[Photographs: Adam Kuban] Matt's Big Breakfast 801 North 1st Street, Phoenix AZ 85004 (at East McKinley; map); 602-254-1074; mattsbigbreakfast.com My recent pizza tour of the West Coast included a quick, 22-hour stop in Phoenix, where, before leaving town, I visited Matt's Big Breakfast. The eponymous owner is Matt Pool, who started this popular breakfast spot shortly after leaving Bar Bianco. Bar Bianco is the watering hole that pizzaman Chris Bianco opened next door to his legendary Pizzeria Bianco, where the thinking has always been use only the best ingredients and prepare them in a simple manner that lets them shine on their own. Unsurprisingly, Pool learned this lesson well and employs the same philosophy at Big Breakfast. So along...
Continue reading »
Note: Hawk Krall is a Philadelphia-based illustrator who will be chiming in with his hot dog wisdom and original artwork on a regular basis. Take it away, Hawk! Past Weeks' Dogs Flo's Hot Dogs, Cape Neddick, Maine The Philly Combo The Tijuana Dog—aka the Mexican Hot Dog, Sonora Dog, Border Dog, or Danger Dog—seems to be popping up everywhere these days, even on the East Coast. These bacon-wrapped beauties have actually been sold by Mexican street vendors since the 1950's and slowly made their way across the border to California and Arizona. Tijuana dogs are as versatile as tacos, the only rule being that the dog is wrapped in bacon and cooked on a flat grill or deep fried, and...
Continue reading »
"Vel's pulled pork sandwich, the result of 12 hours of loving labor and 50 years of practice, ought to replace the saguaro cactus as emblem of the Old Pueblo." Bon Appétit profiles Art's BBQ Restaurant in Tuscon, Arizona....
Continue reading »
Photo courtesy of chowdownphoenix.com Obviously most of us can't afford to go to the Super Bowl, and quite frankly if you don't live in New England or New York City, I don't understand why you would want to. But, if I was going to Phoenix for this year's Super Bowl, you better believe I'd be eating one of these: the Navajo Lamb Sandwich from Arizona Native Frybread. Invented by the Navajo people, frybread is normally served at fairs, pow-wows, and art shows and can come topped with powdered sugar or honey (think elephant ears) or beans, meat, lettuce, tomato, and cheese, commonly referred to as an "Indian taco." But for a truly unique and authentic savory Navajo frybread sandwich,...
Continue reading »
There's more to Phoenix than blindingly bright sunlight, flat, grid-like roads and an abundance of cacti—there's also lots of great food! With the help of some friends in Phoenix I made a list of recommended restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores and other eateries in the Phoenix area.
Continue reading »
Two days after having a pizza epiphany at Pizzeria Bianco, I visited Chris Bianco's other outpost of unearthly good food, Pane Bianco. Unlike Pizzeria Bianco, there's no need to be afraid of a two-hour wait. Nor is there anywhere to sit inside, since the sandwich shop is take-out only. However, there's a perfectly good shaded seating area right outside the entrance where you can semi-beat the Arizona heat under the cooling droplets of the misters that line the canopy....
Continue reading »
If you're missing Robyn's posts around here and you're wondering where she went, well, she's on vacation in Phoenix, where she's been since Sunday afternoon. We're all having a blast reading her loooooong and detailed posts on The Girl Who Ate Everything. (Here and here, so far.) And lest you think that that blog title is hyperbole, you should get a loada her Flickr photostream, which has been a river of food photos since her touchdown in Arizona. So far, it looks like she's visited a fancy-pants grocery store, eaten pizza, had an In-N-Out burger, helped cook homemade spring rolls (pictured), and eaten gelato. I'm sure there's more to come, and we're all looking forward to Day 2 ... Robyn—are...
Continue reading »
