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…
ObaChine, Biltmore Fashion Park, 24th Street and Camelback, Phoenix, 955-9653. Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week; Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. Americans are obsessed with race. We’re obsessed with ethnicity. We’re obsessed with gender. But…
Hiro Sushi, 9393 North 90th Street, Scottsdale, 314-4215. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 3 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. The Asian stock markets may be tumbling. But the Valley’s Asian restaurant…
Birdland, Part I: Are you the sort of fussy diner who always demands the freshest foods? Do you insist on just-picked fruit and vegetables, bread right out of the oven and soup made from scratch? I do. But for fresh poultry, fussy folks like us have our hands tied. Modern…
Michael’s at the Citadel, 8700 East Pinnacle Peak Road, Scottsdale, 515-2575. Hours: Dinner, 6 to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Surprise her with flowers on the Fourth of July? She’ll be thrilled. Bring her chocolates on Columbus Day? She’ll be grateful. Give her lingerie on Labor Day? She’ll think…
Heart Smart: Valentine’s Day is the restaurant industry’s second-biggest day, right after Mother’s Day. (It makes sense: Everyone has a mother; not everyone has a sweetheart.) But if my e-mails, letters and telephone calls are any indication, Valentine’s Day is number one when it comes to generating customer complaints. What’s…
Pinnacle Peak Patio, 10426 East Jomax, Scottsdale, 585-1599. Hours: Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4 to 11 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 10 p.m. Every year, when the calendar flips to January, you can count on three things here in Arizona: 1. A Mesa legislator,…
Where the Buffalo Roam: Once upon a time in this town, mozzarella cheese meant the hard, stringy, tasteless blobs that stretched across a cardboard-crust pizza. About a decade ago, local Italian restaurants began to acquaint locals with the fresh version, which is more like what you’d find in Italy. It…
Getting Oriented: The Asian stock markets are crumbling. But here in the Valley, the Asian food markets are booming. The latest entry is cause for real celebration: 99 Ranch Market, a 29-unit, California-based operation, with outposts in Honolulu, Las Vegas and, now, Arizona. Arizonans, accustomed to mom-and-pop ethnic shops, haven’t…
