I have this theory that if a drink menu at a restaurant is three or more times the thickness of the food menu, disaster is imminent. That doesn’t mean the drinks are a problem. It means the food is somewhat of an afterthought, although there may be some splashes of hope. J. was in town [...]

I haven’t been to downtown Glendale in about, oh, 40 years. The closest I ever got was Pedro’s Mexican restaurant, which is not really in downtown, but just east of downtown. I have nothing against downtown Glendale or Glendale in general. I just figure that if I am that far west, I might as well [...]

So, Boris owns rental property. This isn’t some seedy revelation, of course. However, it puts my mind at ease that Boris is not some male gold digger going after our beloved Madge. Madge would never allow herself to be used, and I always saw her as finding a man she could keep. A much, much [...]

Mexican food. I love the stuff. Phoenix is no stranger to good Mexican food, despite the inane ramblings of the owner of Pink Taco. But after a while, you find that the old stand-by’s are just that, and I find myself often wishing for some new place to open up and breathe a breath of [...]

I don’t ever think I will get tired of Mexican food. For me, it is the ultimate comfort food and it is the default for any meal where I can’t decide what I want. That being said, I also know there are some truly terrible Mexican restaurants in the Valley, not even including the dreaded [...]

In the great metropolitan area of Phoenix, there are plenty of taco/burrito places that all end with “tos.” Filibertos, Polibertos, Losbetos, Pigeontos, etc. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of them are particularly bad. Of course, they will fill the stomach after a night at the clubs when the only other options are Denny’s or 5 & [...]

I don’t get to Chandler that much. It isn’t that I have anything against this East Valley city. Well, okay, there is/was an ex that lives/lived there, but that was long ago and I am no longer bitter about it. Outraged? Angry? Hostile? Sure. But not bitter. I have grown. However, on a recent Saturday [...]

With all the changes going on in my life, I have found that I am turning to comfort foods for some relief. Well, my waistline isn’t feeling relief, but there you go. So, anyway, I am discovering that I am turning to the old favorites that put a smile on my face. It should come [...]

Every summer, for as long as I can remember, my parents have headed up to the White Mountains of Arizona to do some major league fishing. They usually rent a cabin from friends, park themselves on the banks of Hawley Lake and come home with a bazillion trout. Growing up, I was taken up there [...]

It was time for J. to return to Orange County, but we decided to have one more go at finding some good food in the Valley. We both had a taste for Mexican food, so we headed over to Scottsdale to look around. I remember many moons ago heading to Julio G’s with some friends. [...]