Popsicles come in a myriad of flavors, but here’s one flavor I never thought I’d see: Pickle juice.

That’s right.

A Texas company is marketing Pickle Sickles, made from the juice of dill pickles, as an alternative to the usual sweet flavors.

On the plus side, Pickle Sickles have zero grams of fat and only three calories.

On the negative side – well, they taste like pickle juice.

Looks like they’re not available in the Valley yet.

After closing for a few days, Brunello’s Italian Restaurant in Mesa has re-opened as Brunello’s Village Idiot Tavern.

The restaurant, located on the northwest corner of Dobson and Baseline roads, has switched from formal Italian cuisine to a more casul mix of American, English, Italian and northern European dishes.

The new menu includes such eclectic items as deep-fried bratwursts and hot dogs ($5.99-$7.99), pork fritter sandwiches ($7.99), all-you-can-eat spaghetti ($11.99) and deep-fried Cornish game hens ($14.99).

>> Brunello’s Village Idiot Tavern, 1954 S. Dobson Road, Mesa, is open 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday. (480) 897-0140.

Flapjacks, a restaurant specializing in pancakes and grilled cheese sandwiches, opened Wednesday in Fountain Hills.

The restaurant, which takes over the former Cattle Company Grill in the Bashas’ shopping center just northwest of the fountain, is owned by Mark and Donna Allen, who sold their popular J.P. Pancake in north Scottsdale last year.

In fact, much of Flapjacks’ breakfast menu is similar to J.P.’s., including their signature oven-baked apple pancakes ($8.25). Other specialties include oven-baked orange-cranberry pancakes ($8.95) and oven-baked German pancakes ($8.25).

Seven types of grilled cheese sandwiches, called meltdowns, are available for lunch, including the Classic (cheddar, jack and jarlberg, $6.95), goat cheese and fig ($6.95), brie and strawberry ($6.95), tuna melt ($8.95) and turkey melt ($8.95).

In addition, there are two non-meltdown sandwiches – a BLT ($7.95) and a turkey club ($9.95) – and three salads ($3.95-$8.95) on the menu.

>> Flapjacks, 16605 E. Palisades Blvd., Fountain Hills, is open 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. (480) 837-2910.

The Golden Corral restaurant in east Mesa is offering free Valentine Day breakfasts to couples who have celebrated 50 or more years of marriage.

In addition to the free breakfasts, which will be served from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Feb. 14, the restaurant, 1868 N. Powers Road, will give away prizes and have other fun promotions.

Don and Ginny Robbins (shown at right), a Mesa couple who have been married for 54 years, will be honored at the event.

Info: (480) 985-6793.

A new Mediteranean restaurant, Cafe Azul, has opened at the Marriott Mesa Hotel, located on Centennial Way just north of downtown’s Main Street.

Breakfast, served from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., includes a Monte Cristo quesadilla ($8), strawberry-and-banana-stuffed French toast ($9), build-your-own omelets ($8) and a breakfast buffet ($11).

Lunch, served 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., offers soups, salads and small plates, such as grilled cornbread ($5), nachos fondue ($7) and buffalo chicken quesadilla ($11).

Dinner, served 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., includes the lunch menu items with a few additional small plates, such as Cajun sausage and potatoes ($7) and shrimp Athena ($12).

Info: (480) 898-8300.

Queens Bakery & Pizzeria opened late last year in downtown Mesa, taking over the front of a Main Street building it shares with Christy’s Cake Supplies.

The menu includes a variety of hot and cold subs, salads and pizza, as well as a selection of pastries, cheesecakes and other desserts.

The mood: Colorful tables and oversized contemporary paintings brighten up an otherwise dreary warehouse look of exposed rafters and a gray concrete floor.

A small cold case holds desserts near the cash register, where orders are placed. A larger case of pastries runs along a side wall. Seating is available at seven small tables and a short window counter.

The food: Pizza is available by slice, but we’ve learned through previous visits quality can be inconsistent. So we choose to order our own fresh pizza, a 14-inch with sausage and pepperoni.

At $14.95, a whole two-item pizza also is a better deal for two people than the individual slices, which $2.50 apiece, plus 50 cents for each topping.

Our pizza arrives in 15 minutes. The zesty sauce has a nice flavor, and there are liberal amounts of meat and cheese. After eating until we’re full, we still have slices to take home.

The drinks: A cooler offers soda and other beverages by the can or bottle. Our cans of Dr Pepper are $1.25 each.

The damage: $18.85. With downtown Mesa’s shortage of restaurants, Queens is a welcome addition. It’s not “destination dining” that’s going to draw people from long distances, but it’s an option for downtown workers or those looking for a quick bite before a show at the nearby Mesa Arts Center.

>> Queens Bakery & Pizzeria, 125 W. Main St., Mesa, is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. (480) 964-1609.

Sprouts, the spa restaurant at the Marriott Camelback Inn in Paradise Valley, has introduced a new lunch and dinner menu and expanded its hours.

The focus is still on organic, natural fare. Appetizers include chilled heirloom gazpacho with dungeness crab ($7), butternut squash chowder ($6), ahi tuna tartare ($10) and five kinds of bruschetta.

Sandwiches include a BLT panini ($12) with trout, smoked bacon, baby romaine, roma tomatoes, mango aioli and kalamata olive loaf and Black Angus sliders ($12) on potato buns with cheddar and Might Moe relish spread.

A rosemary chicken breast ($9), Black Angus filet skewer ($14) and jumbo Mexican shrimp ($12) are among the entrees.

Sprouts is offering $3 off wine by the glass from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

>> Sprouts, 5402 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley, is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. (480) 596-7000.

