Hi JerryFF - You will enjoy the Tapatio Cliffs Hilton, their pool area is especially nice. Be aware it will still be really HOT while you are in Phoenix, so pack cool clothing accordingly. We are familiar with several of the restaurants you’re enquiring about.

Are you going to have a car? The Tapatio location is quite a long taxi ride from the restaurants you’re asking about. A rental car really is necessary to enjoy the sights around Phoenix, but I do NOT recommend renting a car at the Phoenix airport due to extortionate taxes on rentals there (being used to fund various city projects). Check to see if transportation is provided to your hotel. If so, rent a car from the Avis office at 3rd St. and Bell (run by a friend of mine, Vince) or from a nearby Enterprise rental office at about 12th. St. and Bell. Be sure to reserve well in advance for the holiday weekend.

The Phoenician resort is about 30 minutes drive from the Hilton where you’re staying. I was there a couple of days ago and the chef mentioned that Mary Elaine’s is closed right now. It’s their premier restaurant. Other excellent restaurants at the resort include The Terraces (great Sunday buffet), and Windows on the Green (southwestern fusion cuisine, restaurant itself in a separate building right on the golf course). There is a lot of information on the resort and restaurants at the Phoenician website. You would want reservations for any meal there, even during the current “low” season.

A little closer to you (at the northeast corner of 24th St. and Camelback Rd.) is an upscale shopping mall, Biltmore Fashion Park (Macy’s, Saks, Arden Red Door Salon, Cartier, Neiman Marcus Gallery, etc). Warning, this center is outdoors, not an enclosed mall. At the eastern end of the center are a number of very good restaurants, kind of a restaurant row. These include Roxsand’s, Steamers, Sam’s Cafe, and others. We really liike Roxsand’s. Another great restaurant (our favorite in town) is just west of the center, Eddie Matney’s. It’s on the west side of 24th St., just north of Camelback, with valet parking.

Another favorite resort of ours is the Princess, located in North Scottsdale. Any of their restaurants are very good. I’m not familiar with some of the places you mention: Victor’s, Terra Cotta. One other sleeper for your trip is a little “neighborhood” strip center just a few blocks from your hotel. On the southwest corner of 7th Street and Thunderbird (just 1/2 mile north of your hotel entrance) you will find “A.J.’s” a gourmet grocery store with excellent deli, coffee bar, wines, etc. A couple of doors south of the grocery store is a little tea room (open for lunch and afternoon tea) and gift shop, “Gooseberries,” and two doors further down another of our favorite restaurants, “Saluté,” a fairly upscale Italian place.

Hope this Phoenix-resident perspective helps your planning. Feel free to e-mail me directly if you have other questions. I’ll be out of town August 7-15 and NOT on e-mail during that time.