the weekdays from 3 to 5:30 p.m. when diiscounted margaritas, glasses of wine, and well drinks are for the taking, as well as Isabella’s charcuterie board and hand- stretched, made-to-order pizza. Little Bit of Everything WTF EXPRESS Best Place for a 1024 East Buckeye Road, #180 602-595-6666 wtfexp.com Typically, you’d expect to go to one restaurant for Middle Eastern food, but another for cheesesteaks. And another for poke. And another for salads. Not so at WTF Express in south Phoenix, a bizarre and delicious amalgamation of food genres. The restaurant, which is popular with the lunch crowd, serves everything from falafel sand- wiches to shrimp po’boys to chicken wings to loaded fries to … well, you get the idea. Everything on the menu is serviceable, if not a guaranteed home run, but the Middle Eastern dishes really shine. We love WTF Express’s poke bar, where we can build our own bowl with generous helpings of fish. At lunchtime, when we don’t know what we want to eat, we stop by WTF Express. Whatever we decide on, they’ll have it. Best Bar Food ZIPPS SPORTS GRILL 3647 East Indian School Road 602-957-2112 And other Valley locations zippssportsgrills.com When it comes to eating out, we love fine cuisine, global fare, inventive menus — all of it. But we also appreciate a good onion ring. A warm pretzel dipped in cheese. Bar food may not get a ton of respect, but it’s a staple of menus around metro Phoenix. And local chain Zipps Sports Grill does it incredibly well. That pretzel we mentioned? Zipps serves little pretzel bites served with a house-made beer cheese. The mozzarella sticks are wrapped in a light, crispy spring roll for extra crunch. The golden wings are just the right blend of tangy, sweet, and spicy. Paired with a cold drink and maybe some football on one of Zipps’ many big-screen TVs, the bar fare here hits the sweet spot between comfort food and great flavor. Best Romantic Restaurant LON’S AT THE HERMOSA 5532 North Palo Cristi Road, Paradise Valley 602-955-7878 hermosainn.com/dining/lons 194 Quiet, intimate, and private, dining at Lon’s at the Hermosa offers couples a chance to enjoy a romantic evening. Upon arrival, you immediately know you’re somewhere special; the grounds of the Hermosa Inn offer large mesquite trees, a view of the mountains, and a candlelit garden. Dinner can happen near a fireplace outdoors or a tucked-away spot indoors. Some highlights on the menu include the Hermosa salad, the day boat scallops, and the halibut. There are also a healthy set of options for vegans and vegetarians. The sommelier can recommend special wine pairings from a selection of international choices. Dining at Lon’s is more than just a date night, but an opportunity to have a magical, memo- rable, and of course, romantic evening. Just don’t try to book last minute; make your reservation well in advance to make sure your night to remember goes smoothly. Best Steakhouse THE STOCKYARDS 5009 East Washington Street 602-273-7378 stockyardssteakhouse.com In school, we learned about the five Cs of Arizona, the industries that drove our state’s economy back in the day: copper, cattle, cotton, citrus, and climate. For a glimpse of what it was like when metro Phoenix was filled with livestock, not people, dine at The Stockyards. The steak- house has been open since 1947 and sits on land that was once the world’s largest feedlot (hence the name). Inside, you’ll find the kind of dining experience you don’t see much anymore: a subdued dining room with Western decor elements, formal and attentive service, and a menu with quality beef cuts that actually come with side dishes included (a steakhouse rarity in this day and age). In a city that keeps moving farther away from its rustic roots, a dinner at The Stockyards is memorable not just for the food, but for the connection to Arizona’s past. Best Classic Diner ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE 6840 East Camelback Road, Scottsdale 480-946-4902 originalpancakehouse.com/phloc_az.html This no-frills diner connected to a Motel 6 has held its unassuming location at Camelback and Scottsdale roads since 1988. Slide into a booth or take a seat at the counter to watch the magic in the kitchen. The Original Pancake House is one of many locations throughout the country, though the locally owned Scottsdale eatery is the only one in Arizona. Specialties here include the Dutch baby, an oven-baked concoction that puffs up like a souffle, then falls before it’s topped with powdered sugar and inevitably devoured. The apple pancake is another favorite, made with BEST OF PHOENIX 2022 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2022.C0M | SEPTEMBER 29, 2022