The expectations game can be as dangerous for restaurant owners as playing mumblety-peg with a 10-inch, razor-sharp Bowie knife. If you roll into... More >>
The late '70s. California. Macrobiotic cooking. Wacky New Age cults. Jogging. Yoga. Tibetan Buddhism. Jerry Brown and Linda Ronstadt. Uri Geller.... More >>
There's been no love lost between myself and those belonging to the Valley's veg-head clan. And I'm a big enough man -- literally as well as... More >>
Why have I been skipping around the office, of late, humming Iron Butterfly's heavy metal classic "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" as I go? Have I been doing... More >>
A humongous Pop-Tart. That's what this marionberry cobbler -- named for a type of blackberry, not the erstwhile mayor of D.C. -- reminds me of,... More >>
I used to loathe doggie bags, mainly the way they stink up the sedan as you're motoring home with half a curry fermenting in the back seat. But... More >>
I must be paying for the sins of a past life. Why is it every time I locate a new sushi purveyor that I'd like to put into heavy rotation for my... More >>
On paper, the whole concept of tapas must seem a boon to money-grubbing restaurateurs everywhere, which is why nearly every upscale nightclub you... More >>
Hoist the Belgian tricolor and strike up that kingdom's national anthem, "La Brabançonne." Chart a course for the ancient port city of Antwerp,... More >>
I'd have a rough time coining a more idiotic name for a restaurant than "Cocono's," the d.b.a. of the new West Valley venture brought to us by... More >>
Holy headcheese, not another freakin' Irish place! Now, don't ruffle your kilts, lads. After all, it is St. Paddy's Day, and this is the only... More >>
Irish Disneylands? You bet they exist. Actually, I'm as sure that Shane MacGowan likes his Jameson that you've been to one. Hard to avoid 'em in... More >>
Outstanding sushi in the wiles of the northwest Valley? Yeah, right. Now you'll be telling me that President Bush has been secretly planning to... More >>
Would it trouble you terribly if I told you that I'm guilty of murder? The murder of a strapping, dark-haired chap, whom I'd only just met in... More >>
By the Great Seal of Solomon, they were the most treacherous 18 holes I've ever encountered in all my years as a golf enthusiast. I don't know... More >>
How's this for synchronicity, Carl Jung fans: I'm driving down Broadway in SoPo (a.k.a. South Phoenix), my windows open and my system blasting... More >>