Food, Glorious Food: The 16th annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival gets under way in a couple of weeks, running from April 12 to 17. It doesn’t look like anyone will leave hungry. The festival, presented by the Scottsdale League for the Arts, benefits the arts education programs in Valley public schools…

Food, Glorious Food: The 16th annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival gets under way in a couple of weeks, running from April 12 to 17. It doesn’t look like anyone will leave hungry. The festival, presented by the Scottsdale League for the Arts, benefits the arts education programs in Valley public schools…

Vagara Bistro, 6137 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 948-9928. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, 5:30 to 10 p.m., seven days a week. If you’re searching for a town on the cutting edge of the 21st century, Phoenix probably won’t make your short list. After all,…

Food, Glorious Food: The 16th annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival gets under way in a couple of weeks, running from April 12 to 17. It doesn’t look like anyone will leave hungry. The festival, presented by the Scottsdale League for the Arts, benefits the arts education programs in Valley public schools…

Vagara Bistro, 6137 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 948-9928. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, 5:30 to 10 p.m., seven days a week. If you’re searching for a town on the cutting edge of the 21st century, Phoenix probably won’t make your short list. After all,…

Vagara Bistro, 6137 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 948-9928. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, 5:30 to 10 p.m., seven days a week. If you’re searching for a town on the cutting edge of the 21st century, Phoenix probably won’t make your short list. After all,…

Food, Glorious Food: The 16th annual Scottsdale Culinary Festival gets under way in a couple of weeks, running from April 12 to 17. It doesn’t look like anyone will leave hungry. The festival, presented by the Scottsdale League for the Arts, benefits the arts education programs in Valley public schools…

Chicken Feed: Last November 9, a money-losing fast-food company named Boston Chicken, Inc., decided to go public, offering almost two million shares of stock at $20 per share. By the time the market’s closing bell rang, Wall Street traders’ jaws had dropped to the floor. Boston Chicken finished the day…

Chicken Feed: Last November 9, a money-losing fast-food company named Boston Chicken, Inc., decided to go public, offering almost two million shares of stock at $20 per share. By the time the market’s closing bell rang, Wall Street traders’ jaws had dropped to the floor. Boston Chicken finished the day…

Zona Rosa, Crown Sterling Suites, 2630 East Camelback, Phoenix, 954-9258. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The line separating highbrow from lowbrow is a lot less rigid than we think. Take Shakespeare. In Elizabethan England and…

Zona Rosa, Crown Sterling Suites, 2630 East Camelback, Phoenix, 954-9258. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The line separating highbrow from lowbrow is a lot less rigid than we think. Take Shakespeare. In Elizabethan England and…

Sorry, Wrong Number: Last week, I wrote about Sandy Bemoras and her Commitment to Life Card. It’s her way of honoring the memory of her brother, who died as a result of AIDS. The card features discounts at 18 Valley restaurants and clubs, including Hops!, Gianni and Timothy’s. It costs…

Sorry, Wrong Number: Last week, I wrote about Sandy Bemoras and her Commitment to Life Card. It’s her way of honoring the memory of her brother, who died as a result of AIDS. The card features discounts at 18 Valley restaurants and clubs, including Hops!, Gianni and Timothy’s. It costs…

Pink Pony Steak House, 3831 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 949-8677. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m., seven days a week. A restaurant’s reputation is bound to soar once it’s known for attracting certain elite groups. In Los Angeles, for instance, Hollywood…

Pink Pony Steak House, 3831 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 949-8677. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m., seven days a week. A restaurant’s reputation is bound to soar once it’s known for attracting certain elite groups. In Los Angeles, for instance, Hollywood…

Copper Creek Steakhouse and Grille, Arizona Center, 455 North Third Street, Phoenix, 253-7100. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4 to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m. Anyone who recalls the downtown Phoenix of…

Love Me Slender: For almost all of recorded history, an “eating disorder” meant only one thing: You weren’t getting enough food. A few years ago, a historian did a study of dreams in the Middle Ages. What did people 500 years ago lust after? Power? Sex? Fame? Nope. Food. In…

Love Me Slender: For almost all of recorded history, an “eating disorder” meant only one thing: You weren’t getting enough food. A few years ago, a historian did a study of dreams in the Middle Ages. What did people 500 years ago lust after? Power? Sex? Fame? Nope. Food. In…

Copper Creek Steakhouse and Grille, Arizona Center, 455 North Third Street, Phoenix, 253-7100. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4 to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m. Anyone who recalls the downtown Phoenix of…

Reviewing the Situation: Even though I’ve been writing the Cafe column for more than two years, I’m continually astonished by the number of people–readers, restaurant owners, publicists–who still don’t understand the two guiding principles of restaurant reviewing. First, no review can be credible if the restaurant knows a critic is…

Reay’s Cafe at Reay’s Ranch Market, 9689 North Hayden, Scottsdale, 596-9496. Hours: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. For well-heeled gourmands, a day spent cruising the aisles of a fancy supermarket can spark the same kind of intense excitement that a trip to…

Be My Valentine: If your sweetie requires high-end, high-up dining, the Valley offers plenty of choices. Among the best: Top of the Rock (the Buttes, 225-9000): This beautiful room provides a 360-degree panoramic view of the Valley. The Southwestern-themed food looks just as good. If the lobster Napoleon is on…