Best Splurge on a Shoestring Budget 2009 | TeHaru Sushi | Food & Drink | Phoenix
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Best Splurge on a Shoestring Budget

TeHaru Sushi

Timur Guseynov

Most of the time, being impulsive at restaurants — especially sushi restaurants — can have pricey consequences. But not at TeHaru Sushi. You can throw caution to the wind and eat yourself silly at this south Tempe spot, and when the bill comes, we promise your jaw will drop at how affordable it is. The setup at TeHaru is kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi), and it's no wonder the Japanese are so crazy for it. Pick a chair at the counter, and then grab whatever looks good from the constant parade of dishes coasting by. Yellowtail nigiri? Salmon avocado roll? Squid salad? Go for it. At the end of the meal, they'll determine your tab by tallying how many color-coded plates you've stacked up. We'd call TeHaru Sushi a true guilty pleasure, but considering how cheap it is, where's the guilt?

Best Place to Take a First Date

Cibo

Jacob Tyler Dunn

It's easy to fall in love with the charms of Cibo. And who knows? Maybe some of that magic will rub off on your date, too. The building itself is a lovingly restored historic bungalow, with wood floors, a brick fireplace, pretty windows throughout, and an inviting front patio, which twinkles with white lights after sundown. Proprietors Tony and Karen Martingiglio and their son, Michael Krassner, run the restaurant with the kind of passion and personal service that makes first-timers feel as welcome as regulars, while Italian chef Guido Saccone creates scrumptious pizzas and lovely antipasti that will certainly help your cause to win someone's heart — through his or her stomach, of course. It's a classy but affordable menu. And if all that isn't enough to nurture a budding romance, well, there's always the Chianti.

Best Place to Take a Wine Geek

Caffe Boa

Lauren Saria

Caffe Boa is an unexpected delight amid the college-town bustle of Mill Avenue. It's a stylish bistro with a grown-up atmosphere, a Mediterranean-inspired menu that celebrates seasonal, organic ingredients, and a serious attitude about wine. Owners Jay and Christine Wisniewski, both certified sommeliers, have created a Wine Spectator Award-winning program that features a few dozen wines by the glass, intriguing flights, and a huge selection of bottles from around the world, including a number of biodynamic and organic wines. Just as impressive, many of the staffers at Caffe Boa have passed an introductory sommelier certification program, so their recommendations are substantial. It's a refreshing alternative to the beer-chugging coed scene in these parts. Cheers!

Best Place to Meet the Chef

Café Monarch

Cafe Monarch

When you visit Café Monarch, you're entering Christopher Van Arsdale's domain. He's the chef-owner of this super-stylish, tucked-away spot, and he's often a one-man show, waiting on tables, chatting up customers, and cooking up a storm in the 558-square-foot space that he single-handedly designed. After spending years as a personal chef, Van Arsdale realized his dream of opening his own place, and he's created an atmosphere that's so friendly and intimate that it's almost like dining at a friend's house. The scrumptious menu of starters, salads, and sandwiches is merely a launching point for Van Arsdale's cooking, which often spins off into original creations inspired by customers' cravings, seasonal finds at the farmers market, and whatever else strikes his fancy. One of the appetizers is simply titled "chef's whim." For a leisurely, fun meal, you're in good hands at Café Monarch.

Best Place to Go When You're Feeling Sad

Organ Stop Pizza

It's impossible to feel sorry for yourself in the presence of Organ Stop Pizza's Mighty Wurlitzer. The food at the two-story pizza parlor is an afterthought because the main draw is the 6,000-pipe theater organ, with its orchestra pit of instruments, bells, and whistles. Organists like Charlie Balogh dazzle the crowds with boisterous renditions of cheesy but happy songs like "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "Flight of the Bumblebee."

Senior citizens come by the busload, and Organ Stop also is popular with toddlers. When you go, ask the organist to play "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid. As the lights dim, a glimmering disco ball rotates, shooting shimmering sparkles across the dining hall. Just when you think life can't get much better, Balogh flips a switch, and bubbles float down from the ceiling. We cry from happiness every time.

