Long Wong’s isn’t dead. It’s just grown up and moved to the suburbs.

The legendary Mill Avenue club — Bohemian hangout extraordinaire and ground zero for the local music scene for two decades — was leveled in 2004, but not before passing along its comfortable-casual genes to owners Scott and Cheri Magill’s other venture, Teakwoods Tavern and Grill.

The Gilbert Teakwoods, located in a Fry’s strip mall on the southeast corner of Williams Field and Gilbert roads, is typical of Teakwoods’ five locations in the Valley: welcoming, laid-back, loud and usually packed.

T-shirts and ball caps are de rigeur, and there are a dozen or so TVs showing sports. Patrons square off in Golden Tee golf and Lucky Strike bowling, but the overall vibe isn’t so much sports bar as family-friendly neighborhood grill.

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Leonidas Fresh Belgian Chocolates & Café is celebrating its recent opening at SanTan Village in Gilbert with a five-day sale.From Thursday through Monday, if you buy a half-pound or pound of chocolates you’ll get another half-pound or pound free. Also, if you buy a gelato, pastry or drink, you get a second free.

The “chocolates and cafe” concept is one of just two in the United States. The other is in Beverly Hills. Info: (480) 899-0281 or leonidasaz.com.

Los Sombreros Mexican Café & Cantina in Scottsdale has started a reverse happy hour from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays with $5 menu items, such as black bean queso fundido with chips, two quesadillas de rajas, a shrimp cocktail with chunks of mango or a jicama and orange salad with chile-lime dressing.

Drinks specials include $5 margaritas, mojitos, Cuba libres, sangria and wine. Pints of Dos Equis are $2. Info: (480) 994-1799 or lossombreros.com.

• Foodbar (pictured at left), the first eatery to open last summer at Old Town Scottsdale’s SouthBridge complex, has closed for renovations, including the addition of more indoor seating. Look for it to reopen this fall.

• Estate House, the mansion-inspired dinner-house at SouthBridge, is passing around free happy hour appetizers in its upstairs lounge from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Info: (480) 970-4099 or estatehouseaz.com.

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Was Brush Fire Arizona Grill another victim of the Valley’s current economic struggles, or was the restaurant the victim of another jinxed Gilbert location? Either way, Brush Fire has closed its doors after just seven months.

The restaurant, from D’Vine Wine Bar & Bistro owner Mark Nowicki and chef Ramon Rice (pictured below), featured Southwest-flavored meats, such as roast pork shoulder with sweet prickly pear demi glace and rib eye steaks rubbed with black pepper and coffee.

Menu prices likely weren’t a factor. A shredded pork sandwich with beer-battered fries was a reasonable $9. A huge bowl of green chili alfredo pasta with chicken was $13.

Maybe the location had something to do with it. The strip-mall space near the Santan Freeway and Ray Road formerly was occupied by Dual Contemporary Cuisine, another well-regarded restaurant that just couldn’t seem to gain a foothold with southeast Gilbert diners.

If another couple restaurants fail there, the space may start to rival the “jinx” of downtown Gilbert’s recently closed GrainBelt GrillHouse, whose previous incarnations included Mahogany Run, Gonzo’s All-American Grill, Heartthrob Music Café and Rock City Bar & Grill.

• Read my February 2008 review of Brush Fire Arizona Grill

Bar Tepo, the New American restaurant that opened earlier this year at Dana Park in Mesa, has launched some daily lunch specials, including poblano and chicken mac ‘n’ cheese ($7), tempura fish and sweet potato chips ($8) and a cilantro and chile seared chicken quesadilla ($7).

• Read my April 2008 review of Bar Tepo 

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With the price of just about everything spiraling out of control, wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy a delicious lunch for less than $5? When I’m trying to stretch my restaurant budget, I turn to East Valley pizzerias, many of which offer a slice or two for just a few bucks. Some even throw in a drink. Here are five of my go-to spots:

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After a couple months of delays, KiZake Sushi & Martinis finally has opened in downtown Chandler. Chef Hiro Taniguchi’s cozy eatery, decorated in blue and white, features a natural wood sushi bar with 11 seats, a half-dozen four-person tables and a booth.

