Say Cheese: I’ve just come across a terrific book that’s probably the last word on cheese. It’s Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins (Workman, $16.95). Jenkins is a cheese whiz. He started his career at Dean & DeLuca, New York’s famed specialty food shop, where he developed the magnificent cheese section…
Mining Camp Restaurant & Trading Post, 1U2 mile off Highway 88, four miles past Apache Junction, 982-3181. Hours: Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 4 to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 9 p.m. Open November through May. Every year about this time, Arizonans can count on three things: The Cardinals will be…
Restaurant Update: There’s no letup in the rush to open new restaurants in the Valley. Among the establishments I’m looking forward to checking out: * The Famous Door: It’s in the old Daa’s Thai location, at 7419 Indian Plaza in Scottsdale, just down the street from Don & Charlie’s. According…
English Only: Eating a bad meal puts me in an unpleasant mood. And reading a bad meal makes me almost as upset. Maybe it’s the former professor in me. But whenever I see a menu full of glaring grammatical and spelling errors, my stomach turns as if I’ve just been…
European Bistro, 2530 West Camelback, Phoenix, 249-1123. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The conversation flagged at the table next to us, as the couple turned their full attention to polishing off dinner. At meal’s end, the fellow put down his fork and delivered…
The Claim Game: It seems like every restaurant these days devotes a portion of its menu to “good for you” items. Here you’ll see all sorts of appealingly healthful adjectives, as in “cholesterol free,” “low fat” and “reduced sodium.” You’ll also notice descriptors like “diet plate,” “high fiber” or “lighter…
Al Amir, 8989 East Via Linda, Scottsdale, 661-1137. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; closed Sunday. The Middle East is a bubbling caldron of conflict. The region always seems on the verge of…
China Chili, 3501 North Central, Phoenix, 266-4463. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m. Saint Nick is long gone. The tree is down. The presents are put away. The wreaths and lights have been stowed in the garage until…
Budget Deficit: How was your 1996? Did you buy Suns season tickets, hoping to scalp them at a profit? Were you a big-time contributor to the Dole campaign, looking to land an ambassador job? Did you predict a stock-market crash and sell short? Unless your name is Symington, if you’re…
Days of Swine and Roses: A couple of months ago, I wrote an unfavorable review of JQ’s Bar-B-Q, a Scottsdale rib house at 6929 North Hayden. Unhappy with my assessment, the proprietor tacked up the column and asked clients for their reactions. He sent me several pages filled with their…
It’s the season for fantasy. Peace on Earth. Goodwill toward men. Understanding bosses. Kindly landlords. Unindicted political leaders. Sometimes my mind wanders off into restaurant fantasy. One of the few drawbacks of this job is the love-’em-and-leave-’em relationship I have with this town’s best restaurants. Sure, occasionally I get some…
Message to Santa: Peace on Earth? Goodwill toward men? A Christmas bonus? Some things, I guess, are beyond even Santa’s powers. For five years running, I’ve been sending Santa a Christmas letter of restaurant demands. He hasn’t been listening. If the old boy and elves don’t deliver pretty soon, I’m…
Tucchetti, Town & Country Shopping Center, 20th Street and Camelback, Phoenix, 957-0222. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 11:15 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 11:15 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 4:30 to 9 p.m. Someone once asked W.C. Fields if he liked children. “Only…
Tea for Two: I had such a wonderful time doing afternoon teas at the Phoenician, Ritz-Carlton and Tessa’s (see last week’s Cafe column) that I couldn’t resist taking another excursion. This time it was to downtown Phoenix, at the Teeter House in Heritage Square, 622 East Adams. It’s one of…
Yamakasa, 2051 West Warner, Chandler, 899-8868. Hours: Lunch, Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, Tuesday through Saturday, 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 5 to 8:30 p.m. Let’s play reverse Family Feud. We surveyed 100 people and asked them: What doesn’t come to mind when you think of…
Phoenician, 6000 East Camelback, Phoenix, 423-2530. Afternoon tea: 3 to 4:30 p.m., seven days a week. Your boss suddenly decides to give you the afternoon off. Choose the sentence that best describes how you’ll spend the time. a) You finally get around to picking up the load of clothes that…
Safe Mex: As we enter the holiday period, Valley dwellers can count on finding three things in their homes: leftover turkey in the refrigerator, Christmas trees in the living room and visitors in the spare bedroom. Many of these out-of-towners are curious to try Mexican food. So I’ve put together…
Arrivederci, 7101 East Thunderbird, Scottsdale, 922-8225. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. This is the time of year to reflect and count our blessings. What am I thankful for? I’m thankful…
Food Mag: Did anybody run across a new, free restaurant monthly called localflavor? Volume I, Number 1 came out in October and aimed at the disposable-income, frequent-diner crowd in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. If you did, you got your hands on a good-looking magazine. Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco was…
Pinon Grill, Inn at Regal McCormick Ranch, 7401 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 948-5050. Hours: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. It’s no surprise to discover that there are many good Cuban restaurants in Miami, many good…
Book Notes: Look out for a new restaurant guide that should soon be (dis)gracing the Valley’s bookstore shelves. It’s called Where the Locals Eat: A Guide to the Best Restaurants in America (Magellan Press, $19.95). What a dud. The publisher claims it’s the “most comprehensive and reliable restaurant guide on…
Las Cazuelas, 5150 West McDowell, Phoenix, 278-4885. Hours: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. It’s generally understood in the scientific community that biology is destiny. First distinction: man or woman. Then tall or short, smart or slow, beautiful or ugly, athletic or klutzy,…
