About Michele.


Michele Laudig is a writer, artist and editor eating up New York City’s deliciously diverse food scene. Currently senior editor at Zagat in Manhattan, she was the staff restaurant critic and food blogger at Phoenix New Times since 2006, where she wrote cover stories, a weekly column and daily blog posts. Michele co-authored 100 Years, 100 Chefs, 100 Recipes, an Arizona Centennial Legacy Project published in February 2012, and has also written for Phoenix Magazine, Edible Phoenix, The Arizona Republic, Sommelier Journal and Hemispheres.

In previous lives, she served as New Times’ music editor, styled fashion shoots, toured with a rock ‘n roll band and lived in Tokyo. She has a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Columbia.

Passions.

Wine-drenched bistro afternoons
Serious sushi counter time
Pea shoots and oolong
Ice-cold oysters, ice-cold martinis
Pennsylvania hoagies
Moules frites and Trappist Tripel
Foie for dessert
Cheese for dinner
MacGuyver cooking

Always. . .

Hungry
100%
Curious
100%
Fearless
99%
Witty
67%

Barrio Cafe’s Silvana Salcido Esparza bows out of planned Gilbert location

Barrio Tequileria in Gilbert is a no-go. Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza, owner of Central Phoenix's award-winning Barrio Cafe, decided to back away from the downtown Gilbert location after signing a letter of intent six months ago. Lease negotiations with the landlord were dragging on, since he took issue with the restaurant name -- he wanted her to call it Barrio Gilbert, and thought "Tequileria" sounded too much like a bar ...

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Barrio Cafe chef Silvana Salcido Esparza is heading to SouthBridge

A little chunk of Old Town Scottsdale’s most desirable real estate is turning into the barrio. Silvana Salcido Esparza, award-winning chef-owner of Central Phoenix’s Barrio Cafe, is verging on a deal to take over the SouthBridge space that previously housed Metro Brasserie. She plans to divide the long, narrow restaurant into two different concepts, coming in November. At the north end of the space, adjacent to the patio, ...

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