Great news, Phoenicians, everyone’s (and we really mean everyone’s) favorite breakfast spot is moving on up and it may cut your wait time down significantly. Chow Bella reports the famed CenPho restaurant will be relocating to a larger space that will seat significantly more people and have a bathroom you can use in the facility. Does it seem ridiculous that for eight years the place was pot-less and forced patrons to hold it for hours? No. The food is amazing and worth any minor bladder discomfort. But alas, come the end of August, all that waiting may be a thing of the past. Just head a few streets north and enjoy the benefits of a bigger and better Matt’s. According to the article by Laura Hanehfeld by way of The Arizona Republic, the old space will be used as a take-out only spot that will feature a limited menu. Hey, when it comes to Matt’s, we’ll take what we can get. Now you have no excuses not to check out the grub that everyone has been raving about in a space that won’t make the name seem so ironic.

January means lots of catching up and sad, depleted funds in desperate need of some inflation. What do you do when your cash flow drops it lower than Nikki Minaj in a Young Money video? Check out our new column, Hometown Low Down, every week and find out about cheap, even free, events in the area. We’ll also catch you up on the happenings and give you insight in to the people who make this city so great as we take a deeper look into the valley’s favorite blogs. Now’s the perfect time to catch up on the low down.

Gypsies and jet-setters. We’ve heard the terms all our lives and can safely come to the conclusion that both are centered around “traveling,” but put the two together and you have Gypset. a modern-day bohemian that combines “the roaming lifestyle of the gypsies with the dawn of the 60s jetsetting  air travel”, according to Becky Bartkowski of Jackalope Ranch who covered a recent Julia Chaplin appearance at the Phoenix Art Museum. Chaplin, a journalist whose interest and body of work lies in the exploration of countercultures spoke at the museum about the Gypset culture and its relation to the Giorgio di Sant’ Angelo exhibition currently showing there. If you’re a lover of fashion and art and have yet to see this exhibition, head on down there now before it ends February 12th and be sure to look at the schedule of events as to not miss more exciting speakers like Chaplin.

We love all things local and luckily, so does Jamiee Rose of the Arizona Republic. This week, Rose blogged about Arizona artist, Tandi Nesta whose lovely works can be found in her Etsy shop, NestaHome. If you’re a dreamer of faraway lands (or have a gypset spirit…loooove new vocab) then you’d love the city-inspired pieces (pictured right) for your home, too. Browse around and soak up all the talent. 

Enough about art, how about some yoga? Found nestled in downtown’s Coronado Historic district is locally owned and operated, Sutra Midtown Yoga. Recently CenPho gave a shout out to the beautiful, spacious studio and it’s community oriented owners who restored and old building in order to create their new(ish) haven. The place looks amazing and has it’s own “Chop Shop Cafe”  to keep you healthy and energized for all your downward dogs.

Keep it real, homies.

Images via Phoenix Art Museum and NestaHome.

As chosen by you, here are the most popular stories OF ALL TIME (aka last week). Just in case you missed it.

When fences depicting luxury condos went up around the Hayden Flour Mill, hearts fell at the thought of yet another sterile looking building and the loss of Mill Avenue’s most historic landmark. After much speculation, it has now been revealed that the City of Tempe is renovating the space and opening it to the public as an events venue. Cue a collective cheer! With $70,000 and a fall completion deadline, Mayor Hugh Hallman said the renovation was “long overdue” according to a recent article by the Arizona Republic. »READ MORE

When fences depicting luxury condos went up around the Hayden Flour Mill, hearts fell at the thought of yet another sterile looking building and the loss of Mill Avenue’s most historic landmark. After much speculation, it has now been revealed that the City of Tempe is renovating the space and opening it to the public as an events venue. Cue a collective cheer! With $70,000 and a fall completion deadline, Mayor Hugh Hallman said the renovation was “long overdue” according to a recent article by the Arizona Republic. »READ MORE

Back in July, our office-mates at Scoop Factory broke the news about big changes coming to Phoenix’s The Wrigley Mansion and its on-site Geordie’s Restaurant. Now those details have finally been, um, finalized. Read on to get all the delicious deets, including how the widow of a reclusive Valley millionaire hired her new boyfriend’s ex-wife to run the joint. Confused yet?

According to the Arizona Republic, Geordie’s will close for a wall-to-wall revamp this summer, led by new CEO, Paola Embry. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Embry runs Crush, a stylish wine bar inside the nearby Biltmore Fashion Park. Plus, Embry is also the co-owner of Crush’s fine-dining sister space, Christopher’s, which is named after famed local chef, Christopher Gross, who used to be married to Embry. »READ MORE

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Our daily email magazine, Scoop Factory, just introduced a new version of all those super-trendy online coupon sites.

