Romano’s Macaroni Grill, 7245 East Gold Dust, Scottsdale, 596-6676. Hours: Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4 to 11 p.m. Sometimes, in my blacker moments, I think Holden Caulfield came to an honorable end. The protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye couldn’t stand the…
Original Pancake House, 6840 East Camelback, Scottsdale, 946-4902. Breakfast hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. All my holiday eating is behind me. Literally. You can’t miss it. Noshing on Chex party mix, gorging on turkey dressing and washing it all down with eggnog is not the way…
El Encanto, 6248 East Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, 488-0024. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, 11 a.m. to close, seven days a week. Whenever Rod, my auto mechanic, sees the old jalopy roll in, he can confidently extend his annual South Seas cruise an extra week. During this holiday time, I…
Bssghetti, 1656 South Alma School, Mesa, 820-8080. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 4:30 to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m. Uh-oh. It’s Christmas-vacation time. Time for lots of family togetherness. Lots and lots of…
Sam’s Cafe, Arizona Center, 455 North Third Street, Phoenix, 252-3545. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight. Sophisticated, well-traveled food lovers not only always seem to know where to get a great meal, they also instinctively know where…
Laguna Cafe, 7373 Scottsdale Mall, Scottsdale, 994-5859. Hours: Dinner, 5 to 11 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. One of the Valley’s best “good to be alive” urban settings is the mall by Scottsdale Center for the Arts. Here you’ll find soothing fountains, eye-catching sculpture, grass for lounging and walking paths filled…
Chompie’s Restaurant, Deli, Bagel Factory, Bakery and Caterer, 3202 East Greenway Road, Phoenix, 971-8010. Hours: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Monday, 6 a.m. to 3…
Lathrops on Central, 5202 North Central, Phoenix, 266-9555. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 5:30 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 5:30 to 10 p.m. Even folks without big bucks can occasionally experience the luxuries that daily life ordinarily denies them. Park…
Charlie’s, Crescent Hotel at Koll Center, 2620 West Dunlap, Phoenix, 943-8200. Hours: Sunday brunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parked along I-17 on an unlovely west-side stretch of Dunlap, the Crescent Hotel hardly merits a second look from a passing car. So I was seriously discombobulated when I sat down…
Shalimar, 616 South Forest, Tempe, 967-8399. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. It’s great to live in a university town. You have access to the wisdom of great minds. The arts flourish. And the presence of thousands of co-eds gives a meaning to…
Italian Oven, 10057 North Metro Parkway East (Metrocenter), Phoenix, 997-0500. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. What’s the real reason the masses flock to chains of every sort? Why will we drive, bleary-eyed, 50 extra miles…
Beef Eaters Restaurant, 300 West Camelback, Phoenix, 264-3838. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday brunch, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday dinner, noon to 8 p.m. America has seen quite a few changes since John F. Kennedy occupied the White House. Back then,…
Notebook: Last year was fun. It was full of constant surprises. There were miraculous shots that won games. Almost every night at America West Arena was a combination of Christmas and the Fourth of July. When Charles Barkley wasn’t dominating the backboards, he was stealing balls and thundering three-quarters of…
Coconuts Cafe, 402 East Greenway Parkway, Phoenix, 866-0766. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sunday, noon to 10 p.m. The Caribbean hosts an incredible mix of people. Over the past 500 years, native peoples, African slaves,…
Kasha’s Cafe & Grill, 18631 North 19th Avenue, Phoenix, 582-2996. Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sundays. Imagine members of a local bowling team discussing where they should have dinner after a night at…
P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Fashion Square, 7014 East Camelback, Scottsdale, 949-2610. Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight; Sunday, noon to 11 p.m. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro may be the hottest new dining room in town. It’s so popular that management…
Superfish, 8668 East Shea, Scottsdale, 948-1313. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., seven days a week. Despite fervent wishes, some things are unlikely to change. Most of us know, for example, that we’ll never transform our bodies into sleek slabs of muscle. Genetics, eight hours a day in an office…
Crazy Ed’s Satisfied Frog, 6245 East Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, 253-3746. Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Barbecue joints come with primal thrills other restaurants simply can’t match. You don’t need much…
La Perla Cafe, 5912 West Glendale Avenue, Glendale, 939-7561. Hours: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to midnight; Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Restaurant owners can spend thousands of dollars trying to give their places what they think…
Top of the Rock, the Buttes, 2000 Westcourt Way (48th Street and Broadway), Tempe, 225-9000. Hours: Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to midnight. When your mom says she’s found a great girl for you with lots of “personality,” you can be sure…
Nina L’Italiana Ristorante, 3625 East Bell Road, Phoenix, 482-6167. Hours: Dinner, Tuesday through Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m. (Reopens Friday, September 3.) Several years ago, I caught a double bill featuring two flicks just at the end of their runs. The first movie was The Morning After, a Jane Fonda…
Majerle’s Sports Grill, 24 North Second Street, Phoenix, 253-9004. Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week. It’s kickoff time. Yes, the football season starts soon. At my house, that also means it’s kick-out time. Surrounded by sneering, football-hating females who seem a lot more ferocious than the…
