Deliverance came at the end of dinner at Steak 44, by way of a memorable and tasty dessert. Nearly everything else up until then, during my initial visit, had been a disappointment. Located in the former Cork ‘n’ Cleaver site at 44th Street and Camelback Road, Steak 44 is the…
A young friend of mine is sad that the stack of pancakes with the whipped-cream smile she used to order from the IHOP at Apache and Mill is part of her past, now. The former pancake house disappeared when its host, the Twin Palms Hotel, was shuttered last year. But…
I really wanted to love Delice, mostly because owner Feras Tarabichi works double-time to make diners feel at home. During each of my recent visits, I watched as he visited tableside with each of his guests, inquiring about their entrées or the delicious pastries they’d ordered. Tarabichi has created a…
Cuisine has come to downtown Glendale. Cuff is a casual, locally owned New American restaurant featuring the culinary skills of chef Tom Harvey, late of Eddie V’s in Scottsdale. Harvey and restaurateur David Chang have partnered with chef Matteo Cataldo to launch a laid-back bar and diner that offers expertly…
Chef Brian Webb and restaurateur Joseph Aguayo have made names for themselves as adventurous food pioneers. Aguayo brought bold, affordable Mexican fare to downtown in 2010 with his popular Verde, which closed after just seven months. Webb, who previously worked at Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix, took the lead…
Jimbo Reid is pissed off. He’s mad that there aren’t any “cute chicks” today in Jobot, a coffee shop in an old house on Fifth Street. He’s angry that the guy he’s talking to on Jobot’s cracked front porch keeps asking him about gentrification. He’s fuming because the latte he…
Elizabeth, a youngish suburban mother, is determined to have a normal day. But there’s a tree growing, upside down, in her kitchen. Her three-headed talking dog is acting churlishly. The announcer on her radio, which keeps turning itself on, is speaking directly to her. And someone keeps trying to climb…
Sometimes a room is just a room. Other times, it’s a warning that you’re about to pay $20 for a pretty good hamburger. Located on the Phoenician resort’s golf course, Relish Burger Bistro’s ambiance screams “hotel restaurant!” Facing a window is recommended: The nice views of the golf course are…
We see very little from local playwrights, a rare breed whose work is usually relegated to workshop productions before being tucked away forever. Richard Warren is one among a very few exceptions, at least lately. Last season, a staged reading of Warren’s Revocable Trust received a lot of attention. His…
Those of us of a certain age remember fondly Sportsman’s Fine Wines, a longtime landmark on the southeast corner of Camelback Road and 32nd Street and one of very few decent wine shops in town. And some of us who love a good Caesar salad and a nice escargot have…
First, there was the man. Then there was a book, and a play, and now a film about Jack Durant, founder of Phoenix’s best-known steak house and, well before anyone thought to write about him, the subject of lots of really amusing rumors. But is the truth about Durant, a…
One must wait, on humid days, for the file boxes at the Arizona State Archives to come to room temperature before handling their contents. The boxes are stored at 55 degrees to slow the aging of the fragile paper they contain. It’s worth the wait, if what one is doing…
Few are surprised that, in less than half a year, Vivo! Ristorante has established itself as one of the more refined dining spots in town. Its pedigree helps: Vivo! is the latest offering from Phoenix restaurateur Tomaso Maggiore, creator of Tomaso’s and a long list of other local restaurants. After…
You want authentic souvlaki, or a decent gyro, and you want it now. Usually, fast food and Greek aren’t a great mix; falafel doesn’t do well under heat lamps, and whoever heard of made-ahead lamb skewers? If you’re craving excellent Greek fare, you’re likely headed to someplace with faux Athenian…
I’m a fan of nouvelle cuisine and never balk at paying premium prices for fine food. But while Second Story Liquor Bar offers both the teeny portions of fussy food and the prices one expects from a four-star restaurant, it does so without benefit of fine cuisine or distinction. Uneventful…
If the crummy part of eating healthy is all the prep work involved, local restaurateur Johnny Chu has swooped in to save health-conscious diners (and anyone who likes fresh food and a nice bowl of soup). At Shabu Fondue, Chu does the chopping and washing and we, at long last,…
Chow Bella took a bite out of the holidays earlier this month with our annual “Eating Christmas” event at Crescent Ballroom. No worries if you missed it — catch the essays here through the holiday season. We’ve all seen them: Magazine photos of expertly iced Santa cookies, leaning jauntily against…
Year of the Rooster, now crowing its head off at Stray Cat Theatre, serves up a compelling theatrical medley of black comedy, tough characters, and pretty pathos. Intelligently handled by young playwright Eric Dufault, this angst-drenched story is presented by a quartet of characters who demonstrate what happens when pain…
In the ’70s, my friends and I ate at La Rosa, a Glendale diner that served both Mexican and Chinese food — not only because we liked both chow mein and chimichangas, but because we thought it was hilarious that a restaurant would offer two such diverse cuisines. Although fusion…
I rarely eat in Italian restaurants. Raised on basic Italian fare, I’m put off by menus featuring chicken parmigiani and “gourmet” versions of pasta fagioli (peasant food, made with white beans and macaroni in a watery tomato broth, but invariably Italian-Americanized with veal and a half-dozen vegetables in the pretentious…
At first glance, there’s plenty about Justin Beckett’s Southern Rail to suggest it’s going to be just another pileup of overworked dining trends. There’s the rustic-meets-Steampunk décor, the open kitchen, the communal table set with mismatched flatware, Homer Laughlin diner ware, and dishtowel as serviette. It’s the neatly rehabbed comfort…
I rave so often and so loudly about Tuck Shop, my friends believe I’m an investor in the popular restaurant. And I dine so frequently at Vovomeena, the staff and I are on a first-name basis. But I admit to having abandoned Astor House, a smallish eatery in the Coronado…