So we might have jumped the gun with that whole ‘Most. Exciting. Thing. Ever.’ when describing RoboCop’s appearance at this week’s Phoenix Film Festival. Because the truth is, this is the Most Exiting Thing of All Time! Yes, you’ve probably heard of this whole online coupon thingie. First there was Groupon, then came BuyWithMe, Living Social, Doozy of a Deal … Heck, even local publications are jumping on the bandwagon with the AZ Republic‘s Deal Chicken and the Phoenix New Times‘ Deal of the Day.

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Some of you may find this shocking, but there was a time when people looked to actual professional writers to figure out which new restaurants to try. We’re talking as far back as three or four years ago. And now that there’s officially one old-school food critic still standing in a town of 4.5 million people, we thought we’d dig up this Q&A with longtime local food critic, Nikki Buchanan.

Best known for her nearly two decades at Phoenix Magazine, Buchanan’s recent career is a perfect snapshot of the demise of this once prestigious profession. After dabbling in food blogging, and a brief stint at the AZ Republic, she jumped ship to co-found a PR/Marketing agency.

(Click here to learn why the Phoenix New Times‘ longtime critic just walked away. Hint: If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.)

When we broke bread with Buchanan, she spoke candidly about her messy exit from Phoenix Magazine, which places in town she’d actually pay to eat at, and the drawbacks of eating out for a living. Hint: she calls her fridge (pictured) the International House of Leftovers.

»READ MORE

As chosen by you, here are the most popular stories OF ALL TIME (aka last week). Just in case you missed it.

Whoa! Big shakeup in the local food scene as Michele Laudig, longtime food critic at the Phoenix New Times has quit/resigned/been fired. We’ve put in a call Tweet to her and will update you as soon as possible.

Jess Harter, a fellow former food critic (he was laid off when the East Valley Tribune nearly-imploded), broke the story on his Mouth By Mouthwest blog, writing:

“It looks like the Valley is down to one fulltime restaurant critic – at least temporarily. Michele Laudig, restaurant critic and blogger for Phoenix New Times, has resigned after a decade at the paper, according to a memo that just went out to staffers.”

»READ MORE

Calling all gossip girls and dirty laundry-loving dudes, it’s DLT’s column dedicated to the Valley’s juiciest rumors, spottings and innuendos. Check in regularly for the latest (unconfirmable), but too-good-to-not-be-true tidbits.

Hey hey, everybody. Long time no chat, but we’re back with a tasty scoop on the media shakeup du jour. In case you missed it, local foodies are still in shock over the sudden departure of one of the Valley’s two remaining full-time food critics. Yes, Michele Laudig, the Phoenix New Times‘ longtime Chow Bellista up and left the table on Tuesday, writing only that, “It’s been a blast, but I’ve decided to embrace the future – just wait until you see what I’ve got in the works.”

Well, we’ve also seen the future and think we have a pretty good handle on where Laudig is planting her flag fork next.

»READ MORE

Whoa! Big shakeup in the local food scene as Michele Laudig, longtime food critic at the Phoenix New Times has quit/resigned/been fired. We’ve put in a call Tweet to her and will update you as soon as possible.

Jess Harter, a fellow former food critic (he was laid off when the East Valley Tribune nearly-imploded), broke the story on his Mouth By Mouthwest blog, writing:

“It looks like the Valley is down to one fulltime restaurant critic – at least temporarily. Michele Laudig, restaurant critic and blogger for Phoenix New Times, has resigned after a decade at the paper, according to a memo that just went out to staffers.”

»READ MORE

Did you catch the Phx New Times‘ in-depth report on AZ’s budding Medical Marijuana industry “Pot of Gold”? (Great headline BTW.) We did, all 5,464 words of it, although we may have started skimming at one point. It’s a solid breakdown of all the people and organizations scrambling to get a slice of this potential financial juggernaut, including allegations of shady shenanigans between wannabe dispensary owners and the bureaucrats in charge of regulating pot dispensaries. And like all local controversies involving politics and name-calling, there’s even a Jason Rose sighting.

That said, the only thing missing from this long, detailed (and long) story was any mention of the New Times‘ own massive financial stake in medical marijuana.

»READ MORE

Lately, we couldn’t help but notice all the press about the Wigwam resort splashed across the Arizona Republic. Literally, could not help but notice. (In case you missed it, former Phoenix Suns and AZ Diamondbacks owner, Jerry Colangelo, recently acquired this struggling property, and has partnered with famed chef, Chris Bianco, to restore this 81-year-old gem.)

Sounds cool, right? Heck, we even gushed about it here and here. But why has the Republic devoted at least 16 articles (7,195 words plus three photo galleries to be exact) to this project, in the last year alone? Seems a bit excessive.

Image via Charlie Leight/AZ Republic

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In light of today’s post on the festive funeral being held for a couple of local media heavyweights, we’ve dug this one out of the archives. Surely, this new amazing technology will save print publishing.

