PANE BIANCO – Phoenix, Arizona
When she lived in Tucson, Arizona Republic dining critic Andi Berlin would drive nearly two hours to Phoenix to enjoy foods…
Pa’La – Phoenix, Arizona
Is there anything more relaxing than a wood fire: its mesmerizing orange and blue flames as they lick the air,…
Call Her Martina – Scottsdale, Arizona
The cultural and culinary histories of Arizona and Mexico are interlocked, transcending the geographical borders that separate them. In fact,…
Mora Italian – Phoenix, Arizona
In the dark ages before satellite radio and podcasts, my Kim and I usually listened to books on tape to…
Culinary Dropout – Scottsdale, Arizona
With a name like Culinary Dropout, you might expect an edgy and provocative venue, something hip and trendy where all…
Gus’s Fried Chicken – Mesa, Arizona
As the crow flies, Nashville and Memphis are separated by about 210 miles. You can get from one to the…
Haji Baba – Tempe, Arizona
Visiting Haji Baba one day before the end of Ramadan in 2022, I pondered the Muslim observation of the month-long…
Roy’s Restaurant – Phoenix, Arizona
“Viejo El Viento,” one of my favorite songs during my youth in Peñasco asked “como vas a comparar el original…
Pomo Pizzeria – Scottsdale, Arizona
When you visit the Valley of the Sun, the very last thing you expect is a record-setting, all-day rain that…
Tapas Papa Frita – Scottsdale, Arizona
While dining at a restaurant in Phoenix, our stomachs roiled a bit as a pesky fly took a nosedive into…
Barrio Cafe – Phoenix, Arizona
A neighborhood should never be defined solely by grids and lines on a map or by a physical area where…
Haus Murphy’s – Glendale, Arizona
To some of us of a certain age and generation, the term “grandma’s food” evokes emotionally-arousing childhood memories of the…
Richardson’s Cuisine of New Mexico – Phoenix, Arizona
My friend and former Intel colleague Steve Caine will forever rue the day he asked me to help him with…
Fat Ox – Scottsdale, Arizona
In the Alpine village of Carrù in the Piedmont region of Italy stands the “Monumento al Bue Grasso” (monument to…
DeFalco’s Deli: Italian Eatery & Grocery – Scottsdale, Arizona
My Kim usually leaves the recitation of movie or television quotes to me (apparently it’s a guy thing), but every…
Cornish Pasty Company – Scottsdale, Arizona
There’s a European joke that uses stereotypes to deride British cooking, among the most maligned cuisines in the world culinary…
Portillo’s Hot Dogs – Tempe, Arizona
Portillo’s story is the story of the American dream, a rags to riches saga that began with a single hot…