Just because Phoenix doesn't have a Little Italy doesn't mean there aren't plenty of Italians...
By Michele Laudig
Published: June 28, 2007
For me, reviewing restaurants is so personal, so subjective, that it's hard to imagine anyone...
By Michele Laudig
Published: June 21, 2007
People often ask me about how I decide what restaurants to review, and how I find them.
Well,...
By Michele Laudig
Published: June 14, 2007
Now I'm really stumped about how those girls from Ipanema get away with wearing the scandalous...
By Michele Laudig
Published: June 7, 2007
I've always marked the official beginning of summer by the last day of Vincent's Camelback...
By Michele Laudig
Published: May 31, 2007
A steak in the community
On one of the recent nights I visited Skye, the flashy new fine-dining destination in Peoria, the...
By Michele Laudig
Published: May 24, 2007
Fish come true
I could probably devote my entire job to visiting all the Japanese places opening around the...
By Michele Laudig
Published: May 17, 2007
Um, forgettable
For all I've heard about Pink Taco in the year since it opened, there hasn't been a peep about...
By Michele Laudig
Published: May 10, 2007
Plate spinning
I've always been amused by the way overachieving types tack together their job titles and hobbies...
By Michele Laudig
Published: May 3, 2007
A good reason to fight your way into Tempe
It's a total pain to get anywhere in Tempe, especially when you're hungry.
More and more over...
By Michele Laudig
Published: April 26, 2007
Breakfast all the time
There's a reason they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I don't think...
By Michele Laudig
Published: April 19, 2007
New noshery turns the eats around
The day that Publishers Clearing House shows up at my front door with a giant check for $10...
By Michele Laudig
Published: April 12, 2007
Using their noodle
I've got neighborhood envy again.
This time it's an unassuming pocket of Mesa, on Dobson Road...
By Michele Laudig
Published: April 5, 2007
Three reasons upscale burgers are still going strong
The recent burst of summerlike weather had me scrambling for something to wear, shopping for...
By Michele Laudig
Published: March 29, 2007
The new South
Living in Arizona, it's easy to become familiar with the nuances of Mexican cooking. From corner...
By Michele Laudig
Published: March 22, 2007
Tasty pretty things
I'm used to looking for hole-in-the-wall ethnic restaurants or modest indie bistros, but I didn't...
By Michele Laudig
Published: March 15, 2007
Better be good -- and it is
Waiting for a table at Asia de Cuba on a recent Saturday night, my friends and I knew time was...
By Michele Laudig
Published: March 8, 2007
Escargot there
Restaurants conjure their magic in many ways, and sometimes it takes some pretending on the part...
By Michele Laudig
Published: March 1, 2007
Lodge in your mouth
Say the name Frank Lloyd Wright, and suddenly I'm 18 again, new to New York City and stressing...
By Michele Laudig
Published: February 22, 2007
Breaking the Curse of the Doomed Location
I could probably dig up a really good statistic to illustrate the fleeting nature of the...
By Michele Laudig
Published: February 15, 2007
Don't pass the bar
An extended dance remix of the Stone Roses' track "Fool's Gold" was blaring out of the sound...
By Michele Laudig
Published: February 8, 2007
Briny deep impact
As a food critic, I often find myself meticulously planning my restaurant visits weeks or months...
By Michele Laudig
Published: February 1, 2007
Breath of fresh air for a chain-choking 'hood
I had no idea I wanted a D-Backs jersey, but when a friend gave me one for Christmas — in...
By Michele Laudig
Published: January 25, 2007
Served by the bell
It's not a good thing when a restaurant makes you feel like you're in an airport. Or a cafeteria....
By Michele Laudig
Published: January 18, 2007
The "little French place" done right
Let me apologize to the cult of Coup Des Tartes: Your little gem is just way too wonderful to...
By Michele Laudig
Published: January 11, 2007