Christopher’s, 2398 East Camelback, Phoenix, 957-3214. Summer hours: Thursday through Saturday, 6 p.m. to close. The enormous floral centerpiece at Christopher’s–large enough for a gangland funeral–looked way past its prime, the flowers worn and faded. But my nose picked up the scent of a metaphor: Perhaps, I thought, the tired,…
Name Game: What’s in a name? Does arroz by any other name smell as sweet? That’s the question at Mayan’s. For years, this popular west-side Mexican restaurant was called Minga’s. But now that the old proprietors have teamed up with new partners and hired a new chef, they’ve decided the…
Editor’s note: Regular Cafe writer Howard Seftel is dieting this week. Our guest columnist dodges Seftel’s calorie crucible entirely by exploring a unique greengrocer. Guadalupe Farmer’s Market, 9210 Avenida del Yaqui (at Guadalupe Road), Guadalupe, 730-1945. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Right in the center of the sleepy…
Mancuso’s, 6166 North Scottsdale Road (The Borgata), Scottsdale, 948-9988. Hours: Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Arizona has its share of ancient wonders: the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, Meteor Crater. I suppose you could add Mancuso’s to the list. After all, it’s nearly as old. When…
Summertime, and the Livin’ Is Easy?: If you have to spend June, July and August in the Valley of the Perpetual Sun, you know there ain’t no cure for the summertime blues. But you can ease your misery somewhat by taking advantage of special restaurant deals. Restaurants like Different Pointe…
Tijuana Country Club, 3820 East Ray, Ahwatukee, 704-0881. Hours: Dinner, 3 p.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week. For the past 25 years, a generation of Americans has been pounded with messages about the evils of red meat in general, and beef in particular. Consider the production side of…
Recipe for Disaster: If you want to start a restaurant chain these days, it’s absolutely necessary to have a “hook.” Theme-restaurant pioneers Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood were among the first to figure this out. They in turn spawned successful copycats like Rainforest Cafe and Harley-Davidson Cafe. But themes…
Silver Dragon, 8946 North 19th Avenue, Phoenix, 674-0151. Hours: Sunday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 4:30 to 10 p.m. Silver Dragon’s employees have their marching orders: Gweilos to the right! That’s where all the non-Chinese “foreigners” are herded once they come through the door. In that room,…
Restaurant Update: Ever since it opened, Gregory’s Grill has been one of this town’s best restaurants. If a fabulous recent meal there is any indication, the food can’t get much better. So chef/proprietor Gregory Casale is doing the next best thing: He’s making the place bigger. The restaurant currently occupies…
‘Cue Tips: Nobody likes criticism. And not too many of us accept it with class and good grace. Two who do are Joe Johnston and Tim Peelen. They’re proprietors of Joe’s Real BBQ, at 301 North Gilbert Road, 503-3805, in “downtown” Gilbert. A few weeks back, I reviewed their new…
Milanos, 16 West Monroe (San Carlos Hotel), 258-1600. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. The Jeopardy! category–Geography. The answer, for $500: The lunar surface, the ocean floor and downtown Phoenix. Ten years ago, if you buzzed in and said, “What are three locations…
Subsidized Dining: Everyone knows there’s no such thing as a free lunch. But the National Restaurant Association, an industry trade group, thinks there should be. And if the group gets its way, guess who’ll be picking up the tab for this “free” meal? You guessed it–the American taxpayer. A little…
Piatti, 7704 East Doubletree Ranch Road, Scottsdale, 951-1199. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, 5 to 11 p.m., seven days a week. Why is it that food sophisticates–and I cheerfully admit I’m one of them–turn up their noses at chain restaurants? We elitists can offer…
Editor’s note: You won’t find any food in this Cafe column–strange things happen when award-winning food writer Howard Seftel takes a vacation. This week our guest columnist describes one of his favorite food-free environments. Welcome to saloon society. King’s Lounge, 434 North Central, 495-1597 Phoenix, now outfitted with its own…
High and Mighty: From its Camelback Mountain perch at the swanky Phoenician resort, Mary Elaine’s offers a stunning view of the twinkling Valley below. But the view isn’t the only riveting sight this restaurant delivers. Take a look at your plate: Mary Elaine’s is putting out some extraordinary gourmet fare…
Winger’s, 3247 East Bell, Phoenix, 787-1732. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. When, exactly, were “the good old days”? Nobody seems to know for sure, except they were sometime in…
Meza Luna, 4240 North Winfield Scott Plaza, Scottsdale, 947-9500. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Dinner, Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. In 1915, French psychologist Emile Coue developed a mantra, which he encouraged people to chant 20 times a day: “Every day, in…
Market Watch: Attention, shoppers! One of the nation’s leading upscale food markets, Whole Foods, has come to the Valley, poised to compete with AJ’s and Wild Oats for your disposable-income food dollars. The company started out almost 20 years ago, in Austin, Texas. Now it’s the largest natural-foods operation in…
Haus Murphy’s, 5819 West Glendale Avenue, Glendale, 939-2480. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For the past 20 years, Americans have been wrestling with their principles: how to balance a strong commitment to ethnic diversity with an equally…
Restaurant News: The local restaurant gold rush shows no sign of slowing down. Here are some dining spots I’ll be checking out: * Rodizio Grill: Looking to fill up on meat? This Brazilian restaurant will give you a powerful animal-protein boost. It will offer multicourse dinners, at one set price,…
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…