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Can any restaurant survive at 302 N. Gilbert Road in downtown Gilbert? GrainBelt GrillHouse is the latest to close its doors at the seemingly cursed location.

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As we celebrate the Fourth of July this weekend, it’s the perfect time to recognize America’s culinary heritage. From New England clam chowder to Cajun gumbo to Texas beef brisket, the United States enjoys a gastronomic diversity few countries, if any, can rival. Here are five East Valley restaurants that embody the spirit, and appetite, of America:

Ted’s Hot Dogs
Nothing’s more American, according to tradition, than hot dogs and apple pie. If you’re looking for the former, Ted’s Hot Dogs offers delicious charcoal-broiled jumbo dogs, footlongs and cheese dogs that trace their pedigree back to Buffalo, N.Y., in 1927. Today, the chain has seven locations in western New York and one in Tempe — maybe because Ted’s president Spiro Liaros lives here and oversees it. 1755 E. Broadway Road, Tempe, (480) 968-6678 or tedsonline.com.

Iowa Café
For apple pie, you won’t find any better in the East Valley than those at this east Mesa café, which has been owned by a string of Iowans, including current operator Pam Ohsman, during its 23 years. Pies ($14.99, or $2.59 a slice) also come in 17 other flavors, not including seasonal varieties. Make a meal by starting with one of the café’s breaded pork tenderloins or Maid-Rite loose-meat sandwiches. 5606 E. McKellips Road, Mesa, (480) 985-2022, iowacafe.com.

Pinnacle Peak Patio
The self-proclaimed “original Western steakhouse” has been serving its streamlined menu of mesquite-broiled steaks, ribs and chicken since 1957. Eight separate dining areas can accommodate nearly 2,000 people, and there always seems to be a few who show up in neckties, which end up cut off and displayed on the wall. 10426 E. Jomax Road, Scottsdale, (480) 615-1113 during day, (480) 585-1599 at night, pppatio.com.

Red White & Brew
Dishes ranging from chicken and cheese empanadas to Cajun chicken to coppa stracciatella pay homage to America’s ethnic diversity. The Chandler location celebrates its one-year anniversary Friday by extending its patio an extra 40,000 square feet for live music, family-friendly games and prize giveaways starting at 11 a.m. 6740 E. McDowell Road, Mesa, (480) 807-9393; 4850 S. Gilbert Road, Chandler, (480) 305-6993; rwbaz.com.

Heart Attack Grill
This burger joint has garnered national and international attention for its zealous embrace of America’s unhealthiest eating habits. “Quadruple Bypass” cheeseburgers (made with four half-pound beef patties and 12 strips of bacon), french fries “deep-fried in pure lard” and caffeine-laden Jolt Cola hare hawked by young female servers dressed as sexy nurses. U-S-A! U-S-A! 6185 W. Chandler Boulevard, Chandler, (480) 205-7777, heartattackgrill.com.

With the Valley’s thermostat set to “blast furnace” for the foreseeable future, who wants a heavy, hot meal? Give me a cold sandwich or sub, accompanied by an icy drink, and I can enjoy almost any summer day. Here are five E.V. delis that will help me survive until fall:

Dilly’s Deli
Tempe-based Dilly’s offers more than a dozen delicious sandwiches, including one of my all-time favorites, the “Smokey Mountain” (turkey, bacon, gouda, onions and spicy Russian mustard on foccacia bread, pictured above). During cooler months, you can pair a hefty half-sandwich with cream of potato soup in a homemade bread bowl. 3330 S. Price Road, Tempe, (480) 491-1196; 414 W. University Drive, Tempe, (480) 929-0111; 14202 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, (480) 596-3354; 2895 S. Alma School Road, Chandler, (480) 722-0645; dillysdeli.com.

