Soup is great for fall, but chowder is its heartier, happier sibling. Here are three Valley restaurants that will make all your steamiest, chowderiest dreams come to life.

Blue Adobe Grille
10885 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Scottsdale
480-314-0550
blueadobegrille.com

Fall in Phoenix isn’t quite roaring-fireplace season, but locals know a little chile heat is perfect to warm the soul year-round. For more than a decade, chef/owner Jose Leyva has been putting serious spice into his Santa Fe/Southwestern cooking, first in Mesa, and now at the newer Blue Adobe Grille he opened in north Scottsdale with partner Michael Savoie (note: the Mesa operation is not affiliated anymore).

This bank-turned-flashy-nightclub caters to a younger crowd, but its tasty Asian tapas are right on the money for folks of any age.

The mint opened in May and is housed in a former bank (thus the name, though minting money isn’t quite the same as dealing in it). It’s a slick, dramatically-staged nightclub with a massive bar, enormous booths and endless floor space. Oversize geometric light fixtures are an artful eyeful, and the attractive wraparound patio might be the city’s biggest. It’s a typical hotspot for cocktails, but The Mint also serves credible food courtesy of chef Johnny Chu (and the champagne bar in the unisex bathroom adds a touch of unexpected whimsy).  

This cozy, comfortable neighborhood restaurant serves up solid drinks and service, and respectable-if-average Italian bistro fare.

It’s hard to miss the sultry stare from Sophia Loren when you walk into Stone & Vine, a cozy neighborhood Italian bistro. The “everything you see I owe to spaghetti” actress is immortalized in a mesmerizing floor-to-ceiling, black-and-white mural overlooking the wood-, stone- and brick-accented modern space.

Friendly, efficient servers point out favorites and steer diners away from potential duds. With a lengthy menu – appetizers, bruschetta, salads, panini, pizzas, calzones, pastas and full-plate entrées, plus daily “Stone” value-priced specials – there are bound to be winners and losers. In the winner column, the wine list is crafty, with smart by-the-glass choices, and draft beers range from Stella Artois to a hoppy IPA from Stone Brewery.

Creative, hearty comfort food takes top billing at this charming Chandler spot, where breakfast, lunch and dinner are equally prized.

As the trend has shifted away from fine dining to casual eating, led by customers who increasingly favor comfort food over complex cuisine, we’ve seen plenty of Valley chefs make radical changes. But few have adapted quite like chef Brian Peterson and his partners, Robert and Danielle Morris, the talented trio who made south Chandler a dining destination when they opened their ambitious Cork in 2008.

SWEET SPOT
Chef Chrysa Robertson of Rancho Pinot is known for her seasonally inspired, unfussy cuisine. What you might not know is that she loves to take recipes from her mom’s old index card recipe box and give them a new twist.

That’s exactly how she came up with the apple date walnut cake ($8) that makes a brief appearance on Rancho Pinot’s menu during apple season.

Spice up your plate with some tongue-torchingly delicious dinner options from north Scottsdale’s newest Indian hot spot.

Dining in far north Scottsdale is a little spicier thanks to the addition of Al Hamra, a fine-dining Indian restaurant in the same plaza as Mastro’s steakhouse. Finding it isn’t easy; it’s tucked in the back of the La Mirada shopping center, and those hunting for a buffet will be disappointed. Al Hamra is open for dinner only and dishes are à la carte. 

Local cuisine and masterful chef skills take center stage at The Wigwam’s latest gem of a restaurant. Resorts, beware: The food bar has just been raised sky high.

Local, seasonal and organic have become the recent standard at any destination restaurant – and even many neighborhood joints. Many places give lip service to the concepts even if they don’t actually practice them. So when the servers at Litchfield’s at The Wigwam start with their spiel, it’s not surprising if diners want to stifle a yawn. But here, it’s different: Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco fame designed the concise menu, and he’s a pioneer – at least locally – of using products from local, sustainable farms.

We've Listed the Valley’s best new places to nosh, Now here’s a taste of the rest of the state’s most mouthwatering new restaurants.

Harry’s Hideaway

Cornville, September 2010
“Hideaway” translates to a delightfully off-the-beaten-path destination discovered by savvy Verde Valley foodies and local winery rock stars such as Page Springs Cellars & Vineyard owner/Arizona Stronghold founder Eric Glomski. 

Latitude Eight° Thai Grill

11 W. Boston St., Ste. 5, Chandler, 480-722-0560
latitude-eight.com

Owner David Fliger, along with his mother, Nicha, both from Thailand, run this authentic Thai favorite. Start with the tofu spring rolls, the chicken satay or the Thai beef salad. Don’t fill up too much, though – unlike a lot of places, the entrées here don’t get outshined by small plates. We love the green seafood curry and the seared ahi with Phuket sauce. For dessert, the coconut-battered fried plantains with kaffir lime syrup are melt-in-your-mouth good.

Turrón

If you’ve ever tasted the sweet Spanish nougat candy turrón, you’ll recognize the flavors in Iruña’s honey and almond parfait by the same name.

“I wanted to do something with almonds, and this idea just stuck in my head,” says Anthony Patafio, the veteran chef behind the desserts at Iruña, Mabel’s on Main and The Lodge in Old Town Scottsdale. (Patafio is also the chef/manager at The Lodge.)

Bye-bye, rubbery sports-bar chicken wings. These bitty birds have gotten pretty and tasty with these gourmet recipes.

The Vig
4041 N. 40th St., Phoenix
602-553-7227;
or The Vig Uptown
6015 N. 16th St., Phoenix
602-633-1187
thevig.us

Mouthwatering comfort food, tasty cocktails and a cozy, cool atmosphere make Sam Fox’s new Downtown gastropub anything but arrogant.

Despite the name, Fox Restaurant Concepts’ new Arrogant Butcher restaurant in Downtown’s CityScape complex is not a snooty steakhouse. Nor is it a Brit-inspired gastropub like Manhattan’s Spotted Pig. Instead, what we have is a slick, postmodern reworking of a classic urban diner with something for just about everybody.