Sauce. Cheeses. Toppings. Pizzerias can put their stamp on their pie in many different ways. In Business Magazine wanted to shine a spotlight on the foundational element: the crust. California Pizza Kitchen One of the pioneers that took pizza beyond cheese-and-pepperoni-and-sometimes-anchovies to a whole new world of flavors, CPK added a whole wheat option for crust a few … [More]
French Transplants on Scottsdale Soil: Voilà
Mix intimate and cozy with the high style of white cloth tablecloths, and … Voilà. Helping set the ambience as quintessentially French, a large rendering of “Luncheon of the Boating Party” by renowned French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir dominates one wall while an adjoining wall presents various views of Paris icon the Eiffel Tower in artsy black-and-white photography. … [More]
Liquid Refreshment for Lunch: Soup
Soups are as perfectly suited for winter meals as smoothies are for summer. Wafting aromas warm the olfactory senses while spoonfuls warm the body. Several fast-casual Valley restaurants make soups a hot choice on their menus. Café Zupas Soups (and salads and sandwiches) are house-made daily. Dishes are globally inspired, and recipes feature spices and flavors from around … [More]
The Sicilian Butcher: Build-Your-Own Meatballs and More
Think: elegant casual. Black-and-white checkered cloth tablecloths on the center rows of tables make lively the simple décor that’s otherwise set off by a rear wall of weathered brick. A smartly designed divider “wall” separates the large dining room into two cozier halves while keeping a sense of spaciousness. On prominent display just inside the front door is a prized claim … [More]
Our Menu Has Changed
This phrase may be annoying in a recorded phone message, but it’s exciting when applied to our local restaurants. Here are two that favor their diners with new flavors. Giordano’s Special for this final quarter of the year, and offered only at this national chain’s Arizona and Nevada restaurants, is the Street Taco Pizza, built on a light, crispy, extra- thin hand-crafted … [More]
Giordano’s – It’s All about the Pizza
At Giordano’s, pizza is the main event. Yes, the menu includes other offerings, but, as Giordano CEO Yorgo Koutsogiorgas explains, they support the main course. “Giordano’s is narrowly focused. Our business is pizza.” Serving the Chicago-style deep-dish dish pizza, Giordano’s has its own distinctive style: stuffed. In its version, “stuffed” does not mean an overly bready … [More]
It’s Patio Season
Our weather makes patios di rigueur for restaurants here, but some are reason unto themselves for choosing where to breakfast, lunch or dine. Chelsea’s Kitchen Shaded by an enormous canopy from the venerable mesquite trees and dominated by a grand brick fireplace, this patio feels far removed from the bustle of traffic on nearby Camelback Road. 5040 N. 40th St., … [More]
Café Allegro: Culinary Notes Enhance Musical Experience
Café Allegro offers a sensory experience that starts at the entrance to Phoenix treasure, the Musical Instrument Museum. Diners can bypass the museum registration but still enjoy the lobby displays on the short stroll to the restaurant doorway. Managed by Bon Appetit, Café Allegro syncs its menu to its distinctive location, celebrating a global menu with Bon Appetit’s … [More]
Getaway Lunching
Lunch can be a stay-cation unto itself with a repast at one the Valley’s distinctive resorts. T. Cook’s at the Royal Palms Built in 1929 as the winter home of industrialist and financier Delos Willard Cooke and his wife, the Royal Palms is a Mediterranean oasis in architecture and landscape. 5200 E. Camelback Rd.,Phoenix (602) 283-1234 Tonto Bar & Grill at … [More]
Babbo Italian Eatery: Innovating Traditions
Babbo Italian Eatery’s is a comfortable atmosphere in mellow browns and soothing designs. Size variation among the many locations lends a different ambience from restaurant to restaurant — for instance, Arrowhead feels more intimate; Cave Creek, more open and informal; Scottsdale, the most spacious. Décor is understated, with framed old-timey-style photographs creating a sense … [More]
Sandwich Flair
Sandwiches are designed for convenience, but that’s no reason to neglect culinary flair and flavor (The origin of the sandwich is generally credited to the 4th Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu by name, who did not want to interrupt the hunt by having to sit down to a repast). Providing that in abundance, these are our favorites for virtually any time of day (hours of operation … [More]
Hash Kitchen: Hash Tagged ‘Good’
Very open and friendly, Hash Kitchen goes in for simplicity in its décor. Simplicity and comfort. Tables are widely spaced and booths allow leg room. Patios vary in size with location, but the outdoor seating option is available at all the restaurants. The new design puts more emphasis on the restaurant’s Bloody Mary offerings. Its newest location, opened last month in … [More]
Smoothie Moves
In the heavy heat of summer, a smoothie can be a satisfying lunch as well as a refreshing drink. Here are some restaurants that allow patrons to increase the nutritional value with some whey protein or any of their own selection of add-ins. Juby True by True Food Kitchen Health-focused menu offers smoothies, juices, almond “mylks” along with a few salads and some snacks and … [More]
Flower Child – Farmhouse Sensibilities
Well-suiting its focus on healthy eating, Flower Child’s décor evokes a back-on-the-farm feeling. The newest location, recently opened in Desert Ridge Marketplace in North Phoenix, is especially open and airy in its farmer’s market styling – simple, homey designs; a lot of light; and the chain’s signature cheerful touch of a cut flower on every table. The open expo kitchen … [More]
Tacos Not Just for Tuesday
Attesting to the popularity of tacos, “Taco Tuesday” is now showing up on the menu of restaurants not usually offering South of the Border selections. For great tacos any time, In Business Magazine suggests these as among the best in the Valley. America’s Taco Shop The concept began with the hand-written recipes from her mother that founder America Corrales brought with … [More]
Farm & Craft: Community Eatery
Farm & Craft has a split personality — from the breakfast and lunch menu, it’s counter-order and table-delivery; off the dinner menu from 3 p.m. to closing, it’s table seating and waiter-order. What’s most important, however, shines through at all times — healthy food, locally sourced. “Local” is, in fact, so much a focus that the recently opened Phoenix location differs … [More]
Resort to Lunch
Summer is a good time for locals to take advantage of the multitude of exceptional resorts and hotels that, in the other seasons, draw crowds of out-of-towners. Here are In Business Magazine picks for some of the best on-property restaurants for getting-away for lunch. Hearth ´61 In the modern contemporary architecture of Mountain Shadows Resort for seasonal American fare, … [More]
Morning Squeeze: Relish the Retro
Some meetings call for a power breakfast, and Morning Squeeze has that covered as well as the lunch-time option — especially at the new location in Tempe, where tables can easily hold portfolios or notebooks along with the food. There is also plenty of solo dining at the indoor-outdoor bar. The patio wraps the south and west sides, and this time of year even the inside is … [More]
