Chef Bernie Kantak's grits, served during brunch with a thick slice of buckboard bacon and a side of toast, are totally worth getting out of bed for on a Sunday morning. Gussied up with truffle oil and shaved Pecorino Romano, they're creamy and light. In fact, the Grits and Eggs is one of our favorite dishes on The Gladly's concise Sunday menu — though with options ranging from the restaurant's famous Chopped Salad to smoked chicken wings or chilaquiles, we'd like to think this is a menu with something for everyone. The Gladly's brunch cocktails also are worthwhile. You can have your mimosa upgraded to include a scoop of seasonally flavored sorbet, and the restaurant's Bloody Marys come spiked with locally made Homeboy's Hot Sauce.  

Readers Choice: Snooze

Downtown diners looking for an elegant lunch that won't break the bank need look no further than Nobuo at Teeter House. Located at Heritage Square in a converted historic bungalow, this restaurant is home to James Beard Award-winning chef Nobuo Fukuda, who crafts refined Japanese cuisine that's at once impressive and approachable. Dinner is worth every penny, but at lunch you'll be able to enjoy more budget-friendly dishes such as a $10 soft shell crab sandwich served on homemade focaccia or $14 warm duck salad with warm greens and yuzu vinaigrette. Between the lower price points and beautiful digs, Nobuo at Teeter House might just be the most underrated lunch spot in town.

Readers Choice: Mother Bunch Brewery

When the Phoenix Ritz-Carlton went kaput a few months ago, ladies all over town shed a delicate tear for the death of high tea, long celebrated with flair and a song by Jeffrey Hattrick, the hotel's tea sommelier. But we soldiered on knowing we'd found an even better tea just up the street at the Arizona Biltmore. True, there's no live music (not on the day we were there, anyway) but the service is impeccable, the china lovely, the tea selection varied. And, as at any proper tea, the lemon curd, clotted cream, and scones are divine. Pinkies up!

Fez has relocated, moving into the former Portland's space just off Central Avenue. Friendly, easy service (most of it from young, bearded guys), an open indoor dining room, and a hopping after-hours scene (check out the shifting bar specials) are all pluses. But lately, restaurants and diners are opening all over town with high-end tasting menus, crafted cocktails, and gimmickry based on locally grown everything. But few of them have such a nice wide patio for dining al fresco. Comfy, bright orange chairs and four-top tables surround the rounded façade of this swell building. Fez's outdoor dining patio fronts on First Avenue and offers views of an ever-better downtown, with the Westward Ho tower in the immediate distance, and just across from the public are of a big-city light rail stop. As those trains whiz past, you can't help but think two things: 1) What city am I in? and 2) I'll have another Manhattan!

The food at Linger Longer Lounge isn't just good lounge food. It isn't even just good bar food. The food at Linger Longer Lounge transcends all places within the Venn diagram of establishments that serve both food and alcohol — it's just plain ol' good food. With appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and pizzas that could stand next to any of the other hot spots around town, we'd venture to Linger Longer Lounge any hour of the day — not just after the sun goes down — for good eats and drinks. Plus, it has some of the best fried pickles we've ever had. Seriously, ever.

It is not easy to find Dick's Hideaway on 16th Street. Even when you do know what you're looking for, don't be embarrassed if you walk by it a couple of times before you realize that those doors with the iron bars on them are actually the entrance to a tiny restaurant where it's best to sit at the bar. Once you're inside, don't even bother with the small side room or the hightops. Just pull up a bar stool and prepare to be treated like family by the bartenders. Whether it's for brunch, lunch, happy hour, or dinner, the bar is where it's at in Dick's Hideaway. You'll feel like a regular in no time.

It isn't that the kids' menu at Beckett's Table is leagues above anyone else's — it isn't. With well-executed basics like grilled cheese, hot dogs, and sliders, it's predictable fare. But what differentiates Beckett's Table from others is how successfully it executes on its motto: "Come together." From top to bottom, the staff really does treat the dining room like someone's home. Family isn't just welcome; it's encouraged.

Until restaurants start offering kids half-portions of adult food instead of lowest-common-denominator basics, Justin Beckett's flagship is the place where kids and their parents can enjoy a meal together. Skip the kids' menu altogether and have your little ones order the Original Grilled Cheese with pancetta and roasted red pepper tomato soup. Even the short rib is tender enough that baby teeth won't flinch. And if all else fails and a meltdown ensues, there's an affordable wine list to appease Mom and Dad.

Braving the crowds and craziness of Old Town Scottsdale on a Friday night may not sound like the recipe for the most romantic evening with your loved one, but just beyond the hustle and bustle you'll find one of the most romantic spots in the Valley: the House Brasserie. Trees block the candlelit patio from the street, and white tablecloths wait to present Chef Matt Carter's comforting yet original fare. Inside you'll feel like you're sitting in someone's home, with the service and hospitality to match. Grab a glass of wine or a cocktail and settle in with your honey for a lovely evening.

Readers Choice: Elements

Jacob Cutino only started making Homeboy's Hot Sauce in March, but already it's become a favorite ingredient of some of the Valley's best chefs. You'll see it on the shelves at markets including La Grande Orange and Luci's Healthy Marketplace, as well as on the menu at restaurants including Crudo, Yard Bird + The Larder, and The Gladly. So why do home cooks — and chefs — love Homeboy's so much? It's probably because Cutino uses onions and carrots — a mirepoix of sorts — as a base, giving his sauces as much flavor as heat. For now, the popular line includes two hot sauces: a fiery red jalapeño hot sauce and a deceivingly friendly looking golden habanero variety. From what we can tell, both taste good on pretty much everything. Our only complaint? That the four-ounce bottles aren't bigger.

Crepe Bar might not be the first place you think of when it comes to vegetables, but it should be. Chef Jeff Kraus nearly always offers a selection of daily small plates that showcases local produce, usually from the nearby Farm at Agritopia. We've had everything from lightly tempura-battered green beans seasoned with mole spices, mint, and honey to a heap of tiny roasted carrots complemented with harissa and served with a single fermented tomato. In addition to these exciting and ever-changing veggie small plates, there's also the restaurant's well-loved vegetarian option, the 13 Mile Crepe. Made with seasonal vegetables from the Farm at Agritopia, this curried crepe is easily one of our favorite vegetarian dishes. If one thing's sure, it's that Kraus source the best and freshest vegetables, then showcases them with creative flavor combinations that always keep us interested in eating our greens.