Chompies
You’d have to eat at this New York-style deli and bakery every day for nearly a year to try everything on its extensive menu. Fifteen types of meats, including liverwurst, cold meatloaf and chopped liver, are served on eight breads, four rolls, 22 bagels or nine bialys. A dozen salads also are available, and you can add a matzo ball to any of nine soups. 1160 E. University Drive, Tempe, (480) 557-0700; 9301 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, (480) 860-0475; Paradise Valley Mall, (602) 710-2910; chompies.com.

Picnic Company
This Mesa-based chain’s menu boasts such state-themed treats as the “Oregon Picnic” (turkey, Swiss, cream cheese and cranberry sauce), the “Minnesota Picnic” (turkey, bacon and hot honey mustard) and the “Arkansas Picnic” (scrambled eggs, ham and dofino cheese). There also are five vegetarian sandwiches and 10 salads. 1415 E. University Drive, Tempe, (480) 731-9887; 1144 W. Washington, Tempe, (480) 636-2395; 7117 E. Third Ave., Scottsdale, (480) 421-9747; 142 W. Main St., Mesa, (480) 649-3537; picnic-company.com.

Jason’s Deli
Even the biggest appetites will be sated by this Texas-based chain’s monster-sized sandwiches, such as its “Reuben the Great,” made with a whopping half-pound of corned beef. Other offerings: paninis, wraps, po’ boys and muffalettas. A salad bar includes pasta and potato salads and gingerbread muffins, and there’s free ice cream for dessert. 1065 E. Baseline Road, Gilbert, (480) 813-1358; 7230 W. Ray Road, Chandler, (480) 705-9266; 10605 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale; jasonsdeli.com.

Lee’s Sandwiches
This fast-growing chain, founded by a Vietnamese family from San Jose, Calif., features two types of sandwiches. You can choose one of the traditional American varieties — such as ham and cheese, turkey or BLT — or try one of Lee’s 16 Asian-style sandwiches, whose fillings include pork roll, jambon, sardines and pate. Wash them down with honey chrysanthemum iced tea, mint milk, Italian soda or one of Lee’s 30-plus smoothies. 1901 W. Warner Road, Chandler, (480) 855-1778, leessandwiches.com.

California-based Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is introducing what it calls “yogurt ice-blended beverages” in three flavors — original, mango and strawberry — to its menu and will offer the drinks free from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. today. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf has stores in Scottsdale, Mesa. Tempe and Chandler. Info: coffeebean.com.

• Sushiya, a new restaurant on the southeast corner of Gilbert and Williams Field roads in Gilbert, celebrates its grand opening from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday by offering 70 percent off all items on its sushi menu. Owner Sung Yoon and wife Jeewon also will give away 10 $40 gift certificates. Info: (480) 786-0588 or thesushiya.com.

• Dos Gringos is hosting a “Christmas in July” toy drive starting at 4 p.m. Thursday at all five of its East Valley cantinas. In exchange for a new, unwrapped toy, guests will get free snacks, drink specials and the opportunity to have their photo taken with Santa Claus. Dos’ Chandler location will bring in a couple tons of snow for snowman-making contests and other activities. The toys go to The Child Crisis Center. Info: dosgringosaz.com.

• Downtown Scottsdale restaurant Fine’s Cellar will host a Wine 101 class from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. July 5. Participants will learn about wine regions, vinters’ methods, vocabulary and trends. Five wines chosen by owner Michael Fine will be paired with food by chef Cullen Campbell. Cost is $30. Reservations: (480) 994-3463 or finescellar.com.

• As part of Joe’s Real BBQ’s 10-year anniversary celebration, the downtown Gilbert restaurant is giving away a 2008 Vespa LX150 scooter. You can enter the raffle every time you dine at Joe’s; the winner will be drawn by owner Joe Johnston at noon July 5. Info: (480) 503-3805 or www.joesrealbbq.com.

