¡Cantina! del Pedregal, 34505 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480-488-0715. Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily; Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m. daily. The most overworked utensil in my kitchen is the blender. As part of my never-ending search for the perfect margarita, I’ve burned up a number of noisy…
Lon’s at the Hermosa, 5532 North Palo Cristi, Paradise Valley, 602-955-7878. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, nightly, 6 to 10 p.m.; Ranch House Breakfast, Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Julia Child is convinced that we have taken the fun out of food. This…
Classic Italian Pizza, Lake Country Village Shopping Center, 1030 East Baseline, Suite 156, Tempe, 480-345-8681. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; closed Monday. The world is divided between those who can live on pizza…
Greektown, 8519 North Seventh Street, 602-674-8881. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. Ever heard the story of Tantalus? Well, gather ’round, kiddies, here’s the grim fairy…
Joe’s Real Barbecue, Arizona Barbecue Cafe & Market, 301 North Gilbert Road, Gilbert, 480-503-3805. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Barbecue is a boy thing, my companion wants me to know. After all, it involves great…
Durant’s, 2611 North Central, Phoenix, 602-264-5967. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday 5 to 11 p.m.; Sunday 4:30 to 10 p.m. When I first ate at Durant’s about 15 years ago, it…
I moved to the Valley last February from Austin, Texas — a land of magical tacos, a taco Narnia. The tacos, which I dream about nearly every night, were stuffed with tender steak or white-meat chicken. They were marinated in flavorful sauces, with names like suiza, chipotle, ancho, pasilla, borracho,…
Seasons Rotisserie & Grill, 10050 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480-443-1300. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, nightly after 5:30 p.m. Is there such a thing as American Cuisine? The answer to that question depends on a smorgasbord of social, culinary and historic facts, as well…
For many years, my family celebrated the holidays by ourselves. All the major groups of relatives were located 38 hours away by car so we rarely saw them. Most of our interactions with cousins and aunts and uncles took place via the U.S. Postal Service. Then came cheap airfares. And…
CREW, 34505 North Scottsdale Road (El Pedregal Marketplace), Scottsdale, 480-488-8840. Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; closed for lunch Sunday; Dinner, 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 5:30 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The proprietors of year-old CREW modestly describe their restaurant as a…
A barren island in the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz was from 1933 to 1963 the site of the notorious federal prison known by its residents as “The Rock” and famous for its inescapability. Rain forests, found around the world near the Equator, are wet jungles characterized by incredibly dense flora…
D’Atri’s Cinema Paradiso, 10303 North Scottsdale Road (Windmill Plaza), Scottsdale, 480-348-0377. Hours: Lunch, Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. Isn’t it wonderful to live in a city teeming with cafes? Cafe life is so vibrant, just…
Mary Elaine’s, The Phoenician, 6000 East Camelback, Phoenix, 480-941-8200. Hours: Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 6 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6 to 11 p.m. This is the time of year when many folks take stock and count their blessings. Right now, I imagine the executives at the opulent Phoenician…
Dong A, 4808 North 35th Avenue, Phoenix, 602-841-4152. Hours: Lunch, Monday, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. How much of an adventurer are you? Do you buy stocks…
Tomaso’s 2000, 16640 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480-991-2000. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, 5 p.m. to 10, seven days a week. In the old days, when the West was being settled, development took a predictable course. First came the explorers. Then came the hunters…
Coronado Cafe, 2201 North Seventh Street, Phoenix, 602-258-5149. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Lunch, Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday. “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,” wrote the poet, “or what’s a heaven for?” The proprietors…
Central Bistro, 5202 North Central, Phoenix, 602-234-2768. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 2 to 11 p.m. Closed Sunday. Real estate experts know that certain businesses and certain locations don’t mesh. You shouldn’t put a fine chinaware…
Madera Grille, 6601 West Bethany Home, Glendale, 623-847-1847. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The west-side restaurant scene could use some help. Fine dining? You’d have better luck scouring the avenues looking for the Loch Ness monster. Meanwhile, every chain restaurant on the planet…
Seasons Rotisserie & Grill, 10050 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480-443-1300. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Dinner, Sunday through Thursday, 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30 to 11 p.m. When a bunch of jocks get together and open a restaurant, you can usually count…
The man in the black fisherman’s cap reminds you at once of Timothy Leary in his later years — minus the drugs. Mind-altering substances, to be sure, do not define the life of Hans Traulsen. Rather, he marks his own 86-year-long “trip” with much more laudable escapes. The first, his…
I’m going to say something that goes against my own conscience and the warnings of the U.S. surgeon general. You single women out there: If you want to be a player in the Valley mating dance, you’d better be holding something like a Macanudo Petite between your fingers. I’ve recently…
Ten years is a long time. When I moved here from California a decade ago, I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. I was thrilled with the affordable housing. I was thrilled that my kids could walk to school unescorted. I was thrilled that my car insurance rates…
