. Near Washington Square Park, the original Mamoun's -- first opened in 1971 -- sells $3 falafel and $6 shawarma until 5 a.m., a college kid's dream come true. Even where I live now, in a residential part of Bushwick, there's a cheap restaurant on the corner, OMG Pizza, selling staples like falafel, salads, and burgers until 3 a.m.

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Are you excited for the "grand re-opening" of Amy's Baking Company? We're thinking it could go one of three ways: anti-climactic, shit show, or surprisingly well.

While we're waiting anxiously for tomorrow's events, check out our most-read Amy's Baking Company stories from last week. If you're one of the lucky people who got in to eat at the restaurant tomorrow, let us know about your experience by emailing us, posting in the comments section, or tagging us on Twitter @phoenixnewtimes.

See Also:
Amy's Baking Company - A History of Kitchen Nightmares

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Buchanan

The bar at Windsor

Restaurant bars stopped being strictly bars years ago. Nowadays, many people consider them the best seats in the house for a casual dinner that doesn't require reservations, waiting, or a deep reservoir of patience. Because most of them operate on a first-come, first-served basis, customers are free to grab a stool and get the party started -- no pomp, no circumstance, and just a linen napkin to serve as a place mat.

See also:
-- Summer Mixology Classed with Travis Nass at the Last Drop Bar, Starting May 19
-- Top Ten "Reviews" of Amy's Baking Company on Yelp

Here are 16 great places to belly up to the bar for a full-blown meal.

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"Crazy" Amy Bouzaglo of Amy's Baking Company

We were there with front-row seats when all the drama began back in 2010. Since that time, when a local business owner totally flipped her shit over a negative Yelp review, the Amy's Baking Company drama has combusted and set off a national media firestorm.

See also:
- Amy's Baking Company - A History of Kitchen Nightmares

And as with all human train wrecks that garner such large-scale attention, people have taken to the Internet to put their own spin on things. So now we present: seven Amy's Baking Company parodies in various social media and multimedia forms -- and unless you're allowed to drop f-bombs and make death threats at your place of employment, this is definitely not suitable for work.

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Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale.

The Amy's Baking Company meltdown continues. What began as a Yelp smackdown three years ago, has blown up into a national firestorm after the Scottsdale-based restaurant appeared on the season finale of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. If you haven't seen the show, you have to check it out.

Gordon Ramsay

Well, after the show aired, the Internet imploded on the restaurant's Yelp and Facebook pages, and Reddit (of course) jumped in the mix, too.

To take it back to where it all began, here are the top 10 comments on ABC's Yelp page. Not surprisingly, the restaurant gets only a one-star review. (Note: Reviews are posted as is, so sorry for any typos).

See Also:
- See the Complete Amy's Baking Company History Here
- Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale Is the Season Finale of Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay, Natch
- Screaming, Expletives, and, Eventually, Police: All in the First Night of Kitchen Nightmares Taping at Amy's Baking Company
- Name-Calling Restaurant Owner Back in Spotlight: Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale Targeted for Upcoming Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay
- Ouch! Today's Hard Lesson on Yelp
- Why Wait for Tomorrow When You Can Watch the Amy's Baking Company Sh*t Show Finale of Kitchen Nightmares Today?

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Courtesy of Noca

Burrida -- Mediterranean seafood stew at Noca

Arizona Restaurant Week -- the Spring 2013 Edition -- begins Saturday, May 18 and ends Monday, May 27 (which is Memorial Day, when most of us will be grilling burgers and drinking beer at home . . . but never mind). By the end of this week, ARW officially will be upon us: a 10-day eating extravaganza of bargain-priced restaurant food and a last hurrah for local restaurants who already have begun to feel the slowdown that comes with our long, hot summers.

See also:
-- Does Arizona Really Need a Second Restaurant Week?
-- Grab Your Favorite Dining Buddy: Arizona Spring Restaurant Week Is Almost Here

I've studied Arizona Restaurant Week's website extensively and found five places I'd not only love to visit but also consider a legit bargain. See what you think.

P.S. This list is based on what can be found on the ARW website as of this writing, and frankly, the pickin's are slim, which doesn't diminish the five noteworthy selections here.

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Every week, there's a cornucopia of Phoenix food news, features, and reviews to report here at Chow Bella. If you're like most people, you probably just don't have the time to get to all of it. So, here's a recap of some of the top stories from the week that you may have missed.

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Aaron Chamberlin's Phoenix Public Market Cafe Opens

It's been almost exactly a year since Phoenix Public Market Urban Grocery closed its doors, leaving downtown devotees feeling bereft without a locally focused brick-and-mortar market and a convenient, affordable go-to for a nosh and a glass of wine.

But all that changed this week. In an informal ceremony Wednesday night, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton lit the new Phoenix Public Market sign on Central Avenue, and chef-owner Aaron Chamberlin unveiled the Phoenix Public Market Cafe (14 East Pierce Street) at a launch party. Through the cafe, Chamberlin hopes to make a casual community hub for downtown dwellers and the folks who work there. Here's the full story.

-- Nikki Buchanan

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Buchanan

Citrus salad with honey, watercress, hazelnuts at Bink's Midtown

Summer is just weeks away, which means it's panic time for those of us who packed on the lbs. over the winter. Yes, of course, we should've seen this coming, and what the hell happened to that exercise regimen we felt so enthusiastic about back in January? Now there's no place to run and certainly no place to hide, so we're going to look like mastodons in swimwear unless we start eating salads -- and little else -- ASAP.

See also:
-- Arizona Farmer + Chef Connection Conference on June 10 at Desert Botanical Garden
-- Three Greens That Will Dress Up Your Next Salad

Of course, vanity isn't the only reason to eat a simple, appealing salad built around fruits or veggies, but it's a bigger motivator than health or longevity any day of the week. Here are 11 gorgeous, imaginative salads to get us through the summer, most of them making use of fresh, local ingredients, most created by the city's most popular chefs. Dig in. This stuff is almost guilt-free.

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Katie Johnson

Cowboy Ciao.

Ah, mac and cheese. Whether it comes from a blue box or your mother's oven, few childhood comforts can compare. These days, your cheesy noodle perfection can be customized with additions ranging from the gourmet (pancetta, panko bread crumbs, and lobster) to the not-so-gourmet (hot dogs, ketchup, and noodles shaped like cartoon characters). To commemorate the classic casserole, here's our list of the nine best mac and cheeses in metro Phoenix.

See also:
- 10 Best Spots for Fries in Metro Phoenix
- 10 Places in Metro Phoenix to Get Great Pancakes

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courtesy Arcadia Crewz

Looking for something to put in your mouth this weekend? We've got you covered. Check out what's on our plate.

See also:
- 13 Metro Phoenix Restaurants and Bars with Cinco de Mayo Celebrations
- Bink's Midtown in Phoenix: Happy Hour Report Card

Restaurant Crawl: Arcadia Crewz Derby Day
The Kentucky Derby, along with being the best-known national horse race, also involves a tradition of eating and drinking all day long. It just makes sense: The race only lasts two minutes, but the spectator aspect of the sport goes on for hours. This Saturday, May 4, join in on the fun at an event dubbed Arcadia Crewz. For $30, riders can graze at three restaurants: s.e.e.d. Café, O.H.S.O. Eatery & Nanobrewery, and Kitchen 56. Bikes are the steed of choice for this restaurant crawl, and there will be a parking lot party in the Madison Improvement Club for cyclists before the ride begins. Then each stop will offer two or three appetizers along with discounted drinks. Riders can meet for the pre-ride party beginning at 9 a.m.; the crawl begins at 11 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m.

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