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Photo by Nikki Buchanan  What drew me like a spell to a new Mediterranean restaurant in North Scottsdale? Weirdly, its name — Fata Morgana, which sounded exotic yet vaguely familiar. As it turns out, Fata Morgana is the Italian word for the sorceress Morgan le Fay, who was King Arthur’s half-sister and his antagonist. She could work all sorts of magic, including creating mirages in the ocean. Now, here’s where it gets interesting: the ocean...

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STK Steakhouse    Love is in the air at these Valley restaurants, which are offering swoon-worthy multi-course meals and sweet dining deals for couples this Valentine’s Day. Adams Table Share the love with half-off bottles of wine and a Chef’s Board (Noble bread, sour cherry jam, rosemary ham, marinated olives, deviled eggs and cheese) at this beloved Downtown haunt. This offer is available February 11 through 14. eatatadams.com Alto Ristorante e Bar The culinary team...

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If you’re up for eating great food, listening to great music, having a great time and doing some good while you’re at it, here’s a great idea: drop by the Dirty Drummer on 44th Street near Oak on Saturday, February 26 for a fundraiser benefiting The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation in Boston. “Huh?” you may be asking right about now. Hang on and I’ll give you the backstory in a minute,...

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Opening Arizona Stronghold Vineyards Old Town Scottsdale’s newest wine tasting room features wine flights, bottles to go and cheese and charcuterie plates. They also have a tasting room in Cottonwood. 4225 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, azstronghold.com Badlands Bar & Grill Back in November 2021, Badlands Bar & Grill opened, featuring comfort food classics for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 7192 S. Price Rd., Tempe, 480-800-4600, badlandsbarandgrill.com Boba Whaaat Vietnamese tea shop and restaurant that serves Vietnamese...

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THE SCENE As I get older, I find myself ruminating about how so often we are the products of our time and place. For example, I grew up in the West Valley in the 1990s and early 2000s. In my sprawling slices of suburbia (I lived in Peoria, Glendale, Surprise and Avondale at various times), there weren’t a lot of independently owned and operated places – restaurants nor retail. I came of age with birthday...