Day: April 26, 2011

As temperatures rose last week, The Vig Uptown in Phoenix cooled things down by offering smoked beef with mixed greens, mango, black beans, goat cheese, mint, basil, cilantro, crispy corn tortilla strips and prickly pear cactus fruit vinaigrette.

Tex-Mex chain restaurant Ninfa’s Mexican Kitchen has closed its Glendale location after 20 months. Corporate president Chris Harter notes: Glendale is a tough market. … We cut prices in half, but customers still complained. The same company owns recently opened Taberna

Looks like the Valley will have one less all-you-can-eat option: LJ’s Pizza, the 38-year-old Mesa pizzeria best-known for its lunch buffet, will close next month. Owner Clay Moser says the number of pizzas served during the lunch buffet has dropped

Chicago-based Italian restaurant chain Mia Francesca has pushed back the openings of its first Arizona restaurants in Scottsdale. The DC Ranch location, formerly San Felipe Cantina, has been postponed from June until this fall. The midtown Scottsdale location, formerly the Quilted Bear,

Chipotle Mexican Grill – which has heavily promoted its use of “naturally raised” chickens, cattle and pigs for years – is having trouble finding enough chickens. After an Orange County (Calif.) Register reader noticed a local Chipotle wasn’t using “natural”

From the well-duh department: Arizona Beer Week, which debuted in February and was a huge success, is officially returning next year. The dates will be Feb. 18-25.

Sixth-month-old Beckett’s Table in Phoenix celebrates its “half birthday” with a week of specials (available only at bar or community table): Today: Half off all appetizers Wednesday:Half off all desserts Thursday: Half off all pichet (half bottles) Sunday: Half off