Best Psychic Night

Lisa G Café and Wine Bar

What are you hungry for? Where should we go to dinner tonight? If it's a Wednesday, the answers should be pizza and Lisa G Café and Wine Bar. Beyond that, we're pretty fuzzy about the future, but that's the best reason to come here for Wednesday Psychic Night, a fun weekly event that's all about peering into the great unknown. Psychic astrologer Joseph Anthony does the readings (10 minutes for 20 bucks), and you never know what he might reveal. From impending relationship drama to a big achievement at work, there's a lot to consider. And, of course, we like to do it while noshing on pizza (the night's special, not on the regular menu), working on a nice bottle of wine, and hanging with a few pals. Not like we're in need of stuff to chat about, but Anthony's insights sure make for fun conversations.

Best Stoner Ambiance

Cheba Hut

Jackie Mercandetti

When you're in a restaurant that serves subs in various sizes called "nugs," "pinners," and "blunts," it only makes sense to be surrounded by cannabis-inspired art. While ordering at the counter, customers can eyeball the plethora of pot-themed stickers and photos taped across the length of the counter, proclaiming things like "Friends don't let friends eat shwag." There's also a display case featuring T-shirts that depict George W. Bush hitting a bong. Once customers have their, uh, blunts in hand, they can ogle the photos beside the soda machine that show Cheech & Chong icon Tommy Chong stuffing his face at Cheba Hut. And once seated in a booth, patrons can take in the giant wall mural that features folks surfing and sunning and a monkey blowing smoke rings through the trees. After their munchies have been slain, customers get one last look at a marijuana leaf, this one painted on the door. There are more green leaves in this place than a teashop. With décor like this, one can't help but leave no turn unstoned.

Best Nostalgia

Sugar Bowl

Jamie Peachey

We've been hanging around Scottsdale so long that we remember when Fashion Square was an open-air mall. We shopped at the Wigwam, ate at China Lil's, endured countless Parada del Sol parades. So imagine our dismay when two Scottsdale old-timers — Pink Pony and Quilted Bear — bit the dust this year. We knew just what to do. We dusted off our Saba's cowboy boots and headed straight for the Sugar Bowl to drown our sorrows in a banana split. Since 1958, the Pepto-Bismol pink-and-white ice cream parlor has served up frozen treats (oh, yeah, it has regular diner fare, too) to Scottsdalians young and old. Not much has changed about the Sugar Bowl; good thing "shabby chic" is in style. We don't care — give us Bil Keane's old Family Circus cartoons on the walls and the crunchy old linoleum alongside two scoops of chocolate mint, and we're content to relive our childhood.

Best Makeover

Liberty Market

Heather Hoch
Apricot Glazed Chicken from Liberty Market

Gilbert's Liberty Market is the talk of the town. A complete renovation of the circa-1935 market and its 1959 addition has resulted in a buzz-worthy hangout that combines contemporary cool with vintage Americana. It's part cafeteria, part coffee bar, and part gourmet boutique, the kind of place where you could theoretically eat three times a day. Chef David Traina's tasty menu includes griddled bread pudding with espresso syrup for breakfast, thin-crust, wood-fired pizzas for lunch and dinner, and homemade brownies and cookies for anytime. And for a pleasant caffeine kick, grab a latte at the E-61 Bar, the in-house coffee counter named after Liberty's restored vintage espresso machine. Do you need any more reasons to stop by this quirky place? Because really, we could go on . . .

Best Import

Roka Akor

Nicole Hoffman

Need proof that Scottsdale is on the international jet-setter map? Consider Roka Akor, an offshoot of London's chic Roka restaurant, which also has outposts in Macau and Hong Kong. Exotic company, don't you think? The "Akor" in the name here is actually "Roka" backwards, since it's supposed to be a reflection of the original eatery — both have high-style dining rooms designed by the same cutting-edge Japanese design firm, and both specialize in robatayaki, Japanese grilled dishes that include skewered vegetables, miso-marinated black cod, prime beef filet, and more. Roka Akor's raw selections are also exquisite, from toro sashimi to wagyu sushi with wasabi, ponzu, and ginger. Earlier this year, the place was named among Bon Appetit's best new sushi spots in the country. So who needs a trip abroad for sophisticated Japanese cuisine? They're bringing it to us instead.

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