I’m a longtime restaurant person. I’ve been the dishwasher, the head waiter and the manager. I consider myself a good evaluator of service.My passion is dining out at all types of restaurants. I don’t look for the Mary Elaine’s touches when I eat at Carlsbad Tavern. Each level of restaurant…
Western Pizza In most circles, any person venturing out of the house after midnight invites suspicion. Little good can come from folks rambling about at this dark hour. Late-night frolickers are getting drunk, they’re cruising the opposite sex with purely physical intent, or they’re looking to pick a fight. How…
As a child growing up in China, Sonia Tang remembers one of her favorite after-school snacks was a bowl of yam balls topped with shaved ice and sweetened cream.Now, as owner of Taiwan Express, Tang has found a new market for her old childhood treat. These days, though, the balls…
Some Ahwatukee residents are up in arms over boobs in their neighborhood. Hooters, to be exact. The restaurant and bar — known primarily for its perky waitresses dipped in skintight short-shorts and tank tops — is scheduled to open this week at 48th Street and Chandler Boulevard. But if members…
Even though they may spend hours in the place during any given week, David and Diana Mullins insist that they don’t mind having lunch at Chevys. They generally don’t get to eat there, after all. They are, rather, father-and-daughter members of that mysterious sect of people who approach you at…
Harry, our waiter at George & Son’s Asian Cuisine, is explaining why no chopsticks are included with the cutlery on the tables of this new restaurant. Too many patrons in the upscale north Scottsdale neighborhood have confessed they’re unable to control the slippery sticks, he says, so management decided that…
The bulldozers have been busy on the north side of Camelback Mountain these past several months, churning one of the Valley’s legendary resort properties into dust. Gone is the historic John Gardiner’s Tennis Ranch. Arriving soon is the mystically named — and cosmically inspired — Sanctuary. With it comes a…
His name is Stephen Greenhorn, and it’s appropriate to his current situation — he’s never been to Phoenix before, never been out West before at all. But at the moment, he’s getting the whole picture. We’ve just been seated for lunch at the Compass Restaurant, atop the downtown Hyatt. Greenhorn…
For astrologer Dana Haynes, timing is everything. “Astrology is all about cycles,” she says, “and everything works with timing.”So Haynes, who has a comedian’s knack for it, has selected a Thursday evening two weeks after Thanksgiving, when Christmas lights are up and seasonal shopping is well under way, to suggest…
In-N-Out Burger, 7467 East Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, Scottsdale, unpublished phone number. Also 1525 Dysart Road, Avondale. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. The Sony PlayStation2 has been packed away, the thrill evaporated just a few…
There’s a little Liz Habib in all of us. Even the most puritanical in the bungling bunch known as mankind likely has overindulged in alcohol at least once in his life. With New Year’s Eve approaching this weekend, it’s pretty much a given that come Monday, a lot of us…
“My jail!”That’s how Yakov Shalomaef describes the place where he spends his weekdays, the workroom at the rear of his shoe-repair shop. It seems odd to hear an immigrant from Russia describe his circumstances thus, rather than with the usual immigrant’s litany of: “My God, there’s so much opportunity here,…
In every office, there are those upbeat team players who love getting into the holiday spirit. They wear theme sweaters, festoon their offices with garland and candy canes and play Christmas music on portable CD players. It’s usually one of these do-gooders who spearheads the annual office holiday potluck. After…
Tequila. It’s not just for binge drinkers anymore. Super-premium blends have become super popular with well-heeled inbibers, and in the process, super profitable for some bar owners.At Scottsdale’s Coyote Grill, guests can savor a $145 shot of José Cuervo 1800 Colección, straight or blended in a margarita. Though only a…
Yes, Virginia — and Arizona — there is a Santa Claus.I say this not because of my belief, deeply held though it is, that there’s a spirit of generosity and kindness and merriment and good cheer that resides in the hearts of all people. No, I say this because I’m…
My Italian husband balks at food that isn’t red or green. When I brought him to his first Polish Christmas Eve supper, he looked at our food and grimaced: “Everything is brown!”We surveyed the landscape of our table — a sable sea of black mushroom soup steaming in Grandmom’s tureen,…
A recent survey, conducted extensively among people on my speed-dial list, has uncovered a startling finding. The entire state of New Mexico is nothing without its chiles.A half-dozen people answering the phone can’t be wrong. When asked what the cuisine of New Mexico is comprised of, all my study subjects…
Arlene Silver wants to make it clear — very clear — that the Taste of Chicago sandwich store at Scottsdale Road and Thunderbird is not affiliated with the Taste of Chicago at Hayden and Mountain View. Both of the Scottsdale stores were founded by a single owner, but several years…
Even with the lunchtime rush in full swing at Thai Rama, Roland James isn’t hard to spot. He’s the middle-aged guy sitting alone, with pamphlets spread out on the table in front of him. I sigh as I head toward the booth, bracing myself for a preachy midday meal.The surprise…
Sometimes, you just know that things aren’t going to work out. Maybe it’s the body language that clues you in, when your intended won’t look you in the eye or respond to your requests. Perhaps it’s the tone of voice that’s telling of demise — when it’s short, exasperated and…
Professional chefs are born different from the rest of us. While the home chef may cook to relax, the professional cooks out of a compulsion to create. We may rummage through our shelves as we go, making do with what’s available, yet the professional won’t start until he has every…
Over the past month, a number of the Valley’s better-known restaurants have failed health inspections, with dismal scores ranging from 60 to 70. While it’s no surprise to find unsanitary conditions at a no-name dive, it’s unsettling when these fancy or corporate-controlled restaurants slip up so stupendously.Peter’s European Cafe is…
