Last month, Michel Wall of Chandler won Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill’s annual Chile Fest dessert contest.

Since then, a couple readers have been looking for the recipe of Wall’s chipotle chocolate torte topped with peaches, raspberries and cinnamon vanilla whipped cream.

The dessert is on Z’Tejas’ menu through Sept. 21 at all four Valley locations. A dollar from every sale benefits the Foundation for Blind Children. Info: ztejas.com.

• Previous: Chandler woman wins Z’Tejas chile dessert contest (Aug. 24, 2008)

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I can’t tell whether Don Carson is a restaurateur who loves sports, or a sports fan who loves food. His 27-year-old Scottsdale landmark, Don & Charlie’s, is equal parts old-school chophouse and sports memorabilia museum.

From outside, the low-slung, stand-alone building Carson’s father purchased a half-century ago looks a little like ‘60s motor lodge. But step inside and you feel like you’re in Cooperstown or Canton.

Glass cases of autographed baseballs — more than 800 in all — line both walls of the entryway (pictured below). In the spacious dining room, photos and magazine covers, many signed, completely cover the walls and continue across parts of the ceiling.

In the lounge hang dozens of autographed NFL and NBA jerseys, from Michael Jordan’s to Joe Montana’s. There’s even a golf bag signed by all the players from the 1995 Phoenix Open.

• View a slideshow of Don & Charlie’s
• Check out Don & Charlie’s menu (pdf)
• Previous: Don & Charlie’s launches burger bar (Aug. 1, 2008)

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It seems like a sushi restaurant opens every other week in the East Valley, but this one’s a little more noteworthy than most: Sushi Roku, a trendy Hollywood import, opens Friday at the new W Scottsdale Hotel on Camelback Road just east of Scottsdale Road.

Besides sushi ($4-$10 for two pieces), sashimi ($8-$20 for four pieces) and rolls ($6-$19), the menu features hot and cold appetizers, including a Japanese Kobe beef and mushroom toban yaki for a wallet-denting $42.

Roasted lobster, prawns and Hokkaido scallops ($42) are among a half-dozen dinner entrees, which include non-seafood offerings like filet mignon ($33) or prime rib-eye steak ($36).

A multi-course tasting menu, known as “omakase,” is $80.

Executive chef Tim Fields, formerly of The Boulders Resort, heads the kitchen.

• Check out Sushi Roku’s menu (pdf)
• Previous: East Valley becoming mecca for sushi (May 21, 2008)
• Previous: Scottsdale’s high-profile dining scene is booming (March 19, 2008)

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Gio Osso has replaced Ron Dimas (pictured) as executive chef at Estate House, developer Fred Unger’s mansion-styled dinnerhouse at Scottsdale’s SouthBridge.

Look for Osso to shift Estate House’s “French wine-country cuisine” to contemporary American dishes.

Osso had taken over German Saga at Luc’s in north Scottsdale in May, but was replaced by Stephen Smith in mid-August.

Info: (480) 970-4099 or estatehouseaz.com.

• Previous: Estate House opens in Scottsdale (Feb. 14, 2008)
• Previous: Estate House cuisine lives up to impressive decor (March 18, 2008)

Many Americans, struggling with the double whammy of high prices and job worries, are skipping their usual Labor Day trips, according to the American Automobile Association.

But just because you’re not leaving town doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a few hours of “vacation.” Here are seven East Valley restaurants that will take you on a culinary trip — and have you back home by bed time:

Bavarian Point: Zwiebelrostbraten (a beef filet with deep-fried onions) and huhnerbrust punijab (boneless chicken in a curry sauce) are among the authentic German offerings at this strip-mall restaurant, whose  pub serves up Bavarian beers like Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse and Spaten lager. 4815 E. Main St., Mesa, (480) 830-0999.

D’Arcy McGee’s: Irish and English specialities — such as Irish breakfast, Yorkshire pudding, leek and salmon pie and steak and mushroom boxty — abound at this Tempe Marketplace eatery (pictured at left). Beers on tap include Harp, Strongbow, Smithwick’s, Kilkenny, Erdinger and Hoegaarden. 2000 E. Rio Salado Parkway, (480) 557-9087, primepubs.com.