• Sprinkles Cupcakes in Scottsdale is offering special Fourth of July cupcakes Friday through July 3. Lemon blueberry, available only once a year, have lemon cake with blueberries topped with lemon cream cheese. Along with Sprinkles’ best-selling red velvet cupcakes, they will come with red and blue stars. Info: sprinklescupcakes.com.

• Two new restaurants opened last week at SanTan Village in Gilbert: Brio Tuscan Grille, an upscale Italian eatery, and Kona Grill, an American grill and sushi bar. Info: brioitalian.com or konagrill.com.

• Contrary to last week’s report, Texas-based Dickey’s Barbecue Pit actually opened this week on Shea Boulvard, just east of Scottsdale Road, in Scottsdale. Info: (480) 368-5569 or dickeys.com.

• A pair of Chandler restaurants on Arizona Avenue just south of the Santan Freeway — Garlic Jim’s Famous Gourmet Pizza and Remington Grill — have closed.

• Dairy Queen introduces a Girls Scouts Thin Mint Cookie Blizzard on July 1. Made with Thin Mints and crème de menthe topping, it’ll be the chain’s blizzard of the month for July. Info: dq.com.

If just-opened Brio Tuscan Grille is any indication, Gilbert residents must love rustic Italian cuisine. The spacious SanTan Village restaurant, the first in Arizona from the Ohio-based chain, is completely packed on my weeknight visit.

And loud. The voices of 200 diners, the Italian music playing over the speakers, the banging of pots in the open kitchen, the crash of dropped plates — all form a cacophony that bounces off the hardwood floors, marble counters and plaster walls.

If ears are nearly overwhelmed, so, too, are eyes. The 7,200-square-foot restaurant looks as much like a Tuscan villa as any shopping mall eatery could be expected to.

White, square pillars support several large arches, and six sets of French doors reveal a long sidewalk patio. Dramatic light fixtures, five feet in diameter, hang from the high ceiling, which also is draped with white fabric.

The dining room accommodates a curious mixture of seating. Rows of four-person tables, elegantly draped with white tablecloths, are interchanged with rows of booths with uncovered wood tables.

All are attended by a small army of ever-present servers — young men and women wearing black pants, white dress shirts and ties — undoubtedly bolstered by a corporate contingent for the opening.

Brio’s menu offers a fairly extensive selection of steaks, chops and pasta dishes.

We start with a bruschetta sampler ($13.95, pictured above), which ranges from good (sliced steak with gorgonzola) to OK (shrimp with lobster sherry sauce and Fontina) to plain (roasted red pepper and mozzarella) to AWOL (no tomatoes are available for the caprese).

Gorgonzola dresses up four otherwise mundane lamb chops ($13.95), which also benefit from a bed of sauteed spinach soaked in a flavorful red wine veal sauce.

Among entrees, shrimp and lobster garganelli pasta ($19.95, shown at left) is delicious. The tube-shaped egg pasta is perfectly cooked and tossed with mushrooms, onions and a slightly spicy lobster butter sauce.

Lasagna bolognese ($15.95), unfortunately, isn’t nearly as good. The meat is bland, and so is the red sauce. The lasagna, which our server warns has just come out of the oven, is hot in the middle but only room temperature on the edges.

Two jumbo crab cakes with creamy horseradish ($21.95) are nicely fried with nary a hint of greasiness. But roasted vegetables on the side are nearly cold.

The same temperature-challenged veggies accompany what’s called a proscuitto-and-Fontina-stuffed chicken breast ($18.50). The proscuitto and cheese actually are more like toppings on the gummy poultry; it’s all covered with a overly salty brown sauce.

Micro desserts ($2.25) are served in espresso cups. A five-cup sampler ($10.50, pictured at right) includes panna cotta, creme brulee, cheesecake, chocolate caramel cake and tiramisu. None really wow me, but all are enjoyable and the concept is appealing.

