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Category: United States

Guido’s Chicago Meat & Deli
ArizonaDog FriendlyItalianPizzaUnited States

Guido’s Chicago Meat & Deli

Gil GardunoDecember 30, 2022January 3, 2023

For years now, my Kim and I have largely eschewed American television, especially its sophomoric, lowbrow and “meant for voyeurs” reality shows.  We’ve been increasingly gravitating to an almost exclusive viewership of British television which we’ve found to be meant for grown-ups rather than children.  British television programs offer a…

Matty G’s – Chandler, Arizona
ArizonaBurgersDog FriendlyUnited States

Matty G’s – Chandler, Arizona

Gil GardunoDecember 29, 2022January 3, 2023

In the inspirational 1989 movie, Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner stars as an Iowa farmer named Ray Kinsella. As a farmer, Ray has fallen on hard times.  While standing in his corn field one day, he has a vision of a baseball field where part of his cornfield is.  A…

Cyclo Vietnamese Cuisine
ArizonaAsianFusionRated 23Vietnamese

Cyclo Vietnamese Cuisine

Gil GardunoDecember 28, 2022January 3, 2023

Justina Duong’s effusive personality, easy elegance and chic fashion sense could fill a room–and they often did.  From the moment Justina launched Cycle on Chandler Avenue, the captivating chef and hostess extraordinaire didn’t just have guests.  She had an audience, a throng of admirers (mostly men).  She had peeps. Charming,…

Cibo – Phoenix, Arizona
ArizonaDog FriendlyItalianPizzaUnited States

Cibo – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil GardunoDecember 27, 2022January 3, 2023

Inasmuch as they’re both Romance languages, there are a lot of similarities between Spanish and Italian.  Because Spanish was my first language, if spoken slowly enough I can probably understand thirty-percent of what is spoken in Italian.  Alas, not all Spanish and Italian terms are lexical cognates.  That is, they…

Zinc BIstro – Scottsdale, Arizona
ArizonaFine DiningFrenchThe Best Thing I Ever AteUnited States

Zinc BIstro – Scottsdale, Arizona

Gil GardunoDecember 25, 2022January 3, 2023

“Are you sure we belong here,” my Kim asked as we strolled along Kierland Commons, an upscale Main Street lifestyle center.  “Of course, we belong here,” I replied just as a shiny, brand new Bentley parked in the spot we were walking past.  We certainly don’t have that kind of…

Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante – Glendale, Arizona
ArizonaDog FriendlyItalianPizzaUnited States

Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante – Glendale, Arizona

Gil GardunoDecember 24, 2022December 28, 2022

In a Phoenix.org feature published in November, 2022, David Tynda declared that Phoenix is a top city for pizza. “I say to people that I believe Phoenix is the pizza capital of the U.S. and I wait for them to slap me across the face,” said Tyda, the co-manager of…

Cocina Madrigal – Phoenix, Arizona
ArizonaDog FriendlyMexicanTacosUnited States

Cocina Madrigal – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil GardunoDecember 23, 2022December 24, 2022

Number one in the entire country.  Highest rated from about 90-million restaurant reviews. Topping Yelp’s 9th annual list of the top 100 restaurants in the United States for 2022 is “Cocina Madrigal, a “father-and-son-owned eatery serving Oaxaca fundido and beef birria enchiladas to lucky residents of Phoenix, Arizona (who’ve responded with more…

Lior The Baker – Scottsdale, Arizona
ArizonaBakeryJewish

Lior The Baker – Scottsdale, Arizona

Gil GardunoDecember 23, 2022December 27, 2022

My friend Bruce “Sr. Plata” Silver is understandably very proud of his Sephardic Jewish heritage.  Sephardic, of course, is a term for Spanish Jews who were forced to Catholicism or face expulsion from Spain.  Estimates indicate this diaspora was responsible for the movement of up to 300,000 Spanish Jews who…

La Santisima – Phoenix, Arizona
ArizonaDiners Drive-Ins and DivesMexicanTacos

La Santisima – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil GardunoDecember 22, 2022December 27, 2022

Gustavo Arellano, the brilliant writer behind the Ask A Mexican column (and even better book by that title) was remarkably quick with a disarming retort that diffused controversy with humor.  One example is when a reader–perhaps hoping to ingratiate himself to Arellano–wrote Ask A Mexican: “I don’t go to many…

Culver’s – Payson, Arizona
ArizonaBurgers

Culver’s – Payson, Arizona

Gil GardunoDecember 21, 2022January 14, 2023

In the summer of 2022, two of my sisters spent a nearly three weeks in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. They visited the breathtaking snow-capped mountains of the Alps and took Europe’s highest cable car to the top of the Matterhorn.  They walked in picturesque villages reminiscent of your favorite fairy-tale as well…

Red Onion Lounge – Heber, Arizona
AmericanArizonaBurgersDog FriendlyUnited States

Red Onion Lounge – Heber, Arizona

Gil GardunoMay 7, 2022May 30, 2022

On 5 November 1975, a seven-man logging crew working in the Sitgreaves National Forest near Heber, Arizona experienced what has become the most documented UFO (UAP or unidentified aerial phenomena, if you prefer) sighting and abduction in history. As the crew was wrapping up for the day, they saw a…

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