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Humble Pie, the cozy pizzeria and wine bar that’s been drawing crowds since opening in January at Scottsdale’s Hilton Village, is adding a second location.

Owner Tom Kaufman has taken over the former Bravo Pizzeria at Desert Ridge and hopes to transform the space into another Humble Pie by the holidays.

Info: (480) 556-9900 or humblepieusa.com.

If you go to Olive & Ivy, skip the appetizers.

Sam Fox, the Scottsdale entrepeneur who’s launched a dozen successful Fox Restaurant Concepts, no doubt would wince to hear my advice about his stylish eye-candy emporium nestled between Scottsdale Fashion Square and the Arizona Canal.

Not that there’s anything wrong with its California-meets-Mediterranean starters. But trust me: You’ll want more than one slice of Olive & Ivy’s hearty bread. Fresh from the oven and sliced thick, it comes with pesto-infused olive oil and, best of all, it’s free.

On my first visit, I don’t discover how tasty the bread is until after I order an appetizer. I don’t make that “mistake” on subsequent visits. The only challenge is not to spoil the rest of my meal, because most of the entrees I sample at Olive & Ivy are just as impressive.

Take the braised short rib ($27, pictured below), a flavorful and impossibly tender square of beef resting on a creamy bed of mascarpone polenta. The following day, I still can’t get it out of my mind.

• See a slideshow of more Olive & Ivy photos

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Ra Sushi’s happy hour not only is getting longer, it’s spilling over into the weekend.

Starting this week, the Scottsdale-based chain will offer a lower-priced happy hour menu from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Previously, its happy hour was 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays.

Sushi and appetizers will be half-off the regular menu prices. Drinks specials will range from $1 to $5.

“Our new happy hour is just one way to give back to our customers during a tough economy,” Ra Sushi co-founder Scott Kilpatrick says. “We’re bucking the trend of raising prices at a time when costs seem to be spiking everywhere else.”

Ra had 21 locations nationwide, including restaurants in Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa and Ahwatukee.

• Check out Ra Sushi’s new happy hour menu (pdf)

I hope you took my advice last month to visit La Hacienda at the Fairmont Scottsdale resort while you still could. The gourmet Mexican restaurant closed its doors today.

The closing of La Hacienda, one of only two Mexican eateries in North America to earn four diamonds from the American Automobile Association (AAA), was not altogether unexpected. It was scheduled to close in April, then granted a temporary reprieve through the end of the year.

There’s been no announcement from the resort about today’s abrupt closing, but it’s long been rumored the fine-dining La Hacienda is going to be replaced by a trendier Mexican restaurant called Mexx Kitchen. Among those reportedly involved in the new place: Hollywood nightlife gurus Rande Gerber (the husband of former supermodel Cindy Crawford) and brother Scott Gerber and celebrity chef Richard Sandoval.

Last year, the resort closed its other fine-dining restaurant, Marquesa, and replaced it with Bourbon Steak, a trendy steakhouse by celebrity chef Michael Mina. It opened in February.

• Read my July 2008 review of La Hacienda

Fusion fans are going to have to wait a little longer for their Daily Dose.

JenLyn Long, who runs Fusion with her chef-husband Matt, says their new Scottsdale restaurant won’t be ready for a planned September opening. Instead, look for it to open mid-October at Scottsdale Road and First Avenue.

One Long “project” that has come in on schedule, though, is the couple’s first child, Ryland Joseph, who arrived three weeks ago. JenLyn was proudly showing him off today at Fusion, joking he was ready to go to work at the family business.

The Longs also are happy the W Scottsdale Hotel across the street from Fusion is scheduled to open — finally! — on Sept. 5. For the past couple years, the one-way street in front of the restaurant has been an obstacle course of barricades, dumpsters and, most recently, a giant crane.

When asked how her husband was going to split his time this fall between Fusion, located near Camelback and Scottsdale roads, and Daily Dose, JenLyn says, “Oh, that’s easy. We’re having him cloned!”