Brio Tuscan Grille
Where: 2150 E. Williams Field Road, Gilbert (SanTan Village shopping center).
Open: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Prices: Appetizers $7.95-$13.95, salads $4.95-$14.95, sandwiches $9.50-$12.25, pasta $10.95-$19.50, entrees $10.25-$21.50, desserts $2.25-$7.50.
Info: (480) 917-9177 or brioitalian.com.

First Taste reviews are based on initial visits to new East Valley restaurants. Full reviews are written after multiple visits, usually over a period of several weeks, after the restaurant has been open at least a couple months.

SanTan Village welcomes a pair of new restaurants to the Gilbert shopping center this week.

Brio Tuscan Grille, which offers upscale Italian cuisine, opened Wednesday. It’s the first Arizona location for the Ohio-based chain. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Info: (480) 917-9177 or brioitalian.com.

Kona Grill, an American grill and sushi bar, opened today. It’s the chain’s third Arizona location. Info: konagrill.com.

Is it a good idea for any restaurant to offer more than 70 different dishes?

That’s what I’m asking myself after several visits to Vito & Nick’s II, a promising six-month-old Italian restaurant on the southeast corner of Queen Creek and Higley roads in Gilbert.

The only Arizona franchise of a longtime Chicago-area favorite, Vito & Nick’s menu boasts a whopping 17 appetizers. Sixteen pasta dishes. Eighteen sandwiches and burgers. Thirteen entrees.

Not to mention what it proclaims “the best pizza anywhere.”

I can’t imagine any restaurant could do so many different dishes well, but Vito & Nick’s makes a valiant attempt and, in many instances, succeeds.

Pizzas (12-inchers start at $13.50) are Chicago thin-crust style. The light crust is slightly crunchy on the bottom but soft on top. The reddish-orange sauce has lots of spices and herbs, and it’s covered with a nice layer of mozzarella. The tasty pies are cut into 2-inch squares.

If I lived anywhere near Vito & Nick’s, I’d eat this pizza every week. Hot and mild giardiniera, Windy City condiment staples, are two of 14 toppings to chose from.

I also love the soups — such as a hearty baked potato or garlic-infused tomato basil — which change daily and are included with entrees and pasta dishes, along with a nice salad.

Fettucine alfredo with lots of small shrimp ($16.45) is a highlight among the pastas. With a more robust red sauce, the chicken parmesan ($15.95, pictured at right) would join it.

Shrimp and ribs ($16.95, pictured below) are another winner. The super-tender ribs, covered with a thick and tangy sauce, would stack up favorably against any barbecue joint’s.

But there also are dishes that miss the mark.

Despite nice flavors, a bowl of chicken and mushroom ravioli ($15.50) is gummy and barely lukewarm. Italian sausage with peppers ($11.95) arrives overcooked and dry. A cold Italian sub ($8.25) is spartan-like — just meat and cheese, with a little lettuce on the side.

Service, for the most part, is friendly and attentive. But it’s also, at times, uninspired and clumsy.

On one visit, a server flails with several questions before admitting she hasn’t tried a single thing on the menu (and, no, it’s not her first day). On another visit, a server spills shrimp on me as he’s serving entrees; as he’s clearing, he drops a marinara-covered fork in my lap.

Not that Vito & Nick’s is formal dining. The gold-sponged walls, wrought-iron chandelier and stone tile floors have a certain Old World charm, but two TVs at the small bar are showing baseball games and every Thursday is “Biker Night” on the patio.

Much like its menu, I guess, Vito & Nick’s offers something for almost everyone.

Vito & Nick’s II
Where: 3321 E. Queen Creek Road, Gilbert (southeast corner of Queen Creek and Higley roads).
Open: 11 a.m. to close (at least 9 p.m.) daily
Prices: Appetizers $2.25-$12.95, pastas $10.25-$15.75, entrees $11.95-$18,95, pizzas $10.50-$17.50, sandwiches $8.25-$10.25, desserts $1.95-$4.25.
Info: (480) 279-4482 or vitoandnicksii.com.

