Old Town Tortilla Factory, 6910 East Main, Scottsdale, 9454567. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m. There seem to be two types of restaurantgoers. The first are the restless adventurers–diners who…

The Barn Steak House, 6508 West Bell, Glendale, 9795811. Hours: Dinner, Tuesday through Sunday, 4p.m. to close. Nature’s ceaseless, unchanging seasonal rhythms bring a welcome predictability to what seems to be a capricious, chaotic world. It’s comforting to remember that each spring, the swallows return to Capistrano; each summer, the…

Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman: Let’s dip into the mailbag and give the readers their 32 cents worth. One correspondent, a proprietor of a west-side restaurant, thinks I am too hard on that section of town. She was responding to a review I wrote about Sebastian’s, a fine-dining place out…

Just Desserts: If you want to begin the year on a sweet note, I recommend a visit to Global Village Pastries and Java. It’s a small sandwich-and-pastry shop that operates out of a nondescript Bell Road strip-mall storefront. (There’s also a branch in Carefree.) Though the setting is low-powered (at…

Centro Cafe & Bakery, 2831 North 24th Street, Phoenix, 224-9235. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Friday, 11a.m. to 9 p.m.; Dinner, Saturday, 4 to 9p.m.; closed Sunday. We’re only a few days into 1996, and my resolution to carry out my resolutions is already wearing out. For instance, in…

Weight Watch: During this pre-New Year’s week, masses of people will be making resolutions to go on a diet in 1996. Yes, it’s important not to be grossly overweight. But the mania for counting calories and fat grams is getting out of hand. Especially when we’re eating out. In response…

The fantasy doesn’t end on December 25. A lot of the holiday spirit spills over into the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Despite the inevitable spats, most families have made it through the annual get-together without bloodshed. At this early date, the bills still haven’t come to spoil…

Message to Santa: Peace on Earth? Goodwill toward men? A Christmas bonus? Some things are beyond even Santa’s powers. Recognizing Santa’s diminished capacity, I’ve scaled down my Christmas wish list thisyear. The following 12 nonnegotiable changes in restaurant behavior are the minimum I’m willing to accept in 1996. If Santa…

Our Gang Cafe, 9832 North Seventh Street, Phoenix, 870-4122. Hours: Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 4:30 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4:30 to 11 p.m. Today’s Jeopardy! answer: Sleep ’til noon, whine about boredom and eat a week’s worth of groceries as an afternoon snack. The correct question: What do…

Rim Shot: My friends know I’m no lover of the great outdoors. My idea of a wilderness experience is staying at a hotel that has no room service between midnight and 6a.m. But just before the feds closed the park, my friends talked me into a hike to the bottom…

New Mandarin Delight Chinese Bistro, 5380 North Seventh Street, Phoenix, 274-5204. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, 5to 10 p.m., seven days a week; Sunday brunch, 11:30a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Like most grown-ups who’ve managed to survive their youthful follies, I look back on my…

All That Jazz, 333 East Jefferson, Phoenix, 256-1437. Hours: Lunch, Tuesday through Friday, 11a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5p.m. to 1 a.m. “The man that hath no music in himself,” wrote the poet, “is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils…

Great Outdoors: This is my favorite time of year. I’m buoyed by pre-holiday cheer, the end of Thanksgiving leftovers and perfect weather for dining alfresco. There are problems, however, with eating outdoors in the Valley. It seems like almost every place with patio chairs, umbrellas and heaters overlooks either a…

Sinbad, 1731 West Baseline, Mesa, 730-9964. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 9p.m.; Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. The Middle East and Mesa have a surprising amount in common. Geographically, the two areas share the…

Double Trouble: The Valley’s incredible growth has tempted lots of restaurant owners to try to boost their profits by opening second branches of their successful restaurants. It’s a risky proposition, as at least three proprietors have discovered in the past fewmonths. The operators of Indian Delhi Palace (original restaurant: 5050…

Order in the Court: Eating out is the national pastime. But suing runs a close second. And more and more people are taking restaurants to court, especially since a woman who carelessly spilled McDonald’s hot coffee onto her lap was awarded $2.9 million (later reduced to $680,000). Ponder these recent…

Wrigley Mansion Club, 2501 East Telawa Trail, Phoenix, 955-4079. Sunday brunch: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A deluxe European vacation? Private schools for the kids? Fancy digs in a pricey community? Unless you’re a bankrupt governor, you probably can’t afford these things. But working stiffs who pay their debts can…

Cafe Patou, Papago Plaza, 7049 East McDowell, Scottsdale, 423-1700. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 5:30 to 10 p.m. Next Thursday, Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season. It’s the time of year to count our blessings and remember those who are less…

New Eats: We don’t need census takers to tell us the Phoenix population is exploding. Just check out all the new restaurant openings. The places below either recently opened their doors or are about to begin business. Razz’s: The former chef de cuisine at Different Pointe of View, Erasmo Kamnitzer,…

Small Talk: There’s been a lot of discussion recently about sealing off Arizona’s border. Those in favor of strict frontier controls argue that the state is being flooded with people who don’t share our work habits, customs and values, who threaten our quality of life. If the alien wave isn’t…

Le Gourmand, 12345 West Indian School, Litchfield Park, 935-1515. Hours: Dinner, Tuesday through Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m. There are many reasons to venture out to thefar west Valley. You can visit grandma and grandpa in Sun City. You can get your kicks driving mile after mile in the left…

Chocolate Heaven: Along with power, sex and notoriety, nothing feeds more imaginations than chocolate. For some complex physiological reasons, eating chocolate generates an incredible sense of satisfaction and well-being. I speak from experience, because I just came back from one of the most mesmerizing shops in the Valley: Pee-Wee’s Imports…