Va Bene Ristorante Italiano, 4025 East Chandler Boulevard, Phoenix, 480-706-4070. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, daily, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Va Bene owner Sasha Cosic welcomes us warmly, leading us through small clusters of tables, inviting us to “sit, please, and enjoy.” He…
New York has its bagels, pretzels and pizza. Chicago has its hot dogs and sliders. San Francisco has its sourdough. And the Valley doesn’t have its fry bread. It’s a perplexing situation. While less than three percent of the Valley’s 2.7 million residents are Native American, fry bread is an…
Quiessence Culinary Center, 6106 South 32nd Street, 602-305-8192. Hours: Dinner, Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., October 1 through June 1. Sometimes, you must admit, eating out can be such work. First, there’s figuring out what you’re hungry for. Chinese? Italian? American? Mexican? Then, you have to navigate the menu, with…
Pho Bang Restaurant, 1702 West Camelback Road, Suite 14, 602-433-9440. Hours: Lunch and dinner, daily, 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Our host, Lee, has brought my dining buddy the wrong soup, and he knows it. Yet, he’s grinning from ear to ear, and when we mention the error, his smile…
The Landmark Restaurant, 809 West Main Street, Mesa, 480-962-4652. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 3 to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Our waitress recently relocated from Florida and her teenage daughter isn’t pregnant. It’s a relief, because it…
Medizona, 7217 East Fourth Avenue, Scottsdale, 480-947-9500. Dinner, Tuesday through Saturday, 6 to 10 p.m. You have to listen very carefully to catch the delicate melody of Pink Floyd wafting from behind the small bar at Medizona. The haunting strains of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” float like slender ghosts…
Timothy Michael’s Hideaway, 2999 North 44th Street, 602-667-3001. Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. “There once was a lady named Anne, who thought she came from Iran. But she got on a camel, and . . .” I…
If someone said he could help you save up to a quarter of your business costs each year, you’d listen, wouldn’t you? Especially if it was a professional peer giving you advice. If you’re a famous chef in a fancy Phoenix restaurant, the answer, apparently, is no. While high-end restaurateurs…
Meat. Fat. Salt. Flour. Potatoes. Cabbage. If this list doesn’t make you drool, German dining probably isn’t for you. If you like green things other than garnishes on your plate, traditional Teutonic food isn’t likely to rise über alles among world cuisines in your estimation. But if you (like me,…
Royal Barge, 8140 North Hayden Road, Scottsdale, 480-443-1953. Hours: Lunch, Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 5 to 9:30 p.m. If my nose starts to run by the third bite, I know that I’m eating real Thai…
¡Cantina! del Pedregal, 34505 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480-488-0715. Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily; Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m. daily. The most overworked utensil in my kitchen is the blender. As part of my never-ending search for the perfect margarita, I’ve burned up a number of noisy…
Lon’s at the Hermosa, 5532 North Palo Cristi, Paradise Valley, 602-955-7878. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, nightly, 6 to 10 p.m.; Ranch House Breakfast, Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Julia Child is convinced that we have taken the fun out of food. This…
Classic Italian Pizza, Lake Country Village Shopping Center, 1030 East Baseline, Suite 156, Tempe, 480-345-8681. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; closed Monday. The world is divided between those who can live on pizza…
Greektown, 8519 North Seventh Street, 602-674-8881. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. Ever heard the story of Tantalus? Well, gather ’round, kiddies, here’s the grim fairy…
Joe’s Real Barbecue, Arizona Barbecue Cafe & Market, 301 North Gilbert Road, Gilbert, 480-503-3805. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Barbecue is a boy thing, my companion wants me to know. After all, it involves great…
Durant’s, 2611 North Central, Phoenix, 602-264-5967. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday 5 to 11 p.m.; Sunday 4:30 to 10 p.m. When I first ate at Durant’s about 15 years ago, it…
I moved to the Valley last February from Austin, Texas — a land of magical tacos, a taco Narnia. The tacos, which I dream about nearly every night, were stuffed with tender steak or white-meat chicken. They were marinated in flavorful sauces, with names like suiza, chipotle, ancho, pasilla, borracho,…
Seasons Rotisserie & Grill, 10050 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480-443-1300. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, nightly after 5:30 p.m. Is there such a thing as American Cuisine? The answer to that question depends on a smorgasbord of social, culinary and historic facts, as well…
For many years, my family celebrated the holidays by ourselves. All the major groups of relatives were located 38 hours away by car so we rarely saw them. Most of our interactions with cousins and aunts and uncles took place via the U.S. Postal Service. Then came cheap airfares. And…
CREW, 34505 North Scottsdale Road (El Pedregal Marketplace), Scottsdale, 480-488-8840. Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; closed for lunch Sunday; Dinner, 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 5:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The proprietors of year-old CREW modestly describe their restaurant as a…
A barren island in the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz was from 1933 to 1963 the site of the notorious federal prison known by its residents as “The Rock” and famous for its inescapability. Rain forests, found around the world near the Equator, are wet jungles characterized by incredibly dense flora…
D’Atri’s Cinema Paradiso, 10303 North Scottsdale Road (Windmill Plaza), Scottsdale, 480-348-0377. Hours: Lunch, Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. Isn’t it wonderful to live in a city teeming with cafes? Cafe life is so vibrant, just…