[Buzz Feed]

It’s over. After 15 years, the (last) great print newspaper war has ended and the winner is, the internet? In case you missed our earlier coverage, the Phoenix New Times‘ parent company, Village Voice Media, has finally settled a crazy-ugly lawsuit in San Francisco that ended with this Phoenix-based media company being slapped with a $21 million fine!

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Two quick updates here. One, the AZ Legislature is looking to address the sort of double dipping that currently allows public officials such as Phoenix PD head honcho, Jack Harris (pictured), to retire, collect a pension, and then get rehired to do essentially the same job—all while still collecting his/her retirement money. This after a national non-profit decided to sue the City on behalf of taxpayers, and the Phx City Council voted to put up $50K in taxpayer money to defend Harris from the lawsuit.

Two, we owe the Phx New Times an apology for implying that they we not reporting on the story. Everybody’s least fav rabble-rouser, Feathered Bastard, was all over the story in 2007. Then again, that was back when the New Times was $22M richer. Read our original report below:

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Wow, that was fast. Mere days after AZ voters legalized medical marijuana, a local pro-pot publication has sprouted up. Named The Green Leaf, this resource guide will be given away for free at smoke shops, stores and doctor’s offices starting as early as January 1, 2011. (On a side note: If your doc stocks issues of TGL in his/her waiting room, you’re probably going to be able to score secure a medical marijuana prescription.)

»READ MORE

Wow, that was fast. Mere days after AZ voters legalized medical marijuana, a local pro-pot publication has sprouted up. Named The Green Leaf, this resource guide will be given away for free at smoke shops, stores and doctor’s offices. (On a side note: If your doc stocks issues of TGL in his/her waiting room, you’re probably going to be able to score secure a medical marijuana prescription.)

So, will this new publication single-handedly save print publishing? Well, they are looking for writers and editors to contribute to the magazine. Which can’t hurt considering we just heard about yet another round of layoffs at the AZ Republic. Plus we hear the Phx New Times is absolutely salivating at the potential ad $, which is the real untold story on the effects of Prop 203.

Unroll more tasty nuggets after the jump.

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Do you know where your fav basketball team is? Believe it or not, the NBA’s 2010 – 2011 season officially kicked off this morning at 9:30 as the Phoenix Suns hit the practice court for the first time since losing to the hated LA Lakers last June. Find out where are the boys in purple and orange are lacing it up right now, as well as a breakdown of the best Phx Suns blogs after the jump.

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Calling all gossip girls and dirty laundry-loving dudes, it’s DLT’s column dedicated to the Valley’s juiciest rumors, spottings and innuendos. Check in regularly for the latest (unconfirmable), but too-good-to-not-be true tidbits.

Last week we reported on the tough times at a couple of local print pubs, including Phoenix Woman Magazine. And while we never actually heard back from anyone there, we did get this press release posted to our comments board. So good news, it seems. (Provided this isn’t the same message board prankster who tried to get us to reveal Eric Eats Out‘s real name.) See PWM‘s new plan after the jump.

»READ MORE

Calling all gossip girls and dirty laundry-loving dudes, it’s DLT’s column dedicated to the Valley’s juiciest rumors, spottings and innuendos. Check in regularly for the latest (unconfirmable), but too-good-to-not-be true tidbits.

Sad news as another print dinosaur is taken out by the giant meteor that is the Internet. Yes, we’ve heard from multiple sources that Phoenix Woman Magazine has bit the dust. Meanwhile, another local glossy is rumored to be next in line, but the publisher says he’s not going anywhere.

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So in case you’ve been stuck under a rock, the Tempe Town Pond went pop last week. While we initially thought about sending our fleet of helicopters, TV news vans and camera-ready reporters out to cover this momentous event, we quickly realized we have none of those. (Then again, here’s a dirty little secret of local TV news: neither do many of the stations, which have been forced to cut so much staff, that most share newscopters and video footage. That is, when the reporter isn’t forced to film themselves on a tripod camera.)

So instead, we decided to cover the coverage …

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So, we’re not sure if everybody’s crazy from the heat, but there’s a full-fledged hep-cat fur fight going on. Yes, the music reviewer from the New Times is brawling with AZ Central‘s nightlife guru over a snarky write-up on this weekend’s Silversun Pickups show. Meanwhile, another Arizona Republic reporter is jumping in the fray, probably still pissed about the Middle-Aged, Bloated New Times calling him a sex toy for Mayor Phil Gordon. (Seriously!) Can’t we all just get along, people, and leave the fighting to the advertising sales staffs?

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Sad news on the print dinosaur local magazine front. A little birdie told us another of the Arizona Republic‘s glossy monthlies was quietly shuttered last week. Yes, AZ Society is to borrow the coinage of the EATERAZ crew, dunzo. And we just received confirmation from the pub’s editorial staff (yes, singular), Cindy Miller, who has, fortunately, been transferred to another job at the paper. AZ Society is survived, for now, by the Republic’s AZ magazine.

»READ MORE