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Ncounter, a stylish eatery offering breakfast and lunch seven days a week, opened Saturday on Mill Avenue in downtown Tempe. Located on the southwest corner of Mill and Third Street, Ncounter is the brainchild of Thom and Kathy Coker, owners

It looks like Gilbert isn’t getting a Barrio Cafe spinoff this fall after all. Chef-owner Silvana Salcido Esparza has canceled those plans. The reasons? Disagreements with the landlord over the Mexican restaurant’s name – Barrio Tequileria – and design, she tells

The Republic reports upscale burger joint 25 Degrees has closed at CityNorth in northeast Phoenix. It lasted 13 months. New Times reports Brugo’s Pizza, a Reno, Nev., import that just opened in April, already has closed at Phoenix’s Esplanade.

I know summer is the toughest time of year for Valley restaurants, but the pace of high-profile closings is getting scary. Trader Vic’s, the Polynesian-themed throwback at Scottsdale’s Valley Ho, is the fourth closure announced in seven days. (The restaurant

Spitfire Grill & Tavern, a upscale gastropub that opened in south Tempe in September, has closed its doors after nine-plus months. Owners Don and Tonya Lococo had offered a mostly made-from-scratch menu of familiar pub grub with a global wine

Caffe Boa Bistro, the 18-month-old east Mesa spinoff of Mill Avenue stalwart Caffe Boa, has closed, former New Times dining critic Michele Laudig reports. The bistro, opened by owners Jay and Christine Wisniewski after they hired chef Payton Curry, never really

Three months after the unexpected closure of Simply Bread, the Republic tries to figure out what went wrong for the seemingly booming business. Co-owner Harold Back blames his bank; the bank and other creditors say Back didn’t make his payments.

Chef Shinji Kurita, who closed his acclaimed ShinBay in Ahwatukee five years ago, quietly has reopened his sushi restaurant at the Scottsdale Seville. The new spot, which seats just 30 people, will feature a “New Tokyo-style” menu, meaning no sushi rolls. To

Naked Pizza, a New Orleans-based chain known for its all-natural pizza, will open its first Arizona franchise this month at Elliot and 48th Street in Ahwatukee. Naked Pizza features crust made with 10 grains and seeds, sauce void of added sugar or

Struggling like many other restaurants during the recession, Culinary Solutions Cafe in Tempe came up with a unique way to renovate. Taking a customer’s suggestion, it turned to social media and other local businesses: Customers helped with the demolition of

One year after Matt McLinn and his partners launched The Grind burger eatery in east Phoenix, the chef has left the restaurant. McLinn is going to work at one of Joel Robuchon’s restaurants in Las Vegas for a while, but says

Urban Picnic, which offers sandwiches and salads, has taken over the former Jersey Girl Café in downtown Mesa. Breakfast options include frittatas ($6.50), breakfast burritos ($7) and Nutella French toast ($5). Among the lunch sandwiches: prosciutto and fig ($8), grilled

Betty’s Nosh, a restaurant and wine bar that opened April 21 in Glendale, is offering the Valley’s first mushroom bar. Diners can choose from 22 different delicacies stuffed into mushrooms as an appetizer or even a full meal. Betty’s Nosh

Cave Creek Coffee Company – a coffeehouse, wine bar, restaurant and live-music venue – has reopened after renovations to expand the lounge area. CCCC also has introduced new Southwest-themed menus for breakfast and lunch, as well as the bar. Cave

A health-conscious Mediterranean grill called Bowl of Greens will open in July on the bottom floor of ASU’s Walter Cronkite School in downtown Phoenix. Owner Jay Krishan, a New Jersey transplant, promises: (Bowl of Greens) is a fine salad company where you

ThaiPan, a well-regarded Thai restaurant in north Scottsdale, has closed after nearly nine years and been replaced by Thai Basil Scottsdale & Sushi Bar. Thai Basil already has locations in Tempe, Ahwatukee and Phoenix, and plans to open another in

Stone & Vine Urban Italian, described by chef chef Martin Kucera as a “small, East Coast-style eatery,” will open next month at 92nd Street and Shea in Scottsdale. Owner Joe Popo and Kucera both worked previously at Sapporo in Scottsdale. Stone & Vine

Saber Rouin, a fixture at Valley farmers markets as his commercial alter ego Doctor Hummus, is opening a restaurant in Tempe. Wild Flavors will be located on the southeast corner of Broadway and McClintock. Rouin hopes to open by the end

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

Big Earl’s BBQ contributing chef Tony Morales (pictured on left) and New Times critic Martin Cizmar (right) mixed it up on Twitter over the weekend. At issue: Cizmar’s mostly negative Big Earl’s review, which was published last week. Cizmar, the