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The Dish with Jess Harter ~ Pursuing food and fun across the East Valley

Archive for the 'Cave Creek' Category

Binkley, MacMillan, Fox among Beard Award semifinalists

February 13th, 2009, 6:07 pm by Jess Harter

Cave Creek chef Kevin Binkley, Paradise Valley chef Beau MacMillan, Phoenix chef Vincent Guerithault and Scottsdale restaurateur Sam Fox (pictured) are among the semifinalists for the 2009 James Beard Awards, the “Oscars of Food.”

In addition, Phoenix’s Noca is in the running for Best New Restaurant, and Scottsdale’s Kazimierz World Wine Bar is up for Outstanding Wine Service.

Binkley (Binkley’s Restaurant) and MacMillan (Elements at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa) are among 20 semifinalists for Best Chef – Southwest. Binkley also was a semifinalist last year.

Guerithault (Vincent on Camelback) is a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef, where his competition includes such notable names as José Andrés, Tom Colicchio and Michael Mina.

Fox, whose Fox Restaurant Concepts include Sauce, Olive & Ivy, True Food Kitchen, Blanco, Greene House and other brands, is again up for Outstanding Restaurateur.

Each category will be cut to five finalists on March 23. Winners will be announced May 4.

See the full list of semifinalists (pdf file).

Posted in: Cave Creek • Paradise Valley • Phoenix • Scottsdale • • | Post a Comment »

Binkley’s, Cyclo, Classic Italian close for summer vacations

June 30th, 2008, 3:03 pm by Jess Harter

Hard-working restaurant owners need vacations, too. It’s no surprise that many choose to take time off in July, traditionally the slowest time of year for East Valley restaurants. Among the more notable closings:

Binkley’s, Kevin Binkley’s acclaimed Cave Creek restaurant, closes Tuesday for four weeks. It re-opens Aug. 1

Cyclo, Justina Duong’s wonderful Vietnamese eatery in Chandler, closed Sunday for two weeks. It re-opens July 15.

Classic Italian Pizza, Azhar Began’s Tempe strip-mall gem, also closed Sunday. It re-opens July 11.

Los Dos Molinos, at least the Mesa location, also has closed. It re-opens July 15.

Posted in: Cave Creek • Chandler • Tempe | Post a Comment »

Get your rebate check yet? Here are 6 places to splurge

May 7th, 2008, 3:09 pm by Jess Harter

binkley’sIs your tax rebate check burning a whole in your pocket? Sure, a lot of the so-called experts recommend you do something sensible with it, like paying off your credit card biil. But where’s the fun in that?

Instead, why not take that money, or at least part of it, and enjoy a three-hour “vacation” at one of the East Valley’s finest restaurants? Here are six recommendations for tantalizing your tastebuds:

Binkley’s
Chef Kevin Binkley’s menu of classically influenced contemporary American cuisine changes daily. A la carte ordering is available, but the best way to experience what’s arguably the best food in Arizona (pictured at right) are the four-course ($65), five-course ($72-$82) and six-course ($89) prix-fixe dinners. 6920 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, (480) 437-1072.

Sea Saw
Nobu Fukuda, who won a 2006 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest, helms this intimate Japanese “tapas” eatery. Foodies fly in from all over the country just to indulge in Fukuda’s omakase tasting menu ($95 per person, $125 with wine pairings), highlighted by his miso-marinated foie gras sushi. 7133 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale, (480) 481-9463.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Cave Creek • Chandler • Scottsdale | Post a Comment »

East Valley chefs, restaurateurs snubbed by James Beard Awards

March 24th, 2008, 11:29 am by Jess Harter

Several Valley chefs and restaurateurs were shut out today when the James Beard Foundation announced finalists for its annual awards, the culinary equivalent of the Oscars.

Jack Strong (Kai) and Kevin Binkley (Binkley’s) had made the “long list” announced last month for Best Chef Southwest, but neither are among the five finalists in the category. The Southwest region includes Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.

Nobuo Fukuda, chef at Sea Saw in Scottsdale, won last year’s award for Best Chef Southwest. Arizona has had nine winning chefs, more than any other state in the region.

Other Valley long-list honorees who failed to make the final five in their respective categories: Vincent Guerithault (Vincent’s on Camelback) for Outstanding Chef, Sam Fox (Fox Restaurant Concepts) for Outstanding Restaurateur and Scottsdale’s Kazimierz World Wine Bar for Outstanding Wine Service.

See the final list of nominees here. The winners will be announced June 8.

Posted in: Cave Creek • Chandler • Phoenix • Scottsdale | 2 Comments »

Binkley, Strong, Fox make James Beard awards ‘long list’

February 14th, 2008, 12:50 pm by Jess Harter

East Valley chefs Kevin Binkley and Jack Strong, along with Scottsdale restaurateur Sam Fox, have made the “long list” for this year’s James Beard awards, the restaurant world’s version of the Oscars.

This week, a preliminary ballot featuring 20 nominees in each category was sent to voters, who will trim the field to five in each category. Those finalists will be announced March 24, with winners announced June 8.

Binkley, owner and chef of Binkley’s in Carefree, and Strong, chef at Kai at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Chandler, both made the ballot in the category of Best Chef: Southwest, which includes Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.

Nobuo Fukuda, chef at Seasaw in Scottsdale, won last year’s award for Best Chef: Southwest. Arizona has had nine winning chefs, more than any other state in the region.

Fox, founder of Scottsdale-based Fox Restaurant Concepts, is competing for Outstanding Restaurateur, a national category that includes Wolfgang Puck and Laurent Tourondel, who’s opening a BLT Steak in Scottsdale later this year. Fox restaurants include The Green House, Olive & Ivy, Bloom, Sauce, North, Wildflower and Blanco.

Scottsdale’s Kazimierz World Wine Bar made the list for Outstanding Wine Service, which recognizes “excellence in wine service through a well-presented wine list, knowledgable staff and efforts to educate customers about wine.”

Vincent Guerithault, of Phoenix’s Vincent on Camelback, is up for Outstanding Chef, another national category where the nominees also include Michael Mina, who just opened one of his Bourbon Steak restaurants in Scottsdale.

See the full ballot here.

Posted in: Cave Creek • Chandler • Phoenix • Scottsdale | 1 Comment »
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