Restaurants: Right Place - Right Time >>

• BEST DRIVE-THROUGH FAST FOOD
  Coconut Joe's Teriyaki Grill
  This is the fanciest fast food to be found. Everything here is prepared to order, with fresh ingredients, and with sauces and dressings made from scratch. The family-run cafe keeps it simple but satisfying with a Hawaiian-Asian menu, meaning stir fries and rice bowls (no extra charge for white... More >>
• BEST BREAKFAST
  New York Bagels 'n Bialys
  Sometimes, even before we rub the sleep from our eyes, we've already decided what we'll be having for breakfast. That's because the early morning fare served at New York Bagels 'n Bialys visits us in our dreams. The selection offered in this Jewish deli is mind-boggling, with almost three dozen... More >>
• BEST NEW RESTAURANT
  Deseo
  The credit begins with Douglas Rodriguez, celebrity chef from back East, and father of the unique cuisine now known as Nuevo Latino. He's the big name behind Latin-influenced Deseo. But the award goes to Deseo's actual chef de cuisine, Mark Dow, who is flawlessly crafting Rodriguez's recipes and... More >>
• BEST NEW PHOENIX CHARM
  La Grande Orange
  Time was, not so long ago, that it was difficult to find even basic ingredients like cilantro in local grocery stores. Fennel was a plastic doohickey we used to change our car's oil, "greens" meant iceberg lettuce, and pizza came from Domino's. But Craig and Kris DeMarco have taken our fair... More >>
• BEST OLD PHOENIX CHARM
  Fry Bread House
  Fry bread actually isn't an authentic Indian dish (trust us). It comes from the time that white settlers arrived in the Valley hundreds of years ago. Two cultures have come together in a most marvelous fashion, and fry bread has become a favorite taste of Arizona. For all its history, there's... More >>
• BEST PLACE FOR A FIRST DATE
  Kazimierz World Wine Bar
  Kazimierz is such a fun, upbeat place that instead of a typical happy hour, it features "early evening hours of joy." Who couldn't have a great time at such a stylish hideaway as this, a dark, intimate cave decorated like a castle with lots of wood, stone and stained glass? Your date will think... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO TAKE A FOODIE
  Fate
  Who says experiencing a "foodie fantasia" has to be some high-priced, completely complicated, rich and crazy (and expensive) undertaking? Fate chef Johnny Chu proves that the magic of fine food comes in complete respect for the most simple ingredients, left to their pure flavors and nudged to... More >>
• BEST PRIVATE DINING ROOM
  Charmian
  Wow, if we had way, way too much money to burn, this is where we would do it. This concept is a full restaurant, with a full staff and a full gourmet menu, but it's designed for just a single party. As in one table, seating just two to 12 guests. We like to think of it as our own private Mary... More >>
• BEST PATIO DINING
  Postino Winecafé
  Are we inside? Are we outside? It can be difficult to tell the difference at Postino. The place is a refurbished post office, and what used to be loading doors are now retractable walls that open up to an expansive patio. Whichever side we're on, it's all beautiful, with walls of wine,... More >>
• BEST PLACE FOR A TWILIGHT DRINK
  Greasewood Flats
  In its earlier days, Greasewood Flats was known only to a few folks lucky enough to have discovered the little place hidden off a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Those folks included John Denver and Glen Campbell, who would do impromptu performances. Today, the circa-1883 former stagecoach... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO IMPRESS A CLIENT
  Elements
  We read somewhere that when political/royal structures were built in the old days, they were made to be as huge, ostentatious and overwhelming as could be, so as to intimidate visitors from other countries. So imagine bringing that finicky client to the Sanctuary, situated on 53 acres on the... More >>
• BEST RESORT RESTAURANT
  T. Cook's at the Royal Palms
  The last thing we want when we're enjoying a luxury resort dinner is to feel like we're eating a luxury resort dinner. That's because so many resorts these days are enormous corporations, with sterile, appeal-to-the-masses menus that have us yawning in our caesar salad, roasted chicken and... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO HIDE IN THE DARK
  Durant's
