Photo Nicole Roegner Portland’s Restaurant & Wine Bar

Smokin’ Summer Deals
Hating the heat by now? Cheer up – there’s still time to grab smokin’ summer deals at Valley restaurants. Through August, the gorgeous Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley has a three-course Tuesday Taste menu from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for $35 ($50 with wine pairings) or a three-course Friday Fix for $45 ($60 with wines).
To celebrate summer – and patrons’ freedom from light rail construction – urban-hip Portland’s Restaurant & Wine Bar on Central Avenue is serving a four-course dinner for $30 on Saturday nights and wines for one-third off. The deal lasts through August, but if it’s a hit, it could become a fixture, says co-owner Dylan Bethge.
North Scottsdale’s sumptuous Sassi is offering half-price antipasti at the bar nightly, as well as pizza and wine for $25, free wine tastings from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, martinis for $6 and a salad-pasta-wine dinner for $59.

Just Our Luck
We used to have only a wee few Irish pubs, but these days it seems they’re popping up faster than clovers after a rainstorm. O’Donoghue’s Irish Restaurant & Pub opened in late 2007 in North Scottsdale, and D’Arcy McGee’s, a chain out of Ontario, Canada, came to Tempe Marketplace in May. Murphy’s Law is slated to open this fall in downtown Chandler, and the state’s second Molly Brannigan’s is planned for Gilbert’s San Tan Village in late 2008/early 2009. Lis Doon Varna should have a soft opening this month and a grand opening in September in Peoria’s Arrowhead Fountain Center. The restaurant/catering facility will seat about 500 and is operated by Steve Goumas, managing partner of Rula Bula. Like that pub, the furnishings are being brought in from Ireland – down to the stained-glass windows from an old church. It’s named after Lisdoonvarna, a town in County Clare, Ireland, famous for its matchmaking festival. Expect it to take the “singles bar” to a whole new level.

Kamanawana Cabernet
Not sure what to pair with your pu-pu platter? Roy’s Waina Hui (wine club), which has been running at its Desert Ridge location for two years on the second Wednesday of the month, is now at the Chandler and Scottsdale locations on the third Friday of the month. It costs $20 to join and includes reduced prices on wine dinners. Tastings are $20 for members, $25 for non-members. The next wine dinner is August 5 at 6:30 p.m. ($85 plus tax and tip). Details: roysrestaurant.com.

New Kids on the Knife Block
Though we’ve lost some restaurants lately (Methode Bistro, for one), new restaurants are opening daily despite the down economy – including a smattering of mom-and-pops in the ’burbs. Jeff Flancer of Gilbert’s Flancer’s Café opened a second location in east Mesa in late May, while pho (a traditional Vietnamese beef noodle soup) seems to be the new sushi, with places popping up in strip malls left and right. Check out phofever.com’s “pho finder.”

Cheap Chow
Mark your calendars and loosen your belts: Arizona Restaurant Week is coming September 20-26. About 100 restaurants will participate, offering three-course menus for $29 per person. Look for big shots like Ruth’s Chris, Sol y Sombra and all Fox Restaurant Concepts. Details: azrestaurantweek.com.