• Read my original post on Daily Dose
• Read my January 2008 review of Fusion
• See how Fusion’s Gladiator burger ranks among E.V.’s spiciest burgers

Sushi fans, get ready. Hip Hollywood import Sushi Roku is opening Sept. 5 at the new boutique W Scottsdale Hotel. It’ll be the chain’s fifth location; three are in Los Angeles and another in Las Vegas (pictured).

Known as much for its Hollywood clientele (Harrison Ford, Drew Barrymore, Claire Danes) and investors (Ryan Seacrest, Tori Spelling) as its sleek stone-and-teak decor, Sushi Roku serves California sushi and contemporary Asian cuisine. (See menu pdf)

The 6,000-square-foot restaurant, located off the hotel’s main entrance, seats 140 inside and 60 outside. The average check, according to the restaurant, is $50.

Sushi Roku, 7277 E. Scottsdale Road, will be open 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily for breakfast and lunch and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday for dinner. Info: (480) 970-2121 or sushiroku.com.

Fresh From the Farm, the eight-month-old restaurant at Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek, is planning to open a wine and beer bar in August. The restaurant (pictured at right) had gone on summer hiatus for two weeks, but is back open for breakfast and lunch Wednesdays through Sundays and dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. Info: (480) 987-8398 or schnepffarms.com.

• Picazzo’s Gourmet Pizza & Salads has added a full bar and lounge, additional seating and a bigger patio to its Tempe location on the northeast corner of Kyrene and Warner roads. It’s celebrating with daily specials, such as half-price appetizers and bottles of wine, through Saturday. The deals are available after 4 p.m. and only at the Tempe location. Info: (480) 831-5823 or www.picazzos.com.

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Randy Schoch is somewhat of an expert on chain restaurants. Over the past two decades, he’s owned five Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses, three Roy’s and a Romano’s Macaroni Grill.

So when the Valley restaurateur decided to create his own casual Asian restaurant, is it any surprise it would take pages from two of the Valley’s most successful Valley-based chains?

The result is Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar & Grill, which opened in January on Shea Boulevard east of the Loop 101.

It’s hard not to compare its Asian-inspired menu to that of Pei Wei, the fast-casual spinoff of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. The two aren’t exactly the same, but there’s a lot of similarity in their rice, noodle and speciality dishes.

And Ling & Louie’s playful attitude — right down to the servers’ T-shirts with corny slogans like “Rice to Meet You” — will remind a lot of people of Oregano’s, if somewhat more strained in its attempted humor.

The combination apparently works, at least for the mostly neighborhood crowd that fills Ling & Louie’s during the lunch and dinner hours, enjoying sumo-sized Kirin beers ($5.25) or two-person Frozen Thai Mais ($9.99)

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“Oxtail, huh?” one of my lunch companions says as he suspiciously eyes a small piece of the bony meat I’ve offered to share. “Uh, no thanks. I think I’ll stick with what I ordered.”

It’s his loss. The beef medallions (pictured at right), braised to draw maximum flavor from the bone and marrow, are delicious.

Then again, I suspect many East Valley diners are unaware of the remarkable diversity of Caribbean food, which counts French, African and Indian among its many influences.

It’s not entirely their fault. There isn’t exactly an abundance of Caribbean restaurants in the East Valley.

Fortunately, Damian Muir (pictured below) has increased that small number by one. The Jamaican-born chef and his wife, Elisa, recently opened their first restaurant, Caribbean Fusion, in the former Scottsdale Road strip-mall space vacated earlier this year by Twisted.

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Goodbye, Taneko Japanese Tavern. Hello, Blanco Tacos + Tequila.

Scottsdale-based P.F. Chang’s closed its 20-month-old Japanese off-shoot at Scottsdale’s upscale Borgata shopping center Sunday. The building has been taken over by Scottsdale restaurateur Sam Fox, who will open the Valley’s first Blanco on Nov. 3.

Blanco, one of 11 restaurant concepts operated by Fox, offers modern Mexican food in a casual-chic atmosphere. Look for items like chipotle shrimp tacos ($13), green chile pork enchiladas ($14) and chicken mole ($15). Six Mexican beers and 28 kinds of tequila are served.

Tucson already has a Blanco (pictured above), but the Scottsdale location will have an expanded menu. Taneko’s former space also will be renovated to accommodate a larger patio.