  We're not vampires. Really. But we do admit to having a certain aversion to sunlight. It's just so hot. And bright. But when we want to chill out and calm down, we make tracks for Durant's, a Valley legend since 1950. In good, old-fashioned style, Durant's keep the lights turned way down low,... More >>
• BEST SUNDAY BRUNCH
  El Chorro Lodge
  Sundays are for sleeping in. Unless we've got a reservation for brunch at El Chorro, in which case we might not sleep Saturday night at all. Brunch is served in the cool months, October through May. El Chorro is stunningly beautiful, nestled below the red cliffs of Echo Canyon of Camelback... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
  Manila Cafe
  There are times when just another meal of mainstream Italian, Mexican or American just won't do. We live on the edge, darn it, and our dinner needs to celebrate our daring, dashing nature. Food doesn't get any more exciting than at Manila Cafe. It's Filipino, a dramatic blend of Malay,... More >>
• BEST VIEW
  Acacia at Four Seasons Resort
  Frankly, we have all the view we need when we dine with our honey -- that face, those eyes. But we have to admit, it's mighty romantic to do our staring in a sumptuous setting, for when we do look away, the surroundings should be at least as gorgeous as our companion. For that special view, we... More >>
• BEST DOWNTOWN EXECUTIVE LUNCH
  Alexi's
  This must be the place to be since we've seen Governor Janet Napolitano and her entourage of burly security guards dining here (what they ate, we don't know -- the goons wouldn't let us near her table). Secrets can be spilled here, because with the din of closely packed important shirt-and-tie... More >>
• BEST LATE-NIGHT MEAL
  Zen 32
  We can't remember how many times we've gone to the theater, or a movie, or simply overslept the dinner hour (hey, we're night owls, and it happens). After 10, we've got no place to go, other than a noisy bar or some place slinging Grand Slam sadness. That's why we're so very happy to have Zen... More >>
• BEST PLACE FOR DINNER WITH THE CHEF
  Monastery
  There's something exciting about watching a professional chef at work. The skill, the flair, the panache of a trained restaurant talent. We've never quite mastered the art, but with the Monastery, we can pretend we have. Here, at these casual, artsy restaurants, we get to be the chef ourselves.... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO BAG A BITE FOR JUST A FEW BUCKS
  Cherryblossom Noodle Cafe
  Ever wonder how you can be so busy, yet so broke? So when your long hours and lean wallet get to you, treat yourself to a meal at Cherryblossom. There's nothing more expensive than $10 on this lengthy menu of big, tasty noodle dishes, and most ring in at $5 to $8. The variety is constantly... More >>
• BEST DOWNTOWN LUNCH
  My Florist Cafe
  Okay, we confess: We eat more than just lunch at My Florist Cafe. We have breakfast there every Friday, because we can't get enough of their yummy baked oatmeal. And you'll find us there several nights a week, digging into the superlative pear salad and grooving to the impossibly swell stylings... More >>
• BEST HANGOVER BREAKFAST
  JP Pancake
  Our brain is pounding. Our stomach is churning. Our eyes hurt, our mouth tastes like old eggs, and we've got that heavy, guilty misery that can only mean one thing: We drank too much again last night. Perhaps we should punish ourselves for our indiscretion with the evil spirits, but aren't we... More >>
• BEST SOLUTION FOR IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK AND I'M TOO POOPED TO COOK
  Elie's Deli
  After slaving over a hot desk all day long, who really wants to face an hour or more working in the kitchen for dinner? Still, we'd like our families to enjoy a healthful, tasty, home-cooked meal, even if it isn't cooked in our own home. So it's Elie's takeout to the rescue! We love this... More >>
• BEST ROMANTIC RESTAURANT
  Lon's at the Hermosa Inn -- Wine Cellar
  How the architect managed to figure out how to dig a wine cellar under the historic converted home that is Lon's, we'll never know. All we can say is that he did it, and beautifully. This brand-new room is hidden back behind the bar, behind a scrolled gate, and down a steep, winding flight of... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO EAT AT THE BAR
  Roaring Fork
  When we're worn out, the only thing we want to do for dinner is eat over the kitchen sink at home. Unfortunately, it's hard to find friends who want to do that with us. So on those nights, we ask them to meet us at Roaring Fork, where it's almost as comfortable, casual and homey. These people... More >>