Some Like It Haute: What’s the Valley’s best Mexican restaurant? Italian restaurant? Chinese restaurant? You can make a case for at least ten restaurants in each category. But when it comes to high-end, gourmet dining, there’s only one contender in town: Christopher’s. I recently revisited chef Christopher Gross’ flagship restaurant…

Star Light, Star Bright: Almost two centuries ago, the French philosopher of the kitchen, gastronome Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, observed that “the discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star.” The man was absolutely right. I recently discovered a new dish at…

Jacka’s Back Alley Grille, 5739 West Glendale Avenue, Glendale, 274-1998. Hours: Dinner, Thursday through Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m. Build them, and I will come. That’s what I’ve been telling disgruntled west-siders, who continually urge me to unearth fine-dining restaurants in their corner of town. The problem? Until recently, it…

Java Man, Part One: I generally do a pretty good job suppressing my rare snobby tendencies. But I admit I’m insufferable when it comes to the subject of coffee. That’s because I can’t afford too many luxuries in life: no Lexus, no two-week cruises, no Chateau d’Yquem after dinner. But…

Wine & Kebab, 10135 East Via Linda, Scottsdale, 614-1414. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m. During the Cold War, one wag tried to sum up the difference between the Soviet and American systems. “Under communism,” he explained, “man…

Sunday Services: There aren’t too many activities that can get me out of my pajamas and out of the house before noon on Sunday. One of them is Sunday brunch at the Terrace Dining Room, at the Phoenician. I hadn’t been there for a while. Some things have changed: Prices…

Morton’s:The Steakhouse, Shops at the Esplanade, 2425 East Camelback, Phoenix, 955-9577. Hours: Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 5:30 to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m. Excess on occasion is moderating. It keeps moderation from becoming a habit. –W. Somerset Maugham Ever since we Homo sapiens reared up on our hind…

Book Notes: With some foods, you have to make an effort before you reach the good stuff. Think of peeling artichokes or shucking oysters. It’s the same with some books. In the case of Kitchens: The Culture of Restaurant Work, a new study by sociologist Gary Alan Fine (University of…

A Martian walks into a bake shop and calls over the proprietor. “What are those little wheels?” the alien asks. “Those aren’t wheels,” replies the baker, “they’re bagels. Try one.” The Martian takes a bite. “Man,” he exclaims, his face brightening, “these would go great with cream cheese and lox.”…

This Little Piggy Went to Market: What’s the key to entrepreneurial success? Identifying a need and filling it. That’s what Circle K’s executives seem to have done. They’ve opened up Emily’s Market in demographically rich Chandler. It’s an upscale, not-quite-gourmet grocery that specializes in meals-to-go. The target audience: too-pooped-to-cook folks…

Buck-A-Rue Bar-B-Que, 15840 North Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, 971-6107. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Every one of life’s pleasures, someone once said, is illegal, immoral or fattening. I don’t get most of my pleasures by violating either the law or the Ten Commandments…

Roman Holiday: There’s no shortage of Italian restaurants in the Valley. Local folklore says there are more Italian places here than any other ethnic variety, including Mexican. But there’s not necessarily strength in numbers. Most of these restaurants are serviceable, but few are memorable. However, I’ve just come back from…

Carlsbad Tavern, 3309 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 970-8164. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Dinner, Sunday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. People crave variety in all sorts of ways. Some of us wait breathlessly for car manufacturers to introduce their new models; some of…

Buddy, Can You Spare $250,000? If there’s a venture capitalist out there looking to invest some big bucks in the restaurant business, I’ve got some ideas. Despite this town’s phenomenal restaurant growth, there are three niches that could use filling. First: an upscale, gringo-friendly Mexican seafood restaurant. This concept has…

Desert Princess, Pleasant Harbor Marina, Lake Pleasant, 230-7600. Hours: Lunch cruise, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner cruise, Friday, 7 to 9:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Flower-shop owners look forward to Valentine’s Day. The airline industry can’t wait for the day before Thanksgiving…

Ventura Grill, 8380 East Via de Ventura, Scottsdale, 922-1500. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m., seven days a week. No industry launches a new product these days without doing lots of homework: Bean counters analyze the hard financial data; engineers perfect…

Menu Blues: A few weeks ago, I received a call from someone complaining about a dish he’d had at Citrus Cafe, a wonderful French restaurant out in the wilds of Chandler. What was the problem? He didn’t like his steak. This got me thinking about something I see plenty of:…

Let Them Eat Cake? Here’s a story I heard a few weeks ago. Put yourself in both the customers’ and restaurant manager’s shoes. What would you do? Employees order a fancy, expensive dessert cake to celebrate a special occasion at their company’s headquarters. They order it from a well-known restaurant…

Tutto, 7020 East Third Avenue, Scottsdale, 949-9101. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to midnight; Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. Somewhere in Phoenix, gathering dust in a warehouse, are the remains of an ancient Italian-restaurant civilization. Look:…

How the Southwest Was Won: Tucson’s Cafe Terra Cotta has been reveling in national attention for years. But diners at the Valley branch of the restaurant could have been forgiven for wondering about the hype. Yes, the Southwestern-themed food has been first-rate since the local Cafe Terra Cotta opened a…

Timothy’s, 6335 North 16th Street, Phoenix, 277-7634. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, 5 p.m. to midnight, seven days a week. What’s one difference between people and animals? Animals feed; humans dine. When my family sits down for dinner, I like to think that we’ve…

Ah-So, 6033 West Bell, Glendale, 978-1177. Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week; Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. Is Phoenix a big-league city? You can use all sorts of yardsticks to measure. Is there a symphony…