Lib’s Ribs, 2545 North 32nd Street, Phoenix, 508-8220. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. When you come from a tightknit religious family in New York, as I did, you have two options growing up. You can…
Hail to the Chef: Chef Christopher Gross left Christopher’s last December, after an acrimonious split with partner Guy Coscas. Since then, Gross has been anxious to get back into the restaurant game. He’s been scouting for investors and checking into locations. Now, the scouting and checking are over. Although all…
Bistro 24, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 2401 East Camelback, Phoenix, 468-0700. Sunday brunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There are three places from which you can get a profound insight into human nature: a foxhole, Wrigley Field and an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch. In a foxhole, you can observe soldiers waging an elemental…
Mommy Dearest: Candy makers can’t wait for Halloween. Florists celebrate Valentine’s Day. Retailers circle the calendar on the day after Thanksgiving. Restaurant owners live for Mother’s Day. On that holiday, it seems as if half the population is tying up phone lines trying to talk with Mom. The other half…
Polishing the Big Apple: If you’re a Muslim, you’re required to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. If you’re Catholic, the height of devotion is attending a Papal mass at St. Peter’s. If you’re a foodie, you’ll try to have dinner at the James Beard House. Beard was one of America’s…
Roy’s, Scottsdale Seville, 7001 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 905-1155. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. Looking for signs that the Valley has joined the urban big leagues? We’ve got teams in…
I’ve got some marvelous summer adventures planned. Among my ideas: 1) Hiking Squaw Peak during an electrical storm with a copper helmet strapped to my head; 2) Supplementing my income selling authentic Apache earmuffs at freeway off-ramps; 3) Checking with the IRS to see if I can continue writing off…
T. Cook’s, Royal Palms, 5200 East Camelback, Phoenix, 808-0766. Hours: Dinner, 6 to 10:30 p.m., seven days a week. According to the Chamber of Commerce, about 12 million visitors come to the Valley every year. It seems like 11 million of them make it to my house. The others need…
West-Side For years, I’ve thought the west side of town was full of untapped restaurant potential. Some smart entrepreneur, I figured, would eventually look at the demographics–tens of thousands of new residents, armed with disposable income–and realize there’s gold in them thar new developments. Why not offer them a decent…
Restaurant Oceana, 8900 East Pinnacle Peak Road, Scottsdale, 515-2277. Hours: Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m., seven days a week. How come comedians want to play Hamlet? Why do guys with good jobs and loving families fantasize about joining the merchant marine and shipping out on a freighter? Why do rural…
Safe Mex: I’m not a venture capitalist, restaurant entrepreneur or restaurant consultant. But if I were, I know exactly what I’d be doing with my time, money and energy: developing an upscale, white-linen-tablecloth, Mexican seafood restaurant. It’s a sure-fire idea. Why Mexican and seafood? Well, first consider the Mexican part…
Restaurant Hapa, 6204 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 998-8220. Hours: Dinner, Wednesday through Monday, 5:30 to 10 p.m. In 1927, German physicist Werner Heisenberg had a breakthrough theoretical insight. He called it the Uncertainty Principle: It’s impossible to measure accurately both the position and momentum of subatomic particles, like electrons, at…
And the Nominees Are . . . : In the movie business, it’s the Oscar. In the recording industry, it’s the Grammy. In the restaurant world, it’s the James Beard Awards. Right now, the firm of Deloitte & Touche is tabulating results from the first round of balloting. A few…
Veneto Trattoria, Hilton Village, 6137 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 948-9928. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. These are golden days for the Valley’s Italian-food fans. Judging by the exploding number of Italian restaurants in town, apparently 90 percent…
Feeling Your Hautes: Ten years ago, I believe there wasn’t a single high-end grocery store in town. That changed when Euro Market opened in Uptown Plaza at Central and Camelback. In the early 1990s, AJ’s took over that spot, and then quickly expanded into other demographically promising parts of the…
Arizona Roadhouse & Brewery, 1120 East Apache, Tempe, 929-9940. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week. Aye, laddie, may your leprechauns always be green; may your sainted mother find a four-leaf shillelagh; and may the Blarney Stone kiss ye back. I don’t know what…
As the Worm Turns: If Saint Patrick had driven the snakes out of Mexico instead of Ireland, we’d be celebrating his birthday a whole different way. Forget whiskey and beer. We’d be drinking tequila and mescal. During the past five years, tequila has been transformed. It used to be a…
Yo, Rocky Point: Are there other things to do in Rocky Point besides eating dinner? (See this week’s Cafe column, page 77.) You bet: Let’s not forget about breakfast and lunch. To fuel yourself for the day’s rigorous activities, head to Puesta del Sol, the restaurant at the Playa Bonita…
At this moment, on college campuses all across Arizona, the student body is starting to stir with excitement. Our young scholars are putting down the books, and smearing on the sun screen. The most important week in the academic calendar is coming up–Spring Break. It’s party time: Ladies and gentlemen,…
Pepe’s Taco Villa, 2108 West Camelback, Phoenix, 242-0379. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday and Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Childhood myths die hard. Why is it so wrenching to concede that there’s no Santa Claus, no Easter Bunny and no Tooth…
Taste of Europe: The last time I looked, the Eiffel Tower wasn’t in Phoenix. Neither was Stonehenge, the Alps, or the Leaning Tower of Pisa. If you want to see those sights, you have to go overseas. But you don’t need to book a transatlantic flight to find real European-cafe…
Buffeted: Why are budget-priced, all-you-can-eat buffets so popular? That’s easy. Most folks think they can beat the house, eating more than the cost of the meal. You can recognize these customers right away: They’re the ones balancing a mountain of shrimp on two plates as they waddle to their table…
