When you learn exactly what goes into the making of chef Gio Osso's grilled octopus at Virtù Honest Craft, you'll be amazed. Not because it's so complicated or because the ingredients are so exotic. But rather, it's the simplicity and ease of this dish that really surprises. Osso cooks the octopus with oil, chile flakes, garlic, and a cork (not kidding) so it remains tender. He then marinates it with olive oil, garlic, parsley, chile flakes, salt, and pepper. He cuts off the tentacles and chars them to add additional texture and smoky flavor. And that's about it. Add his marinated chickpeas and Calabrian chile sauce, and you've got the best octopus dish in the Valley.

If Sam Fox restaurants typically offer style over substance, then Little Cleo's Seafood Legend is the exception. Located at the bustling Yard in north Central Phoenix, this East Coast-inspired restaurant provides a perfect escape — an escape that's bolstered by generous amounts of oysters, crab, and other fresh seafood. We love exploring the daily selection of raw oysters, and the employees are always willing to educate diners about the differences among the varieties of bivalves. Then you can move along to entrées that range from fish and chips or a Maine lobster roll to grilled ahi tuna or bouillabaisse accompanied by sides such as sweet corn elote or roasted mushrooms. For a real decadent dish, try the warm jar of king crab and melted butter with grilled bread.

The only thing we don't love about Posh's ramen is that we can't have it every single day. But if we could, we might, so maybe in the end it's a good thing that chef Josh Hebert offers his ramen only on Tuesday nights. That's when his upscale Scottsdale restaurant turns into a haven for Japanese food enthusiasts, serving a menu of several types of ramen and a few simple starters, including excellent okonomiyaki, a savory Japanese pancake. The chef's signature ramen offering is the Goma variety that's made with dashi and pork stock and sesame paste. Inspired by a bowl the chef fell in love with in Japan, it's rich and nutty and piled high with noodles, seaweed, pork, and elegant bonito flakes.

Readers Choice: Republic Ramen

Chef and owner Jay Chung brings experience working in Los Angeles and at several other Valley restaurants to his latest venture, Sushi J. Located just outside Old Town Scottsdale, this cozy restaurant serves an uncomplicated menu of sushi, sashimi, and a selection of cooked entrées that make the place suitable for both sushi virgins and experienced diners. We love the restaurant's affordable and incredibly filling sushi lunch combos, as well as the list of simple nigiri sushi. The restaurant stocks everything from uni and ama ebi to spicy scallops and shrimp with specialty rolls such as the Friday Night Fever and Lord of Tuna to keep things fun. With obvious value and an approachable vibe, we're happy to have this addition to the Scottsdale dining scene.

Readers Choice: Hana Japanese Eatery

We can remember the first time we went to dim sum at Great Wall Cuisine — years ago, but it feels like yesterday. How we stood outside the West Phoenix restaurant with dozens of other diners and how, by the time they called our number, we practically ran to the table to wait for the carts to start rolling by. This well-loved dim sum spot serves an impressive dim sum spread on Sunday mornings. The Saturday offerings are still above par, but Sunday is when you'll find the full array of delicate dumplings, mounds of noodles, perfectly fried egg rolls, and glistening egg tarts. It's tempting to fill up on the savory plates that fly by, but try to save room for the doughnuts. You won't be sorry.

If we're being honest, then we can admit that fried chicken is mostly about the batter. Yes, to have great fried chicken you also want moist pieces of meat, but without the crunchy stuff, the whole dish is pretty much lost. That's why we love the fried chicken at Phoenix Public Market Cafe so much. Chef Aaron Chamberlin strikes the perfect balance between salt and spice with his dinner entrée fried chicken and makes a batter that holds tight to each piece of meat. It's the kind of crispy coating that will have you picking up the leftover bits with your greasy fingers — and then scattering on top of the accompanying side of vegetables for a little extra crunch.

Monkey Pants Bar and Grill in Tempe serves chicken wings three ways: regular (deep-fried), grilled (deep-fried then kissed on the grill), and blackened (deep-fried then charred until blackened). Ordering grilled or blackened adds a few extra minutes of cook time but also tons of flavor. The traditional hot wings (standard Buffalo sauce done right), grilled Mae Ploy (sweet chili flavor bomb) and grilled with Spankin' Monkey Sauce (hot and tangy barbecue style) are among our favorites. We also crave the Cajun dry-rubbed wings, blackened. The menu offers solid bar fare at reasonable prices with daily beer and drink specials, including 13 wings for $5.99 every Tuesday. A great place for lunch or day drinking, Monkey Pants has an all-day happy hour, as well as pool tables, darts, and TVs.

Readers Choice: Zipps Sports Grill

Little Miss BBQ exploded onto the Phoenix food scene last year but hasn't yet lost any momentum. This year, the little barbecue restaurant that could even got some love from Daniel Vaughn, barbecue editor for Texas Monthly and national authority on all things smoked. Of course, we locals didn't need to be told that Little Miss BBQ is something special. At this point, it's pretty much universally expected that Scott and Bekke Holmes' South Phoenix spot is the gold standard for Texas-style barbecue in Phoenix — perhaps even in all of Arizona. We're not sure whether it's the custom-made R&O smoker or the 11 hours each brisket spends inside it that makes the difference, but we do know that each perfectly smoked slice of brisket is a true thing of beauty. There's a line outside the restaurant daily when the doors open at 11 a.m., and we don't see that changing anytime soon.

Whether you like yours with cheese or without, the Standard at The Stand in Arcadia is the kind of burger you can always count on. It's just about as basic as they come, but thanks to high-quality ingredients — including beef that's ground daily in-house — this burger is a good reminder that basic doesn't have to be boring. On top of your thin but tightly packed beef patties (the Standard already comes with two) you'll get a leaf of crisp romaine lettuce along with a slice of tomato, onions, and a few dill pickles. The restaurant's signature Stand sauce really seals the deal: it's a Thousand Island-like topping spread on the inside of the burger's toasted bun. Here's a pro tip: Order an extra side of sauce for your fries.

Readers Choice: Rehab Burger Therapy

So maybe it's because grilled cheese is the only item on the Pig's Meow's food menu, but the bar sure does know how to make them. We ask you what possibly could go better with beer and video games than melty cheese and other toppings housed between two toasty pieces of bread? Even with one menu item, there's variety. Maybe you'd like spicy pepperoni and capicola in your sandwich. Or perhaps you're more of a fig and goat cheese kind of person. For $5 each, you might as well order a few and do a grilled cheese sampling along with your beer flights.