When I heard Jeff Flancer (pictured below) was opening a second location of his funky little Gilbert café, Flancer’s, in east Mesa, I was excited.

Would the new location, which just opened on the southwest corner of McKellips and Higley roads, be bigger and thus easier to get into during peak hours? Would the menu offer the same great sandwiches and pizzas?

So, even though I reviewed the Gilbert location just a year ago, three friends and I feel compelled to jump on the Loop 202 to check out the new digs. We’re disappointed, but not surprised, to find a dozen people waiting to be seated at 1:15 p.m. on a Friday.

The Mesa strip-mall location indeed is more spacious and more comfortable than the Gilbert original with 12 large booths and seven four-person tables. But there are no two-person tables, so pairs and solo diners take up valuable real estate when the line stretches out the door.

Pistachio-colored walls are covered with dozens of posters for ‘60s and ‘70s rockers, many of whom can be heard over the house sound system. Green-glass light fixtures hang above highly polished, dark wood tables featuring the silhouette of Flancer’s signature goat.

A quick glance confirms the menu, now in full color, is same as the Gilbert location’s.

Flancer’s famous green chili turkey sandwich, voted the best sandwich in the East Valley by Get Out readers a couple years ago, has a new name: the Chile Verde Birdie ($7, pictured above). Loaded with turkey (straight off the bone), provolone and green-chili mayo on a soft hoagie roll, it’s as good as ever.

A ham sandwich with red peppers and basil, now called the I Ham, I Cry ($6.75), also is enjoyable, although it’s a little light on peppers. A bowl of basil pesto pasta ($12.50) has well-cooked fettucine in a subtle garlic cream sauce.

Another favorite, the Roadhouse Pizza ($15.75 for small, pictured at left), easily exceeds the 12-inch diameter listed on the menu. Topped with pepperoni, sausage, ham, green peppers and onions, it reminds me how much my mouth watered while I covered Flancer’s annual pizza-eating contest in April.

Like at the Gilbert location, service is fast and friendly despite the crowd. Our pizza arrives a few minutes after our other three entrees, but a manager notices and comes over to apologize.

Flancer’s prices, not exactly cheap to begin with, have increased a little since my last review. (The turkey sandwich is 50 cents more, and the pizza costs an additional $1.25.)

Still, Flancer’s remains, if necessary, well worth a wait.

Flancer’s
Where: 1902 N. Higley Road, Mesa (southwest corner of Higley and McKellips Road). Other location in Gilbert.
Open: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Prices: Appetizers $4.50-$8.50, salads $3.75-$12.50, sandwiches $6.75-$10.25, pizza $11.25-$24, pasta $10-$14, desserts $1.50-$5.50.
Info: (480) 396-0077 or flancers.com.

First Taste reviews are based on initial visits to new East Valley restaurants. Full reviews are written after multiple visits, usually over a period of several weeks, after the restaurant has been open at least a couple months.

When it comes to restaurants, my father isn’t too picky. Basically, he’ll go anywhere — as long as there are steaks and other grilled meats on the menu. And, of course, a beer to wash them down.

If your dad’s anything like mine, here are five East Valley places he’s sure to enjoy, whether it’s this Sunday or any Sunday:

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It’s Friday happy hour, and recently opened Blue Wasabi Sushi & Martini Bar in Gilbert is packed. Alex Ortiz is lucky. He and his wife, Leslie, manage to find seats at the bar, where they order one of the stylish SanTan Village restaurant’s signature sushi rolls.

“I’ve had sushi all my life,” says the 45-year-old aerospace products sales manager, who moved to Mesa three years ago. “It’s not real heavy and you don’t get bloated. It’s better-tasting food. We usually go to Ra at Dana Park, but some friends told us about this place last night and we had to check it out.”

For people like Ortiz, who eats sushi once or twice a week, these are boom times in the East Valley. A little more than a decade ago you could count the number of sushi restaurants on one hand. Today, there are more than 100, and new ones are opening every month.

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