Category: United States

ArizonaRating: N/R (Not Rated)SouthernUnited States

Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

How do you become a centenarian?  For Elizabeth White, achieving 100 years of age may be attributed to living the Golden Rule (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”).  She instilled that spirit into the restaurant she purchased from her brother in 1964.  Phoenix was a much more segregated city when Elizabeth White christened her eatery “The Golden Rule Cafe.” Despite the prevailing attitudes of the time, she believed in treating everyone with kindness and respect, a core tenet of the Golden Rule.  Her prominent prescence and welcoming spirit led to guests adding “Mrs. White’s” to the…

ArizonaFine DiningUnited States

Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn – Paradise Valley, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

When making reservations for our Christmas Day meal, it dawned on me that the restaurant we chose (Lons at The Hermosa) was located in Paradise Valley, a wealthy enclave nestled  between Phoenix and Scottsdale. Paradise Valley is backdropped by the Camelback and McDowell Mountains. It’s known as a luxurious desert oasis with high-end resorts, golf courses, fine dining, and affluent residences. For some reason it made me ponder just what children would consider paradise. I wondered if Art Linkletter ever asked kids on his program Kids Say The Darnest Things what they consider paradise to be.  Alas, that question was…

ArizonaBreakfastJewishRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Scott’s Generations – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Until 2025, the only generations of Scotts I’ve known are Dan (God rest his beautiful soul) and Latayne, their son Ryan and daughter-in-law Kimber and their children Canaan and Judah.  Everyone calls them “the great Scotts,” largely because they live their Christian faith.  Latayne is, in fact, a very prolific author of several Christian books.  My friend Ryan and I have broken bread on many occasions.  He’s a fellow trencherman who delights in finding great restaurants with generous portions.  Ryan would have loved Scott’s Generations in Phoenix…and I would have loved seeing his baby blues feast on a robust sandwich…

ArizonaItalianPizzaRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Pullano’s Pizza & Wings – Glendale, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Several years ago during a fund-raising effort, Albuquerque’s PBS television station KNME aired a program called “Sandwiches That You Will Like.”   The documentary was produced by the exceptionally talented Rick Sebak of Pittsburgh station WQED.  The entertaining travelogue featured delicious sandwiches (and the folks who make and enjoy them) served by shops, stands and diners from across the USA. This program originally aired in 2002, also the year a companion book titled Sandwiches That You Will Like was published.  The book was written by fabulous food author Becky Mercuri. I was well aware of most of the sandwiches showcased in…

ArizonaDiners Drive-Ins and DivesMexicanRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Salsa Brava – Flagstaff, Arizona

Gil Garduno2:55 PM

As the feminine form of “bravo,” brava translates from Spanish and Italian to “well done,” “excellent,” or “good.” Brava is often used to praise a female performer, often in conjunction with or preceding requesting an encore for a performance well executed.  Stemming from Italian and Spanish, brava can also be used to mean brave, angry or fierce.  I’m one of those Hispanic gents who expects…make that demands, salsa to be fierce and angry.  I want my salsa to bite me back, to reenforce through its potency and piquancy that pain is a flavor.  That’s especially true when a Mexican restaurant…

NevadaRating: OutstandingSteakUnited States

Lawry’s The Prime Rib – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno1:10 AM

“What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents.” ~Michael Chiarello Many of my most cherished memories involve the act of eating and quite often those memories don’t involve the food itself.  The memories which sweeten most over time invariably involve the people with whom those meals were shared.  The act of degustation is infinitely more satisfying and the meals so much more pleasing when shared with loved ones.  In part because of the memories it evokes, one restaurant which will always hold a special place in my heart is Lawry’s…

AmericanNevadaRating: N/R (Not Rated)SouthernUnited States

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Momofuki in New York City, Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn,  Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami, Bourbon Steak in San Francisco, Border Grill in Los Angeles, Bouchon in Yountville, Emeril’s in New Orleans, Jaleo in Washington, D.C..  These are among the many restaurants on every true gastronome’s bucket list.  In addition to being helmed by some of the culinary world’s most celebrated luminaries, these pantheons of deliciousness share another commonality.  They all have a presence in Las Vegas casinos where well-heeled guests with plenty of disposable income come to gamble and to eat well. Whether celebrity chef restaurants in Las…

NevadaRating: N/R (Not Rated)SteakUnited States

Peter Luger’s Steakhouse – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

As a 1995 episode of Seinfeld illustrated, steak is not just a guy thing anymore. When Jerry took a blind date to the Old Homestead Steakhouse in New York City, he admitted “I’m not really that much of a meat eater” to which his date replied “You don’t eat meat? Are you one of those…” Questions about his masculinity persisted when she ordered a porterhouse medium rare and Jerry had a salad.  Although I’ve never gone so far as to order a salad at a steakhouse, I’m “one of those“–men who don’t particularly like steak.  Give me a fully dressed baked…

2010 James Beard Foundation - "Best Chef" - SouthwestNevadaRating: ExceptionalThaiUnited States

LOTUS OF SIAM – Las Vegas, Nevada

Gil Garduno1:36 AM

In the August, 2000 issue of Gourmet Magazine, Jonathan Gold,  the only food critic to ever earn a Pulitzer Prize, called the Lotus of Siam restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada “the single best Thai restaurant in North America.”  Not a disparaging word was heard or a dissenting opinion offered among the cognoscenti save for those who argued that the word “Thai” should be removed from from Gold’s audacious proclamation.  Lotus of Siam is THAT good! In the decade plus since Gold’s assertion, every reputable critic from every credible publication has jumped on the bandwagon, essentially echoing or adding to to…

BreakfastBreakfast BurritosBurgersOklahomaRating: OutstandingUnited States

Johnnie’s Hamburgers & Coneys – El Reno, Oklahoma

Gil Garduno3:00 PM

“In onion is strength; and a garden without it lacks flavour. The onion, in its satin wrappings, is among the most beautiful of vegetables; and it is the only one that represents the essence of things. It can almost be said to have a soul.” ~Charles Dudley Warner, American Novelist In the vividly hued threads that comprise a diverse tapestry of culinary preferences, onions stand as a polarizing ingredient. While some of us hail onions as the backbone of flavor, others recoil at their mere mention. In some cultures, onions are associated with bad breath and are avoided in social…

AmericanBar & GrillChickenDiners Drive-Ins and DivesFood Network Eats New MexicoOklahomaRating: N/R (Not Rated)SouthernUnited States

Eischen’s Bar – Okarche, Oklahoma

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Even by Oklahoma small town standards, Okarche is a small town.  It’s not much bigger than a village though too big to be considered a hamlet.   With a population of  1,141 as of the 2020 United States census, Okarche is one of the most interesting spots in a state replete with interesting spots.  For one thing, the name Okarche is a portmanteau derived from parts of three words, Oklahoma (OK), Arapaho (AR), and Cheyenne (CHE).  Okarche is situated in what was part of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Reservation, after the disgraceful Trail of Tears forced relocation of Southeastern tribes.  Though only sixteen…