Just because you’re hiking the backwoods doesn’t mean you should have to go without cheeseburgers. But it’s always a hassle trying to keep fresh hamburger from spoiling without some type of refrigeration.

Fortunately, the Swiss company Katadyn has just introduced mankind’s first cheeseburger in a can. Sold under Katadyn’s popular Trekking-Mahlzeiten brand (you can order it here), the burger is being marketed to outdoors enthuiasts and extreme athletes.

According to Katadyn, the canned burger has a shelf life of 12 months.

How do you cook it? You simply drop the can into a container of water over a fire, let it “cook” for a minute or two, then fish it out and open the can. Voila! Ready-to-eat cheeseburger!

Spike TV is hoping to capitalize on the Super Bowl’s huge TV audience by airing what’s it’s billing as “Major League Eating’s Chowdown Championships” during halftime.

The 30-minute show will feature some of the “sport’s” top competitive eaters, including Joey Chestnut, Pat Bertoletti and Eater X.

To whet fan’s appetite for the show, the contestants are offering these top 10 tips for Super Bowl snackers:

10. Limit alcohol intake: Beer and wine take up valuable space that could be used for food and excessive drinking could cause you to lose focus on the matter at hand – eating.

9. Dunk your food: All champion eaters use the dunking technique. Whether it be pizza, pretzels, chips or deviled eggs, food goes down easier when it’s wet.

8. Remain standing: Sitting compresses the stomach and reduces its ability to expand. An erect torso facilitates speedy swallowing.

7. Get to the party early, eat fast and get down as much as you can as soon as you can: This way your stomach doesn’t have the chance to tell your mind it’s full, and by halftime you’ll be well ahead of your fellow revelers.

6. Create a distraction: If the women are crowding the buffet, yell: “Hey, Brady is taking off his shirt!” If men are crowding the food yell: “Wardrobe malfunction, Giants cheerleader!”

5. Help out in the kitchen: Hang out where the food prep goes down. You can always DVR the game and watch it later.

4. Suggest the food is spoiled: Start gagging immediately after tasting the cheese dip and pretend to empty the content of your mouth into a napkin. Guests will avoid the item after this move, leaving it all for you.

3. Pick up the take out: Offer to run to the restaurant to pick up the food. Eat as much as you can on the drive back and blame the restaurant for messing up the order.

2. Place the chips and dip on your lap: Manners will prevent the women from reaching onto your lap (men will not even consider it), allowing you to hoard food for later in the event.

1. Sneeze on the wings: Enough said.

I’ve come to accept there are certain things in this world I’ll never understand.

The lyrics of “Louie Louie.” Einstein’s theory of relativity.

And, perhaps most perplexing, why there’s not a line out the door every night at Fusion Restaurant & Lounge.

I’m guessing many East Valley residents simply have never heard of this modest restaurant just off Camelback Road in downtown Scottsdale.

That’s the only possible explanation I can come up with, because chef Matt Long’s menu of sophisticated comfort food is among the tastiest in the Valley.

Fusion is sandwiched between the trendy nightclub Axis-Radius and the soon-to-open W Hotel. It’s mostly a two-person operation. Long’s wife, JenLyn, typically serves as hostess, sommelier, waiter and bartender.

The young couple have created an elegant but casual atmosphere. White linen tableclothes and candles lend a sense of romantic formality. Contemporary paintings by local artists add a touch of funkiness to the serene blue-gray walls.

It’s a cozy, welcoming space. Whether you’re Baby Boomers dressed up for a night on the town or 20-somethings wearing jeans and T-shirts, you’ll feel at home.

Similarly, Matt Long’s menu also offers something for everyone. His skill at combining different culinary influences and ingredients — hence the restaurant’s name — is evident from the start.

Appetizers include Jamaican jerk chicken skewers ($8.95, shown above) with crunchy plantain chips, a thick slice of roasted pineapple and a creamy cucumber aioli.

Like most of Long’s dishes, it’s a balance of contrasts: the spiciness of the chicken and the sweetness of the pineapple, the slightly salty crunch of the plantains and the slighty sour smoothness of the cucumber sauce.

All the flavors come through, but no one overwhelms the others.

There’s a chorizo macaroni and cheese ($7.95) made with cheddar, jack, Oaxaca and goat cheese and just the slightest bit of chipolte and green chiles for a slow-building warmth in your mouth.

And calamari ($8.95), ever-so-lightly breaded in panko crumbs and served with sesame-glazed vegetables and two mildly spicy Southwest sauces.

But these are just hints of what’s to come. The dinner menu has just 10 entrees, but each is a wonderful gastronomic adventure.

Hoison-marinated duck breast ($21.95) is nicely sliced and topped with a mound of crispy leeks, which, in turn, are balanced with a sweet and juicy apricot cous cous.

A double-bone pork chop ($17.95) is topped with crunchy tortilla strips and served on a bed of tender rainbow orzo with yellow pepper and onions and a ginger-chipote cream.

Black tiger shrimp ($16.95), with the tails helpfully removed, are piled atop rice noodles with chorizo, cherry tomatoes, snap peas and green onions in light cream sauce.

Even Fusion’s bacon cheeseburger, The Gladiator ($13.95, pictured above), is a masterpiece of Kobe beef, peppered bacon, caramelized jalapenos and onions and red chili cheese sauce.

And there’s no letdown with desserts, such as a sinfully light candy bar cheesecake ($5.50, pictured at left) or a flavorful key lime pie ($5.50), all pushed good-naturedly by ultra-friendly JenLyn.

By the time you leave Fusion, you’ll feel like a regular. And, I predict, you will be.

>> Fusion Restaurant & Lounge, 4441 N. Buckboard Trail, Scottsdale, is open 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for lunch, at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday for dinner. (480) 423-9043.