Hot Pocket

Move over Midtown and get outta the way Old Town, the Valley’s hottest destination is North Central Phoenix

After feeling cooped up by the wet weekend, we decided to take a field trip yesterday to check out one of the Valley’s sneaky-cool hot spots. Located just south of the 51 Freeway, the intersection of 16th St. and Bethany Home is suddenly tres-chic thanks to an eclectic collection of BBQ joints, healthful diners and day drinkin’ lounges. First stop was The Vig, a new spinoff of the popular Arcadia tavern (pictured) that’s scheduled to open later this month. Housed inside a former bank designed by famed local Modernist, Ralph Haver, this handsome space looks like a carbon copy of the original, but since when is that a bad thing?

Of course, that’s just scratching the surface of this hip hood, which is also home to Dick’s Hideaway and the soon-to-reopen Richardson’s. Not to mention Luci’s Healthy Marketplace, classic Chicago-style BBQ, an old school Chinese palace replete with giant gongs and an even older-school butcher shop. And that’s just one corner. Other nearby favorites include the underrated gem, Phoenix City Grille and the country-fried classic that is TEXAZ Grill, still going strong some 700,000 chicken-fried-steaks later.