This sleek new spot turns out traditionally tongue-tingling Thai food with delightfully modern twists.

Our server laid out the last of our plates on the table and stepped back. He gestured to the dozen or so dishes in front of us and prepared to explain the spread, but I quickly raised my hand.

“No, please,” I interrupted. “We’d like to figure it out as we go.”

FULL-BODIED FLAVORS AND LOCAL INGREDIENTS SHATTER STEREOTYPES OF
GOOPY MEXICAN FOOD AT THIS HIP HOTEL RESTAURANT.

Does the mention of Mexican food stir up images of gloppy, cheese-smothered enchiladas and greasy tacos? “Mexican food gets a bad rap,” says Doug Robson, chef and owner of the hip Gallo Blanco Café and Bar at the Clarendon Hotel in midtown Phoenix. Robson, the former founding chef at La Grande Orange, is on a mission to dispel the myth that all Mexican food is stereotypical, hotter-than hell goop. Gallo Blanco doesn’t feel like a stuffy hotel restauant.

HOUSED IN THE FORMER FATE SPOT, MATT CARTER'S NEWEST ASIAN CONCEPT KICKS IT INTO HIGH GEAR WITH AN ARRAY OF KNOCK-YOUR-SOCKS-OFF PLATES.

"YOU JUST WALKED IN AND ordered the best thing on the menu," chef Jay Bogsinske crows from behind the counter of Nine 05's tiny exposition kitchen. "You rock!"

After one bite, you’ll be thankful Kierstin and Snir Mor ditched their day jobs to dish up some of the best meals in the Valley.

Don’t go to Amuse Bouche looking for an amuse-bouche.

That hallmark of chef-driven fine dining isn’t here, and neither is the fancy ambiance. We’re talking paper napkins here. It’s located in a nondescript strip mall in Surprise anchored by an ACE Hardware. And the French-trained chefs there are best known for their meatloaf.

The vibe is hip, the seats are full, and hungry customers line up.

YOU WON’T BELIEVE HOW fluffy – and utterly delicious...

SENS, A SAKE LOUNGE serving pan-Asian tapas, would look more at home in Greenwich Village or West L .A. than on a mostly deserted stretch of Downtown Phoenix. It’s the kind of modest, self-assured gathering spot that seems to know exactly who its audience is. More imagination than money went into the fresh, eclectic décor that combines a watch-the-fun bar/food prep area, striking light fixtures, a cluster of moon-shaped mirrors and a red, black and white palette flashed with neon. Early evenings, when I visited, the customers included people stopping by after work, families from the neighborhood and later, as the rather distressing techno music amped up, young adults in groups and pairs.

“JUST DESTROY IT. IT LOOKS NICE, BUT IT’S MEANT TO BE DEVOURED.”

Situated on the quasi-scenic Avenue of the Fountains, Boulevard Café’s narrow outdoor seating meets a cozy spot for sipping café au lait and devouring house-made croissants. The interior is comfortably darkened by dramatic burnt-orange walls, and the tightly spaced wooden tables are gussied up with white linen and butcher paper in the evenings.

Sometimes low expectations make things better. For instance, when the new Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel – a beige box that was slammed as being painfully corporate – broke ground three years ago, the thought of it, and its accompanying restaurant, was met with a yawn.

Talk to chef Matt Carter about his Latin menu at the Mission in Scottsdale, and it’s clear he’s passionate about it.
He goes into loving detail about charring, braising, roasting or making confit. He can rattle off the exotic peppers he uses on each plate. He has a firm grasp of indigenous ingredients, but is confident enough to give dishes his own stamp.
 His recipes are so succulent, so saturated with flavors, it’s no wonder they’re so complicated and time-consuming. Carter, known for his prowess with French food at Zinc Bistro, not only proves his versatility here, he outright flaunts it. He and co-owners Terry Ellisor and Brian Raab deserve a round of applause for adding something this innovative, classy and downright delicious to the Valley’s dining scene.

EXCEPT FOR DELICIOUS DESSERTS AND ITS PROXIMITY TO ONE OF THE BEST ARTS
CENTERS IN THE VALLEY, THERE’S LITTLE TO LOVE ABOUT MESA’S DE LA CRUZ
DE LA CRUZ BISTRO IS ONE OF very few options in downtown Mesa for people who want to grab dinner and a drink before or after a show at the Mesa Arts Center.  It’s pleasant, attractive