Picture this: it's just after noon and your tummy is rumbling. What to eat for lunch? Ah, the eternal question. These days the New Times crew is avoiding our regular haunts in search of lighter fare.

Luckily for us (and you as well) we've got this week's Café column to point us toward the most refreshing of food options across The Valley. Postino, Latitude Eight, The Dhaba; the options are as endless as they are delicious.

Food Critic Michele Laudig on Summer cuisine:

Summer in Phoenix is a good excuse to take a 'round-the-world tour. Sure, the cost of airfare might be prohibitive, but, hey, at least I can send my taste buds on a journey.

In fact, some of my favorite dishes around town happen to be those cool, refreshing, "summery" foods that are as essential to survival (and sanity) as air-conditioning and shade. So in the name of adventure, I've come up with a globetrotting sampling of different flavors and cultures...full story

• Chow Bella