Restaurants

As you would expect of any major metropolitan area with a population running into the millions, the Valley of the Sun boasts countless excellent restaurants. While there is hardly a corner of the Valley that doesn't have someplace good to eat, many of the best restaurants are concentrated in the Scottsdale Road, north Scottsdale, and Biltmore Corridor areas. If you want to splurge on only one expensive meal while you're here, consider a resort restaurant or a place that offers a view of the city lights. If you've got the kids with you, you'll want to be sure to have dinner at one of the Valley's "cowboy" steakhouses. These family-oriented restaurants feature Wild West decor, live cowboy music, and lots of other fun entertainment.

Good places to go trolling for a place to eat include the trendy Biltmore Fashion Park shopping center, at Camelback Road and 24th Street (tel. 602/955-1963), and Old Town Scottsdale. At the former, you'll find nearly a dozen restaurants, while in the latter, you'll find twice that many.

Phoenix is a sprawling city, and it can be a real pain to have to drive around in search of a good lunch spot. If you happen to be visiting the Phoenix Art Museum, the Heard Museum, or the Desert Botanical Garden anytime around lunch, stay put for your noon meal. All three of these attractions have cafes serving decent, if limited, menus.

Backyard Bounty -- If you happen to be in Phoenix in the late winter or early spring, watch for roadside signs advertising fresh citrus fruit. Many homeowners throughout the city have orange and grapefruit trees in their yards and often sell (or even give away) the fruit from the trees. I always stock up on fresh citrus whenever I see one of these signs.

Cowboy Steakhouses

Cowboy steakhouses are family restaurants that generally provide big portions of grilled steaks and barbecued ribs, outdoor and "saloon" dining, live country music, and various other sorts of entertainment.

Forbidden City in the Desert

So you're driving along the Loop 202 freeway near Sky Harbor Airport and this strange mirage materializes. You think you're seeing a mall-size complex of classical Chinese buildings. You are! It's the COFCO Chinese Cultural Center, 668 N. 44th St. (tel. 602/273-7268; www.phxchinatown.com). This fascinating complex includes several Chinese restaurants, gift shops, and an Asian supermarket. There's also a Chinese garden with numerous traditional viewing pavilions.

Espresso Bars, Bakeries & Ice-Cream Parlors

Perhaps it's the heat or the sunshine, but espresso is not the ubiquitous drink in Phoenix that it is in many other parts of the country. However, there are a handful of places to get a good latte or cappuccino. In Scottsdale, try the Village Coffee Roastery, 8120 N. Hayden Rd., Ste. E-104 (tel. 480/905-0881; www.villagecoffee.com), which roasts its own beans and makes what just might be the best lattes in Scottsdale. Alternatively, try Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, which has locations all over the Valley, including in the SHOPS gainey village, 8877 N. Scottsdale Rd. (tel. 480/315-9335; www.coffeebean.com). If you're wandering around downtown Scottsdale's gallery district or the Scottsdale Waterfront and need an espresso, head to Sola, 7124 E. Fifth Ave. (tel. 480/779-7652; www.solacoffeebar.com).

Up on the north side of the Valley, I always get my espresso at Firecreek Coffee Company, 6501 E. Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek (tel. 480/437-9999; www.firecreekcoffee.com), which doubles as a wine bar and the Valley's best live-music venue.

Along the Camelback Corridor, there's Hava Java, 3166 E. Camelback Rd. (tel. 602/954-9080), in the Safeway Shopping Center. Not far from the Heard Museum, Lola Coffee, 4700 N. Central Ave. (tel. 602/265-5652; www.lolacoffeebar.com), serves the best espresso in Phoenix. It's also the hippest espresso bar in town. Right next door there's a great little bakery run by the owners of Pizzeria Bianco.

If ever there were a place where ice cream is a necessity, it is Arizona. In the desert heat, ice cream is a survival food, a means to cool off when temperatures soar. When the heat gets to be too much for you, head to some of these great chill-out spots. Scottsdale's Sugar Bowl, 4005 N. Scottsdale Rd. (tel. 480/946-0051; www.sugarbowlscottsdale.com), in the heart of Old Town, is a longtime locals' favorite that has been immortalized in "Family Circus" cartoons. If you find yourself dying from the heat as you motor through central Phoenix on a toasty afternoon, there's no better antidote than Mary Coyle, 5521 N. Seventh Ave. (tel. 602/265-6266; www.marycoyle.net), which makes its own ice cream and has been in business for more than 50 years. If old-fashioned ice cream just doesn't do it for you, and you absolutely have to have gelato, check out the Gelato Spot, 3164 E. Camelback Rd. (tel. 602/957-8040; www.gelatospot.com), which is right next door to Hava Java in the Safeway shopping plaza. There are other Gelato Spots at 7366 E. Shea Blvd., no. 102, Scottsdale (tel. 480/367-9900), and 4166 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale (tel. 480/425-8100). Alternatively, there is the delightful Grateful Spoon Gelato, 4410 N. 40th St. (tel. 602/955-2448), next door to La Grande Orange Pizzeria.

When you're in the neighborhood of the Heard Museum and craving sweets, head down Central Avenue to Tammie Coe Cakes, 610 E. Roosevelt St., no. 145 (tel. 602/253-0829; www.tammiecoecakes.com), a tiny pastry shop in downtown Phoenix. The cases here are filled with irresistibly tempting goodies. There's a second Tammie Coe Cakes at 4410 N. 40th St. (tel. 602/840-3644). If you're struck with a craving for something sweet while driving Scottsdale Road, head to Cupcakes, 6137 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale (tel. 480/656-3816; www.gotcupcakes.com), which is in the Hilton Village shopping center and bakes the best cupcakes in town. If you're in Tempe when you're struck with a craving for cookies or a croissant, head to Essence Bakery, 825 W. University Dr. (tel. 480/966-2745; www.essencebakery.com).

Breakfast & Brunch

Although I prefer a pastry and a cappuccino for breakfast when I'm on vacation, I know there are plenty of people who want to tuck into something a bit more filling. If you're in the mood for a big breakfast, try one of the following. In downtown Phoenix, there's Matt's Big Breakfast, 801 N. First St. (tel. 602/254-1074; www.mattsbigbreakfast.com), where ingredients are natural and organic whenever possible. South of downtown, in a bucolic farm setting, there's Morning Glory Café, 6106 S. 32nd St. (tel. 602/276-8804; www.thefarmatsouthmountain.com). In the Arcadia neighborhood south of Camelback Road, try Over Easy, 4730 E. Indian School Rd. (tel. 602/468-3447; www.eatatovereasy.com). In Old Town Scottsdale, you've got several good options, including the Breakfast Club, 4400 N. Scottsdale Rd. (tel. 480/222-2582; www.thebreakfastclub.us); and Daily Dose, 4020 N. Scottsdale Rd. (tel. 480/994-3673; www.dailydosegrill.com).

Most of Phoenix's best Sunday brunches are to be had at restaurants in major hotels and resorts. Among the finest are those served at LON's (at the Hermosa Inn), T. Cook's (at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa), Il Terrazzo (at the Phoenician), and Top of the Rock (at the Buttes, a Marriott Resort). However, for a unique experience, make a brunch reservation at Geordie's at the Wrigley Mansion, 2501 E. Telawa Trail (tel. 602/955-4079; www.wrigleymansionclub.com). The meal is served in the historic mansion that chewing gum built. Brunch here is served Sunday from 10:30am to 2:30pm and costs $45 per person.