Restaurants in South Valley

At Chef's Bistro, the full menu is available open to close. Shatter the rules of breakfast with applewood-smoked bacon cheddar burgers ($7.95). Redefine the rigidly narrow confinement of brunch with steak and eggs ($9.25), huevos rancheros ($6.95), or sausage gravy on home-style biscuits ($5.75). The truly insane can tempt fate by ordering a caffeinated cup of coffee ($1.50) to go with their lunch even if they're already awake.

Outside of swimming laps in chocolate syrup, smoothies at Smoothie King are the tastiest way to improve your health. Smoothie King smoothies combine fresh fruit, natural juices, and special nutritional enhancers into more than 90 flavors (you can customize, add, and subtract the extras), all of which focus on achieving one of seven nutritional goals. Try an antioxidant-rich Pomegranate Punch with pomegranate, bananas, blueberries, apple juice, soy protein, and Turbinado sweetener to stay healthy. Weight-conscious en-smuthiasts can trim down and float away with the Celestial Cherry High, packed with bananas, black cherry, papaya, Turbinado, and honey, and unpacked with fat. You can also customize any smoothie by adding enhancers or “make it skinny” by cutting out the honey and Turbinado.

The restaurant row eatery serves up a healthy menu of treats made with fresh ingredients and low-fat meats and cheeses. Fuel a day of watching horse ballet with breakfast items such as an order of Grandpa’s papas ($4.95), fresh hash browns or potatoes smothered with red or green chili and cheese, or pigs in a blanket ($4.75), three sausage links rolled up in a pancake. The lunch menu boasts garden-fresh salads, soups, and loaded baked potatoes, plus a wide variety of wrap sandwiches and subs. Herbivores can satisfy hand-held lunch cravings with a guiltless wrap ($6.99), loaded with avocado, low-fat mozzarella, and veggies and drizzled with ranch dressing, while Polish literary scholars who happen to also like corned beef will enjoy the sauerkraut- and swiss-stuffed corned beef reuben ($7.69). For the vitamin D deficient, the jalapeno-covered fiesta burger ($5.99) will boost the body’s level of the vitamin, as will the heart-healthy Sorry Charlie ($6.99), a house-made, fat-free tuna-salad sandwich served on your choice of bread. Potato-hungry palates can be pleased with the enchilada spud ($4.99), a red-chili-, onion-, and cheese-covered baked potato, and mini mouths can keep entertained with Jack’s kids' menu ($2.49 and up).

Check out the multifarious menu at Basil Leaf and start off a meal with a hot cup of café sua da Vietnamese iced coffee ($2.75) and an appetizer of six bo la lot beef rolls ($4.95). After appeasing your appetite, grind it into delicious dust with the spicy lemongrass chicken ($7.95) with jasmine rice, or a mess of stir-fried noodles such as the mi xao mem ($7.50), available with chicken, pork, or shrimp. Beef up any order with a side of two pork sausages ($1.75) or one jumbo grilled shrimp ($2.50). For anti-beef orders, guests can opt for a vegetarian selection such as the com cari xanh dau hu ($7.25), with spicy green curry tofu served on a bountiful bed of jasmine rice. A children's menu is also available for kids age 12 and under, allowing them to take a break from their lengthy dissertations on the Balian-Low Theorem and enjoy Vietnamese fare such as beef noodle soup topped with meatballs ($3.95).

Rasoi's menu showcases a range of regional Indian recipes parked upon tables by a friendly, attentive staff. Rasoi fosters an authentic dining experience by encouraging diners to eat with their hands (cutlery is also provided), allowing guests to guiltlessly swipe up stray sauce droplets with a round of buttered paratha (fried whole-wheat bread, $3.25) or brandish naan in front of a surly book of etiquette ($2.15). Or feel free to partake in a traditional three- or four-course jaw jaunt with a shuruat (starter) of paneer pakora, deep-fried slices of homemade cheese stuffed with mint and spices ($5.45), vegetarian sabzi samose ($3.25), and a steaming cup of dal shorba (yellow lentil soup, $3.25). Spiced-up palates with faulty internal sprinklers can cool down with raita, such as the soothing house-made yogurt ($3.25), or mutter pulao, saffron-perfumed rice with green peas and onions ($5.45), or watch videos of polar bears chewing ice cubes.

Named Best New Restaurant in 2010 by Alibi, CoolWater puts a spin on traditional recipes with a menu full of creative flavors and plating techniques, leading to upscale American-inspired dishes nuanced by French and Italian flavors. Alibi recommends CoolWater's "scrumptious" boneless short ribs, which braise their protein with a mix of red wine, chilis, and plums, and Albuquerque Magazine touts the well-blended flavors of the rainbow trout. Lunches star five sandwich plates and London-style fish 'n' chips, a tilapia battered in the English tabloids but comforted by red-cabbage coleslaw and house-made potato chips.

Seated in cozy booths that are softly lit by dangling light fixtures, patrons can enjoy occasional live music or hone their x-ray vision by staring intently at the brightly colored walls.