Lon's at the Hermosa

There aren’t many white-tablecloth Southwestern restaurants quite like Lon’s, a Paradise Valley haven that delivers the total package: ruddy mountain views, a stellar bar, a broad patio sweeping out from a small brown inn accented with turquoise and, most of all, thoughtful food with deep roots in the Valley and its greater region. The kitchen offers standard and prix fixe menus that go deeply seasonal and lean creative. These bring crudo lifted by pickled plums, pork belly twanging with cider gastrique, stuffed pasta made from local flour. However, weekend brunch might be the best meal at Lon’s, especially when the weather hits right. Highlights include huevos rancheros, customizable margaritas and a monkey bread so yeasty and loaded with dense cream, caramel and chocolate that you might not need to order anything else. What truly sets Lon’s apart is that the space has a kind of timeless mystique and magic. It is the kind of place, even, that has open secrets: 1. Come the heat of summer you can eat down in a cool hidden room that is actually a wine cellar. 2. Pulling a stool and posting up at Lon’s Last Drop is a move that can could easily melt away the hours and make your day and/or night, thanks in no small part to the cocktails and tajin popcorn.