Soupy Sales: There isn’t much of a soup season in the Valley of the Perpetual Sun–maybe a three-month window lasting from about Thanksgiving to the beginning of spring training. For soup lovers like me, though, ’tis the season to be jolly. A steaming bowl of soup can really take the…
Al Dente’s, 14850 North Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, Scottsdale, 657-9322. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m. Next year, the census takers will be fanning out around the country, counting heads and gathering information…
If You Knew Sushi: Every restaurant needs a gimmick, right? Well, one German restaurant has taken the Hooters concept way beyond the next level. According to Nation’s Restaurant News, an industry trade paper, a sushi restaurant in Hanover, Germany, has come up with a novel way to serve sushi: on…
Generation X Files: Are you between the ages of 25 and 36? Do you think no one cares about you? Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Some very important people care very much about you. They’re the people who run the world’s biggest liquor companies. Gen Xers are fueling a resurgence…
Eddie Matney’s Epicurean Trio, 2398 East Camelback, Phoenix, 957-3214. Hours: Fine-Dining Room–Dinner, Tuesday through Saturday, 6 to 10 p.m; Bistro–Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11:30 p.m. For most of the 1990s, Eddie Matney,…
It’s the season for fantasy. The warm glow is still with us: Family members are still talking to one another, we’ve got a righteous feeling about all the self-improvement resolutions we’ve sworn to undertake at some indeterminate future time, and we can enjoy all our gifts before the bills come…
Would you like to have your cavities filled by a student dentist? Would you get on an airplane flown by a student pilot? Would you trust your haircut to a student barber? I get the dry heaves when a skilled dentist approaches me with dental floss, let alone a whirring…
Message to Santa: Peace on Earth? Goodwill toward men? A winning PowerBall ticket? The Big Guy at the North Pole never seems to act on my personal Christmas wishes. He doesn’t seem to care for my professional wishes, either. If I don’t get some action soon, I’m going to be…
Book Notes: I always get a laugh when people tell me I’ve got a glamorous job. Maybe 5 percent of my time is spent at the trough. And maybe 5 percent of that is really good eating. Believe me, the other 95 percent of my work–sitting in front of a…
Bistecca, 7014 East Camelback (Scottsdale Fashion Square), Scottsdale, 481-7800. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. Kids scan the skies for Santa Claus. Mountain climbers keep an eye out for Sasquatch. Divers…
Mr. Tokyo, 5965 West Ray Road, Chandler, 940-8999. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Back in the 1970s, my wife and I were Peace Corps volunteers, teaching in a dirt-poor…
Market Watch: Not very long ago, Valley residents looking for any ethnic food except soy sauce had to make an excursion to Los Angeles. Things sure have changed. These days, every supermarket carries aisles of once-exotic products. Why? Let’s give credit where credit is due–the magic of capitalism. More and…
Years ago, living in Los Angeles, I had Middle Eastern neighbors, refugees from the civil war in Lebanon. The wife seemed to have superhuman energy–working full-time, keeping close watch on three kids and cooking up a storm. Once in a while, Nadja would send over a platter of the evening’s…
Up in Smoke: If you run a wine and liquor retail operation, you look forward to the holiday season with the same sense of anticipation as a kid with a notarized “good behavior” certificate from Santa. That’s when the profits roll in. On November 8 the Valley’s premier wine outlet…
Cafe Nordstrom, 7055 East Camelback (Nordstrom at Scottsdale Fashion Square), Scottsdale, 946-4111. Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Today’s report: The First Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims were on the verge of starvation. The dreadful winter of 1620-21 had wiped out…
Grateful Thanks: This is the time of year to reflect and give thanks for our many blessings. Obviously, we’re all appreciative of Arizona’s postcard scenery–and weather that lets us enjoy it. But, as someone whose job requires 225 meals out a year, here’s what makes me warm with gratitude: *…
Wrigley Mansion Club, 2501 East Telawa Trail, Phoenix, 955-4079. Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, Wednesday through Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. You’ve got to hand it to America’s old-time robber barons. Sure, the Vanderbilts, the Fricks and the Rockefellers brutally exploited their workers, corrupted the…
Rising to the Occasion: Chefs are always looking to be on the cutting edge. One saucy French chef, however, has apparently gone just a bit too far. According to Nation’s Restaurant News, Jean-Louis Galland came up with a novel way to get his beef piccata with fig vinegar and fine…
The Barbecue Company’s Grill & Cafe, 4636 South 36th Street, Phoenix, 243-3771. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. No one has any trouble praising greatness. But mediocrity rarely gets its due. Perhaps history’s most inspired defense of mediocrity came in 1970, from Senator Roman Hruska. The…
Grin and Beer It: I used to think that just about every possible microbrew niche has been filled. Remember 10 years ago, when the typical supermarket beer case carried Bud, Miller and an occasional foreign six-pack? These days, even the corner grocery carries Belgian-style suds, wheat brews, honey ales and…
Safe Mex: There’s no shortage of Mexican restaurants in the Valley. But there aren’t too many outstanding ones. This week’s Mexican-food trip (see Cafe review, page 81) got me thinking about just which ones they are. The following places may be somewhat light on atmosphere, but they all dish out…
El Conquistador, 15420 North 32nd Street, Phoenix, 493-3913. Hours: Lunch, Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, Tuesday through Friday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Lunch and Dinner, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Would you ever walk into a bookstore, randomly buy…
