First Impressions

Floridema’s has a bit of an identity crisis.  The sign outside still says Floridino’s, but the menus, obviously well worn, say the new name. Was it a difficult business transition?

The restaurant offers patio dining, and inside a few tables and booths with stiff seating.  The interior lighting is dim, except for the light of a TV at the bar area, and the walls are covered in some old Italian-style posters.  The effect is very “local Italian place.”

(more…)

By the look of it, this place was just a hole-in-the-wall pizzeria. Once we got in, it had a home-like feel to it.   When it came time to order our food, the lunch specials were passed out and the prices were very surprisingly low. This could only mean two things in my mind; either the portions were small or the food was pretty crappy. I ordered the calzone filled with pepperonis. When the food finally came, both of my expectations were wrong. The meals had large portions and were delicious. Good call Jack. The only issue was its visibility and location. Hidden in the back of Gilbert and Guadalupe, it was hardly visible from the road.

Florindino’s Italian Restaurant is located in a shopping center on the northeast corner of Gilbert and Guadalupe in Gilbert, AZ. If you are looking for good Italian food at a good price this is the place to go. They have a 5.99 lunch special that is awesome. I went with the ziti with meat sauce, and it came with a salad, bread sticks, and a drink with refills. The portions were large and I only finished about half the ziti.

The service was good and they kept our drinks full. The food came out in about 15 minutes which is pretty good considering there was 11 of us in the party. The establishment isn’t exactly the most fancy place in town, so if you are looking for a fancy Italian restaurant this may not be the place. Floridino’s is a restaurant that has good food, large portions at a great price. Try it out!

With Jack’s suggestion we decided to go to FloriDema’s. It’s a small corner Italian restaurant/pizzeria located in Gilbert. They offer good lunch specials and decent proportions. Everyone ordered either pasta dishes, pizza, or calzones. I had the meatball parmesan sandwich. It was served with a side of pasta salad and  was hot right out of the oven. The meatballs and sauce tasted original and not fresh out of the can. From what I could tell everyone seemed to enjoy their dishes. They offer indoor and outdoor seating and had good service. Our waitress was very nice and kept an eye on our drinks. Considering there were over ten of us eating, the food came out relatively fast and no mistakes were made on any one’s orders.

If your looking for good Italian food in the Gilbert area, I would definitely recommend trying them out. Besides the lunch specials, they seemed to have a full menu of Italian favorites. They had a short wine list and also offered desserts. The interior and exterior of the restaurant was nothing special. Just a simple, traditional family owned restaurant with good food.

FloriDema’s (FloriDino’s) is a small italian bistro in Gilbert. Entering through its small patio area, the restaurant itself is nearly picturesque of a stereotypical italian bistro. Seating is mostly tables with red and white cross-hatch table cloths and medium-small wooden chairs with several booths throughout.

The menu contains pastas, pizzas, and more. I ordered the chicken parmigiana that comes with breadsticks and a side of your choice of spaghetti or ziti. The dish comes out nice and hot and smothered in tomato sauce and melt mozzarella. It went well with the breadsticks which were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The chicken was very tender and its breading mixed very nicely with the tomato sauce.

Liberty Market in Gilbert, AZ is located in old town gilbert across the street from Joe’s BBQ.  Liberty Market has a great atmosphere.  They serve many different sandwiches, pizzas, salads, & desserts.  The food all looked great. We started by asking the waitress what she recommended.  She said the white pizza and a sandwich called the Ranchera. Me and 4 of my coworkers all decided to go with the Ranchera.  It came with beef, caramelized onions, horseradish, blue cheese, and spinach.  The sandwich was absolutely horrible.  So bad I couldn’t even eat half of it. A better word….disgusting.  What was the waitress thinking!!  The rest of my co workers all ordered sandwiches, burgers, and pizza that looked amazing.  I tasted a few other things that were all real good.  We also ordered some desserts that were excellent. My favorite was the red velvet cake.  Great!!!
I would recommend this place to all my friends.  I think I may even be going there this Saturday with my wife and another couple.  Just whatever you do….don’t order the ranchera.

First Impressions

The outer fascia of Liberty Market still generally resembles the market it was prior to a few years ago, except for the surprising lack of Lottery signs and racks selling the Tribune.  Inside has been completely gutted, leaving an open-rafter ceiling (no doubt to create an air of openness), and stainless furniture and decor.  A large, supermarket-deli style counter along one wall showcases the side-dishes and desserts, and blends into a mini-market counter which sells a variety of imported snacks.   In the centre of the facility is a self-service drinks station.

(more…)

First Impressions

We’ve eaten before at the Mesa location, and found it consistently goes the extra mile.  In the last year or so, the franchise has seemingly taken a much higher profile, taking over another restaurant in Mesa, and opening a location in Tempe.

(more…)

Yesterday we went down to the Cafe Laguna, a Native American owned restaurant offering different selections of authentic Native cuisine from Laguna Pueblo recipes. Upon hearing about Cafe Laguna all I knew is that they offered fry bread, and to be completely honest I was not completely sure what that entitled. Either way I was down for the adventure. (more…)

Ok, so this last week Jason’s Deli gave us a call and told us they would like to treat our employees to lunch.   We couldn’t refuse.  Ever since going to Jason’s Deli I have been a fan.  They have great sandwiches, salads, soups, and they even have free ice cream for dessert.  I would compare the place with a Paradise Bakery but better.  If you have not tried Jason’s Deli, you are missing out!!  Don’t take my word for it, read the rest of the reviews on the site.  They have a couple locations in the valley so I’m sure wherever you are located, there is a Jason’s Deli close to ya.