The Western Front: This week’s review of Kiawe Grill (see Cafe, page 83) got me thinking about the slim dining pickings once you pass west of I-17. Sure, you can find lots of wonderful cheap ethnic spots: Vietnamese, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Thai. But there are darned few places to have…

Restaurant News: You may think the Valley is saturated with restaurants. But obviously that’s not the way investors see it. Here’s what we can look forward to this season: Hiro Sushi, 9393 North 90th Street, Scottsdale. The area around Shea Boulevard and Scottsdale Road is starting to look like a…

Famous Door, 7419 Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, 970-1945. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 6 to 10 p.m. If you were born after 1950, you probably rebelled against your parents’ musical tastes. Baby boomers like me sneered when…

Melting Pot, Mercado del Lago Plaza, 8320 North Hayden, Scottsdale, 607-1799. Hours: Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to midnight. “Man is born free,” observed Jean-Jacques Rousseau, more than 200 years ago. “And everywhere he is in chains.” Especially in Scottsdale. The town’s…

Southwest Survey: The new Zagat guide to Southwestern restaurants is out, covering Arizona and New Mexico. The Valley section is reasonably thorough, but not always on target. Zagat doesn’t employ its own critics. Instead, the guides rely on the recommendations of locals who eat out frequently, and an editor who…

Ricky O’s, Ahwatukee Palms Plaza, 4855 East Warner, Phoenix, 893-6525. Hours: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Come football season, I’m a stranger in a strange land, a man without a country, a…

Face Off: Why don’t reputable restaurant critics announce themselves when they’re reviewing restaurants? Because they’d get treatment that “ordinary” folks never would. Anyone who thinks otherwise is directed to the June 16 New York Observer. “Bring Me the Head of Ruth Reichl” is a hilarious look at the lengths Big…

Nick’s Pasta & Pizza, 13910 North Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, Scottsdale, 314-9445. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 9 p.m. Today’s Jeopardy! answer: another month of summer, Governor Joe Arpaio and two new…

Eat, Sleep and Be Merry: Several high-end Valley resorts offer summer specials to lure locals during the slow season. But once the well-heeled tourists start arriving in the fall, price breaks usually disappear. If you want dinner for two and a room at a fancy resort, you better have hit…

Bistro 24, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 2401 East Camelback, Phoenix, 468-0700. Hours: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Two of the Valley’s swankiest hotels have given their dining rooms a long-overdue makeover. Early this year, Ritz-Carlton management finally scrapped the stuffy, pretentious The Restaurant (what…

Mind Your Manners: Judith Martin, better known as Miss Manners, has put out a new etiquette manual. From what I see at restaurant dinner tables, I’d say Miss Manners’ Basic Training: Eating (Crown Publishers, $15) is long overdue. Anyone who needs proof that civilization is crumbling can gather more than…

The British Are Coming: As part of this month’s UK/AZ Festival, our British cousins will be sending over some of the things they do best: royalty (Princess Anne), Shakespearean theater (Othello) and fashion design (Zandra Rhodes). But food? The notion of “British cuisine” is generally considered an oxymoron, or a…

Espana, 3923 East Thunderbird (next to Fry’s), Phoenix, 494-1236. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Monday (dinner only), 4 to 11 p.m. It’s been more than 400 years since the first Spanish conquistadors marched…

It is a labor in vain to attempt to recapture [the past]: all the efforts of our intellect must prove futile. The past is hidden somewhere outside the realm, beyond the reach of intellect, in some material object (in the sensation which that material object will give us) of which…

Jade Palace, 9160 East Shea, Scottsdale, 391-0607. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Ethnic-food fans generally fall into two broad categories. There are the squeamish folks for whom a little authenticity goes a long way. On those rare occasions when they seek an…

Food for Thought: Plenty of folks mistrust the media. I confess I’m wary, too. My latest wave of doubt is inspired by Gourmet magazine, a favorite among foodies. The forthcoming October issue will feature a readers’ poll of “America’s Top Tables,” including a section looking at the Valley. It’s hard…

Through the Looking Glass: Windows on the Green is the Phoenician’s “casual” Southwestern-themed restaurant. Why the quotation marks around “casual”? Because there’s nothing casual about $10 appetizers, $28 entrees and a sommelier with a list of big-buck wines, even if you aren’t wearing a coat and tie. The Phoenician’s restaurants…

Tutti Santi, 7575 North 16th Street, Phoenix, 216-0336. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. Americans are obsessed with progress. Everything always has to be up-to-the-minute new and better than it was…

Hatch Valley Chile Co., 13637 North Tatum, Phoenix, 953-2380. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. In these sophisticated times, going out for ethnic fare isn’t quite…

Bay Tripper: Tony Bennett may have left his heart there. But if you’re escaping to San Francisco this summer, be prepared to leave your wallet behind, too. It’s always good to have a fat bank account, and the city by the bay is an especially wonderful place to be flush…

Remembrance of Things Pasta: Nobody likes cooking this time of year. But if you don’t mind doing just a bit of kitchen work–boiling water–you can fool your family into thinking you’ve been slaving over a hot stove all day. The trick is to visit Garlic’s Pasta and Bread Company, at…

Phoenix City Grille, 5816 North 16th Street, Phoenix, 266-3001. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m; Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Dinner, Saturday and Sunday, 5 to 11 p.m. What makes a neighborhood desirable in this town? Sure, the schools have to be good…