Category: United States

AmericanArizonaRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Texaz Grill – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

My travels throughout the fruited plain have taught me that there are attitudinal differences between residents of different states. Most people have significant pride in their homestate and don’t necessarily think that highly of neighboring states. More than any state, the Lone Star state will broach no claims of superiority by any other state. The saying that “everything is bigger in Texas” actually means “everything is better in Texas.” Barbecue is better, football is better, country music is better and Tex-Mex is the only acceptable derivative of Mexican food.  Don’t ask me.  Ask anyone from Texas. Some forty years ago…

ArizonaDonutsRating: ExcellentUnited States

Randy’s Donuts – Phoenix, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:02 AM

There’s a scene in Iron Man 2 where billionaire playboy Tony Stark decided to treat a hangover with coffee and a box of donuts from Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood, California.  Instead of enjoying his bounty inside the restaurant like most of us earth-bound “hundredaires,”  he flew up onto the gigantic 32’6″ donut atop the building and ate his donuts there.  My first visage of Randy’s Donuts came from a more altitudinous vantage point than Stark’s.  I first espied the iconic donut on approach to the Los Angeles International Airport.  Had a parachute been available, I might have been tempted to…

ArizonaGelatoItalianPizzaRating: OutstandingUnited States

Gelato Dolce Vita & Italian Grocer – Mesa, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“La Grassa” (The Fat One) is the nickname of Bologna, Italy.  While that sobriquet may seem unflattering, Bologna bears it with honor.  This city in the north-central region of the country is considered the “gastronomic heart of Italy,” a place where food is an art form and a passion.   This may be best exemplified by one of the foods born in Bologna.  I’m talking, of course, about gelato.  Throughout “Lo Stivale” (the boot, a nickname bestowed upon Italy because the shape of the peninsula resembles a high-heeled boot) gelato is revered.  Not surprisingly, Bologna is not only the home of…

ArizonaGelatoItalianPizzaRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Il Forno Bello Pizzeria – Mesa, Arizona

Gil Garduno3:01 AM

Culinary history is rich with examples of proteges who surpassed their mentors.   Gordon Ramsay, for example, has become a restaurant impresario with nearly 100 restaurants bearing his brand. He was mentored by legendary English Chef Marco Pierre White, an intense and volatile personality who helped shape Ramsay’s approach to leading a kitchen. Chef Grant Achatz, perhaps more well-known for playing himself during a guest cameo in the season three finale of The Bear, led Alinea in Chicago to three Michelin stars. He was mentored by demanding culinary visionary Charlie Trotter. Chef Horacio “Lacho” Hernandez earned his stripes under the tutelege…

ArizonaDiners Drive-Ins and DivesDog FriendlyGermanRating: ExcellentUnited States

Haus Murphy’s – Glendale, Arizona

Gil Garduno5:53 PM

To some of us of a certain age and generation, the term “grandma’s food” evokes emotionally-arousing childhood memories of the foods our grandmothers would prepare. That’s especially true for those of us who no longer have those heaven-sent treasures.  Food was just one of the many ways grandma showed how much she loved her family.  Memories of grandma’s cooking sustain us and bring a flood of warm, fuzzy, happy memories to us–powerful memories that touch our senses of taste, touch, smell. For the sentimental among us, “grandma’s food” summons the sense of love and happy familiarity in our hearts. For…

ArizonaDonutsIce CreamRating: OutstandingSpecialtyUnited States

Novel Ice Cream – Mesa, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:02 AM

In the Season 8 finale of Seinfeld, Kramer attends the Tony Awards (for Excellence in Theatre) ceremony as a seat filler for a nominee who leaves his seat. When the musical Scarsdale Surprise wins, the excited actual winners surge past his row and pull him onto the stage. Kramer accepts the award, starts celebrating, and famously declares that “the Tony is taking me to Sardi’s!” Producers of the show find Kramer and tell him he can only keep the award if he fires the show’s star, Raquel Welch, because she does not move her arms when she dances. Kramer nervously…

ArizonaAsianFusionJapaneseKoreanRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Maisen Katsu – Mesa, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Humanity has long had an fondness for breaded meats.  As far back as the 12th Century, breaded meat cuts appear in Milanese archives.  Recipes bespeak of medieval innovations in coating meat to “seal in juices or mimic gilded dishes.”  By the 19th Century, Austrian and Italian kitchens–utilizing flour, eggs, and white breadcrumbs before frying in butter or lard-began propagating techniques and ingredients.  Among the foundational breaded dishes were Austrian Wiener Schnitzel. Today, whether it’s German schnitzel, Mexican milanesa, or Italian parmigiana, many of the world’s culinary traditions incorporate a dish made of thinly cut meat that is breaded and then…

ArizonaFilipinoRating: OutstandingUnited States

Tambayan Filipino Food – Mesa, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

When my Kim required physical therapy after a brief hospitalization, extraordinary physical therapist Lana Ramos was dispatched to our home where she worked with my Kim for several weeks.  Lana was wonderful–a superb and patient coach for my injured bride and a knowledgeable and patient source of knowledge for me.  Having been around many Air Force colleagues married to Filipino women, I developed a fondness for both the culture and cuisine of the Philippines.  Lana reignited that fondness by answering my questions and clarifying a few misconceptions I had.  When my Kim successfully completed her physical therapy, Lana prepared lumpia…

AmericanArizonaBreakfastRating: Very GoodUnited States

Butters Pancakes & Cafe – Scottsdale, Arizona

Gil Garduno7:01 AM

“Spread your tiny wings and fly away And take the snow back with you Where it came from on that day So, little snowbird take me with you when you go To the land of gentle breezes where the peaceful waters flow.” ~ Anne Murray Every autumn, gaggles of geese, flocks of ducks, kettles of hawks and constructions of cranes begin their long, arduous migration from the continent’s northern regions to warmer climes in the South. They fly in formation to more idyllic and much warmer locales such as the Bosque del Apache in New Mexico. Similarly, large numbers of…

ArizonaMexicanRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

El Pollo Correteado – Mesa, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“El Pollo Correteado” translates literally to “the chased chicken” or “the run-after chicken” in English.  It’s been my experience that anyone can chase a chicken, but chasing a rooster is an entirely different story.  Roosters can be very aggressive, even mean.  An aggressive rooster can be dangerous to humans, pets, and other chickens.  Roosters are the “wife beaters” of the animal kingdom. Rooster pecking can be normal courting or a sign of aggression. During courtship, a rooster will gently peck a hen’s head or neck to signal her to squat for mating. However, targeted pecking that causes injuries, bald patches,…

ArizonaAsianChineseRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Kofu Dumpling House – Mesa, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

In 1993, The New York Times named Din Tai Fung one of the top ten restaurants in the world, turning a local favorite into an international destination. Since then, it’s been wildly popular around the country and globe.  Known for their upscale-casual restaurants serving up delicious Chinese food, with a particular emphasis on the Xiao Long Bao (steamed soup dumplings) it’s a global phenom. On 20 April 2026, the Taiwanese chain opened in Scottsdale’s Fashion Square Mall. The Scottsdale store occupies 10,000 square feet, features a dumpling expo viewing kitchen, 340 seats and has a full bar. According to the…