According to Taneko’s website, outstanding Taneko gift cards can be redeemed at any P.F. Chang’s China Bistro or Pei Wei Asian Diner.

• Read my October 2007 review of Taneko Japanese Tavern
• Check out the menu for Tucson’s Blanco Tacos + Tequila
• Read more about Blanco Tacos + Tequila on Fox’s website

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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With the first six months of 2008 in the books, it’s time for a mid-year look at the best restaurants that have opened in the East Valley. Despite our economic doldrums, it’s been a banner year. Here, no particular order, are the 10 new restaurants that have most impressed me, taking into consideration their respective categories and niches:

Humble Pie: This cozy pizzeria and wine bar (pictured above) at Hilton Village makes delicious 11-inch, wood-fired pizzas topped with locally produced meats and farm-fresh vegetables, complemented by wines and beers selected by co-owner Tom Kaufman (Rancho Pinot Grill). 6149 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, (480) 556-9900, humblepieusa.com.

Digestif: Restaurateur Peter Kasperski (Cowboy Ciao, Sea Saw, Kazimierz World Wine Bar) adds another jewel to his empire with this SouthBridge eatery, which sets chef Payton Curry’s rustic “Cal-Ital” menu to an indie music vibe. 7114 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale, (480) 425-9463, digestifscottsdale.com.

Bar Tepo: This stylish yet casual New American eatery from Valley restaurateur Steve Short (Basis, Atlasta Catering) offers unusual treats, such as roasted artichoke and Boursin cheese puffs with a bacon fondue or brown suger Hoisin chicken tacos with mango salsa. 1652 S. Val Vista Drive, Mesa, (480) 633-0155, bartepo.com.

Fine’s Cellar: Michael Fine, founder of Sportsman’s Fine Wines & Spirits, started with a great wine list — also available in the barrel-vaulted restaurant’s retail shop — then tasked chef Cullen Campbell to create an all-day menu of gourmet sandwiches and entrees to match it. 7051 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale, (480) 994-3463, finescellar.com.

Cork: Robert and Danielle Morris’ ambitious small-plates restaurant and wine bar in Ocotillo offers delicious nibbles of everything from lobster to pheasant to antelope to ostrich. Traditional-sized dishes are served for lunch and Sunday brunch. 4991 S. Alma School Road, Chandler, (480) 883-3773, corkrestaurant.net.

Roka Akor: Trendy London restaurant Roka chose Scottsdale for its first North American spinoff, where marinated meats, seafood and vegetables are cooked over oak charcoal on a large robata grill. Sushi and Japanese kitchen dishes also are available. 7299 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, (480) 306-8800, rokarestaurant.com.

Latitude Eight: Novice restaurateur David Fliger’s simple yet modern Thai grill is the latest gem in restaurant-rich downtown Chandler. The family-run eatery — Fliger’s mother oversees the kitchen — boasts a wonderful five-course tasting menu for a mere $13. 11 W. Boston St., Chandler, (480) 722-0560, latitude-eight.com.

Eddie’s House: Chef Eddie Matney’s first public foray into the East Valley presents his eclectic versions of American comfort foods in a comfortable, casual atmosphere. Look for Matney bantering with guests and handing out samples nightly at the chef’s counter. 7042 E. Indian School Road, Scottsdale, (480) 946-1622, eddieshouseaz.com.

Bourbon Steak: Taking over the former space of the Fairmont Scottsdale resort’s well-regarded Marquesa, celebrity chef Michael Mina brings the American steakhouse into the 21st century with three tiers of beef, topped by a $175 Japanese “A5” Kobe New York strip. 7575 E. Princess Drive, Scottsdale, (480) 513-6002, michaelmina.net.

Culver’s: Yes, it’s a fast-food restaurnt. But this Wisconsin-based chain’s famous ButterBurgers — the buns are buttered, then toasted — are the epitome of fast-food burgers. Delightful frozen custard desserts cap off this guilty pleasure. 1909 S. Country Club Drive, Mesa, (480) 733-5330, culvers.com.

Related links:
• View this story as a slideshow with photos of all 10 restaurants
• Review my top East Valley restaurants of 2007