Hard Times: Sometimes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Take the term “al dente.” Originally applied to pasta, it meant not overcooking the noodles–so they weren’t soft and squishy. Properly prepared pasta has a bit of spring, a bit of firmness when you bite into it. And the public…
Pig Feats: If you’re into eating high on the hog, check out The Pork Shop, one of the more remarkable retail outlets I’ve encountered on this job. The shop has been around since the late 1970s. Quite simply, it sells the best pork I’ve ever tasted. What’s the secret? Freshness…
Likle Montego Jamaican Cafe, 5004 South Price, Tempe, 413-0267. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday and Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sunday, 4 to 9:30 p.m. You don’t need to wait for the 2000 census figures…
Arnie’s Deli, 5114 North Seventh Street, Phoenix, 264-1975. Hours: Breakfast and Lunch, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week. Call me the Deli Lama. For seven lean years now, I’ve been wandering in the desert, a deli-starved exile, far from the native dishes of my youth. Where are…
Goodbye, Deli: This week’s search for locally genuine deli fare (see page 79) came up more or less empty. In the past, though, I’ve been able to console myself after other futile missions. That’s because I always believed that, at least back in New York, the deli culture I grew…
Take Another Pizza My Heart: From the moment it opened in late 1994, tiny Pizzeria Bianco zoomed right to the top of the Valley’s pizza league. Actually, as Valley connoisseurs know, when it comes to pizza, Pizzeria Bianco is more or less in a league of its own. But proprietor…
Gregory’s Grill, Papago Plaza, 7049 East McDowell, Scottsdale, 946-8700. Hours: Dinner, Tuesday through Saturday, 5:30 to 10 p.m. It’s spring, and I’m in love. And why not? The object of my affection is charming, sophisticated and eager to please. After a thrilling night together, my senses are on edge. I…
Cafe Patou, Scottsdale Promenade, 7000 East Shea, Scottsdale, 951-6868. Hours: Dinner, 5:30 p.m. to close, seven days a week. The Valley has done a lot of growing up during the past few decades. Once a cow town where Midwesterners came to thaw out, the city now boasts new museums and…
And the Winner Is . . . : In the movie business, it’s the Oscar. In the recording business, it’s the Grammy. And in the restaurant business, it’s the James Beard Award. Right now, the firm of Deloitte & Touche is tabulating the results of the first round of balloting…
Copper Canyon Brewing & Alehouse, 5945 West Ray, Chandler, 705-9700. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Sunday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Ireland’s patron saint had quite a life. Born in Britain, the boy was captured by pirates at age 16 and…
Restaurant Rumblings: I’m not a believer in reincarnation. But after following the saga of Mike’s Golden Crust, I may have to rethink my position. There may be something to this great mandala stuff after all. If you haven’t been paying attention, the original proprietor, Mike Korvessis, sold the flourishing west-side…
La Hacienda, Scottsdale Princess resort, 7575 East Princess Drive, Scottsdale, 585-4848. Hours: Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 6 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6 to 11 p.m. The line between “high” and “low” art keeps moving. Once upon a time, Shakespeare and opera were the staples of mass entertainment. Then,…
And the Winner Is . . . : In the movie business, it’s the Oscar. In the record business, it’s the Grammy. And in the restaurant business, it’s the James Beard Award. Right now, the firm of Deloitte & Touche is tabulating the results of the first round of balloting…
Bagelmania: Last year, I devoted a column to the Valley’s exploding appetite for bagels. I checked out 15 bakers, and came away depressed at the generally low quality. Since then, four new bagel operations have come to town, so I went off on another inspection tour. At each place I…
Wrap City Grill, 4423 East Thomas, Phoenix, 956-9727. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. We Valley dwellers have a lot of things going for us. But being on the cutting edge of popular culture isn’t one…
The Stockyards Restaurant, 5001 East Washington, Phoenix, 273-7378. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, 5 p.m. to close, seven nights a week. During the last generation, certain forms of once-tolerated behavior have come to seem much less benign. And for good reason. Light up a…
Highlights and Lowlights: Nation’s Restaurant News, an industry magazine, recently asked top chefs about their best-selling and worst-selling dishes. The ingenuity and appeal of the popular dishes jump right out at you. Who could resist cold-smoked Thai-pesto rack of lamb, served over jasmine rice with peanut sate and Zinfandel glaze?…
Joe’s Crab Shack, 1604 East Southern, Tempe, 730-0303. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Someone once said that the special genius of the capitalist system is that no one invented it. What does that mean? It…
Look Back in Hunger: This week marks my fifth anniversary on the restaurant-review beat. During these 260 weeks, I’ve had more than 1,000 meals out, at more than 600 different establishments. Most of the time, there’s been nothing very memorable about the experience. But there have been occasions that stick…
The Latilla, Boulders Resort, 34631 North Tom Darlington Drive, Carefree, 488-9009. Hours: Dinner, 6 to 9:30 p.m., seven nights a week. Gentlemen, get out your wallets. Guys have it easy on most of their gals’ special days. It’s your anniversary? Pick up a $3 bouquet of flowers from someone standing…
Heart Smart: If your sweetie requires high-end Valentine’s Day dining (see Cafe column on page 73), consider setting the alarm bells off on your Visa account at these swanky spots: * Chaparral Restaurant (Marriott’s Camelback Inn, 5402 East Lincoln Drive in Paradise Valley, 948-6644): Like your love, the dishes here…
Zinzibar, 3815 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 990-9256. Hours: Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. Back in the early 1990s, when this town was in deep recession (remember the “Bank Foreclosure” signs nailed in front of residential and commercial property all over…
