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Phoenix flowers and foodies in bloom

Spring in Phoenix means wildflowers are in bloom -- as are the wild foodies with tasting events o’plenty. Here are just a couple of the upcoming culinary events:Spring Butterfly Luncheon (March 7, Desert Botanical Garden) Designed for adults an...

Hana Japanese Eatery satisfies a cold weather craving

Hana Yasai SukiPhoto: Hana Japanese EateryAnother dreary, rainy day in Phoenix yesterday brought cravings for warm comfort foods. Hana Japanese Eatery had the same thought, posting a picture of its luscious Yakibuta Ramen. Known for its stand-out sus...

Five Phoenix restaurants for healthy dining on Valentine's Day

Celebrate Valentine's Day with a healthy (well, maybe just healthier than some), decadent meal at one of these Phoenix restaurants. Cheuvront Restaurant and Wine Bar. Cheuvront's is celebrating all weekend, offering a three-course Valentine's We...

Aiello's Fine Italian Dining

With crisp white tablecloths and a handsome granite bar, Joe and Myrah Aiello’s namesake restaurant feels like a special occasion place, except that it’s worthy of frequent visits. For one thing, they’ll welcome you like a regular, and the prices are quite accessible. Highlights include lasagna with sausage-studded sauce, melt-in-your-mouth veal saltimbocca alla Romana, and delicate gnocchi bathed in an ethereal pesto cream sauce. Bring some good friends, order up a nice bottle of Italian wine, and soak up the classy vibe.

Andreoli Italian Grocer

Americanized Italian food is everywhere, but if you’re hungry for authentic sandwiches, salads, and antipasti, you need to try this place. Chef-owner Giovanni Scorzo makes all his own bread and pastries, cannoli, tiramisu, mozzarella, ricotta, and even chocolates. Daily specials might include fresh pasta, or, perhaps, a seasonal dish made from a family recipe. He’s a butcher, too, so the sausage and salami are housemade as well. While you’re at it, stock up on imported Italian specialties.

Asian Café Express

Despite the name, this is no generic pan-Asian fast food joint. Not even close. It’s exceptionally tasty, unbelievably cheap, authentic Hong Kong-style cuisine. Behind it all is chef Michael Leung, former owner of central Phoenix’s Gourmet House of Hong Kong. Be prepared to spend some time ogling the expansive menu, featuring scores of different stews and sautés, fried rice, hot pots, congee, and so many kinds of noodles — egg noodle and rice noodle soups, lo mein, chow mein, and chow fun. There’s a handful of items from Taiwan and Southeast Asia, and even spaghetti.

Atlas Bistro

Established in 2002, the tiny BYOB connected to AZ Wine Co. has long impressed culinary fanatics and wine geeks alike for its sophisticated international fare, laid-back atmosphere, and – no surprise – close proximity to an amazing selection of wine. Chefs Brandon Crouser and Joshua Riesner have steered the cuisine away from its original Southwestern slant, and toward innovative dishes that utilize classic French cooking techniques. They’ve also begun offering tasting menus, and catering to a distinguished crowd of wine enthusiasts, who show up with $2,000 bottles of Bordeaux and treat the restaurant like a speakeasy. Luckily, anyone can be an insider here.

Back East Bagels

Word of mouth is the key to success at this charming strip-mall cafe, and no wonder. The plain bagel here is a joy to eat on its own, almost like a fresh soft pretzel. While you’ll surely find ex-New Yorkers lurking in line here, Back East Bagels brings in plenty of native Arizonans, too, with cheap, tasty sandwiches and an inviting seating area.

Barrio Cafe

Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza brings magic to this art-filled hole-in-the-wall, with regional specialties of central-southern Mexico. For extra impact, she adds French accents, with marvelous results. Dishes change monthly, but highlights include posole verde, spinach-crab-mushroom-cheese crepes, fresh fish grilled in a banana leaf, and 12-hour roasted pork. Insist on desserts, like a goat's-milk caramel crepe with vanilla-bean ice cream.

Binkley's Restaurant

Probably the best restaurant in the greater Phoenix area, on a par with five-star joints like Thomas Keller’s much-ballyhooed French Laundry in Napa. Apparently, genius loves company, as chef and SCI grad Kevin Binkley worked side-by-side with Keller at the French Laundry after a stint at The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia. Now, foodie pilgrims are trekking to Cave Creek to sample Binkley’s French-informed, modern American fare. Standouts include the bacon-wrapped tenderloin, the squab, and the duck breast, but the menu changes often, and pretty much anything Binkley cooks up is worth the drive and the ducats. Make reservations. The place fills up nearly every night of the week.

BLT Steak

While meat is certainly the main event at BLT Steak, the Scottsdale outpost of French chef Laurent Tourondel’s successful empire, eating here is a memorable experience from the first nibble of warm chicken liver pâté to the last bite of gooey espresso-chocolate chip cookies (both gratis). It’s hip but comfortable, with amiable, attentive service and lots of thoughtful touches — like the famous freebie Gruyère popovers — along with top-notch steaks.

Bomberos Café & Wine Bar

This laid-back eatery is not just the coolest thing in Sunnyslope, it’s one of the best local wine bars, period. The name means “firemen” in Spanish, which is fitting because owners Oscar and Kristi Mastrantuono transformed an old fire station into an inviting hangout that specializes in South American wines. Top-notch panini and lavish cheese and meat plates are a few temptations that pair well with the vino, and don’t miss the excellent bruschetta. Desserts change frequently, but all you need to know is that they’re made by celebrated downtown baker Tammie Coe.

Bourbon Steak

At Bourbon Steak, the ultra-high-end steakhouse at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, managing chef Michael Mina — a James Beard Award-winner whose San Francisco-based restaurant management company operates more than a dozen upscale eateries — pushes fine dining into the far reaches of excess (for Phoenix, at least). The food preparations are utterly decadent – premium cuts of meat poached in butter, bacon fat, or olive oil, accompanied by an orgy of lobster and foie gras and roasted marrow bones – and so are the prices. This is one of the few establishments in town where you can order a Japanese “A5” Kobe steak, although seafood dishes like tapioca- crusted snapper shine as well. After a decadent dinner, dessert might seem like overkill, but trust us – they’re a highlight. Besides, excess is expected at a place like this.