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…
Eliana’s, 1627 North 24th Street, Phoenix, 225-2925. Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Life has a way of throwing cherished myths right back in your face. I’ve had a hard time coping with reality at least three times. First, I learned there was no tooth fairy. Later,…
Yamakasa, 9301 East Shea, Scottsdale, 860-5605. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m. Some adult experiences are guaranteed to be unpleasant on the first attempt. What novice ever lighted up a cigarette, took a…
Christopher’s Bistro, 2398 East Camelback, Phoenix, 957-3214. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to close; Dinner, Sunday, 5 p.m. to close. Phoenix is a casual restaurant town. Leave it to status-conscious Los Angeles matrons to wrap themselves in furs, even if it’s 70 degrees outside. Let New…
Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe, 808 East Jefferson, Phoenix, 262-9256. Hours: Lunch and Dinner, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Is there a cardiologist in the house? A week of down-home, Southern-style soul food has worked some serious damage on me. After all, just driving past these lairs…
Miro’s, 4025 East Chandler Boulevard, Phoenix, 759-6088. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner, Monday through Friday, 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 5:30 to 11 p.m. Out in the south Valley, beyond Ahwatukee and north of the Gila River Indian Reservation, the desert is particularly harsh…
Little Shanghai, 4017 East Indian School, Phoenix, 957-7666. Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.; Dinner, 5 to 10 p.m., seven days a week. My father liked to tell the story about the archaeological expedition on a dig in a remote, godforsaken location. One of the team…
Pion Grill, Regal McCormick Ranch, 7401 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 948-5050. Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Maybe it takes an outsider to appreciate just how distinctive, how unlike any other region, the Southwest is. I’ve lived here several…
