Mi Amigo’s is a popular restaurant in the Phoenix location. We decided to try it for lunch. We chose the location by superstition mall on southern just west of power. We were seated immediately. Chips and Salsa were brought to our table right away. I am a big fan of chips and salsa and I was not disappointed with their chips or their salsa. The chips were very large and the salsa was not too mild, but at the same time it was not too spicy. I was very impressed and this made a great appetizer.

The lunch menu had about ten items to choose from. All ranging from about 6 - 9 dollars. I decided to go with the green corn tamale. I overheard that they made excellent tamales so I thought I would give it a shot. After about 15 minutes our food arrived. The tamale was excellent. It had a bit of a sweet taste. The rice and beans was too much to handle after all the chips and salsa along with the tamale.

Overall the food at Mi Amigo’s was good. Its not the best Mexican food but it is very good for the price. I would recommend their food and I will return.

First Impressions

My knowledge of Vietnam is fairly limited. Something about a war, a monetary unit they call the Dong with a straight face, and vague stories of heavily-laden soups. The last item seemed exactly what was needed on a ten-degree-centigrade December morning, so we waddled off to Nhat in Tempe. (more…)

Midwestern Meats is a place that will make you feel young again. Everything from the decor, clientele, to the food made me feel like a kid again. The inside of Midwestern Meats is is packed with a few dozen kitchen tables. No booths, stools, or bars, just simple kitchen tables and chairs. On the walls you will find different pictures of farming as well as a few model tractors. The menu selection of classic dishes was no surprise after looking around the restaurant a little. Midwestern Meats was quickly sizing up to be the locally owned and operated equivalent of a Cracker Barrel. (more…)

Every day provides the opportunity for a new experience. Todays new experience was lunch at Pho Nhat in Tempe. Personally, I never knew Vietnamese food existed. I guess I grouped it into the whole oriental foods category and never paid much more attention. I was clearly mistaken.

Upon arrival I thought we might be at a fast food restaurant and I could clearly tell that the majority of service at Pho Nhat was primarily take out. Which is fine, I don’t mind some good take out ever so often. We pulled two tables together for our group of seven and had at it. The majority of us ordered the number three. In my attempt to describe what was in the number three I would say that it is a soup complete with long spaghetti like noodles and rarely cooked beef. On top of that you can throw in some different greens and vegetables for extra seasoning. (more…)

Today for lunch we decided to try a place in Tempe called Spinatos. Spinato’s is located on Smith just south of rio salado pkwy in Tempe. I was quite surprised to know that there was a restaurant located there. I have lived in the valley for over 20 years and have yet to hear of Spinato’s. We decided to give it a shot and overheard that it could be the best pizza in the valley.

Arriving we were seated right away. We decided to start out with some bruschetta. This was brought to us within a few minutes. It was piled high with tomatoes and the bread was excellent. I would definitely recommend this as a appetizer. we decided to go with two pizzas for lunch. We ordered a pepperoni and the special super six. We heard this was going to be the best pizza we ever had and I think I may have heard right. The pizza had all fresh toppings with an excellent tasting homemade sauce. The crust was just right. The toppings were all fresh and the cheese was excellent.

C ONCLUSION

I highly recomend Spinato’s Pizza to anyone. I was impressed. Since having lunch there I have been wanting to go back. I will be returning to Spinato’s often so I may continue to eat the best pizza that I have ever had.

First Impressions

If you didn’t know it was there, you probably wouldn’t find Midwestern Meats. It’s in a non-descript, newish stucco building between a motel and a mobile-phone shop, and could easily pass for a MVD or physician’s office if not for the picture of a cow on the front. However, Midwestern Meats is known for being a butcher’s shop, a pastry shop, and a cozy restaurant.

The interior decor is clean and tasteful, but yet somehow overpowering. No amount of neatly done wainscotting and wallpaper will convince me I’m not in Mesa. It looked like they were trying almost too hard to create an illusion of Grandma’s kitchen. Well, news for you: Grandma’s kitchen didn’t have 60 people in it, averaging 73 years of age. I was also amused to notice that each table had a cup of butter pats on it– this far beats mystery margarine with enough trans-fat to kill a horse.

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Located just across the way from Tempe Market Place, Spinato’s pizza might be the right choice for you. The location of Spinato’s Pizza is almost as secretive as the whereabouts of Osama Bin laden. But don’t worry once you walk in Spinato’s the the smell of cheese will hit your nostril and you suddenly will forget that you couldn’t get a seat in Dave and Busters, instead you will find yourself in a poorly lit back room right next to the office and the pizza assembly line, literally arms length away from the tomato sauce mixer. If you want a truly Italian experience choose the corner seat and feel like Don Corleone. Italian Mafia Don’s aside, the pizza is rich in cheese and the sweetness of the tomato sauce executes like a hit man from the Saprono’s. If you find yourself put off by the “over the topness” of the restaurants at Tempe market place, stop by Spinato’s Pizza and feel like a wise guy.

First Impressions

You would have no chance of finding Spinato’s if you didn’t know it was there already. It’s tucked into the industrial area that surrounds the former toxic-waste area now Tempe Marketplace, and is poorly signposted from outside.

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Spinato’s Pizzeria, in Tempe, just South of the Tempe Marketplace is a small restaurant that one might call a “hole in the wall”. The truth be told, Spinato’s is a hole in the wall. Upon arriving at the restaurant I was convinced that we were in an industrial district, and I’m still convinced that we were. Spinato’s is surrounded by what seemed like multiple industrial business and due to the lack of parking we were forced to park on the street. Once in the restaurant we were sat in the “back” due to our large party size. Allow me to explain the “back”. The “back” of Spinato’s is what seemed to be a combination of a factory and a kitchen with some table and chairs thrown in the corner. From our table we were able to see the whole back end of Spinato’s. There kitchen, office, freezer, and etcetera were all in plain sight from our table. No walls, no barricades, nothing. (more…)

Anzio’s Landing is located right off of Higley between Mckellips and Mcdowell in Mesa. The restaurant is located right next to Falcon Field Airport. We were seated almost immediately. I doubt Anzio’s Landing ever gets too busy during lunch. Dinner may be a different story. As you take a seat you actually have a great view of the runway and you are able to view planes landing as you enjoy your meal. The inside of the restaurant is very elegant. A good place to take a date you may be trying to impress.

The menu offers a wide variety of popular Italian dishes. Many different pastas and salads to choose from. I decided to go with the shrimp and seafood Alfredo from the lunch menu. I am a fan of seafood and this sounded good. We had a good waiter who brought us our drinks immediately. We also started with a salad and bread. The salad had a vinaigrette dressing with mandarin oranges, olives, and other vegetables. I was impressed with the salad. A few people at the table we not as impressed but I found the salad to be excellent. We were also given some garlic bread. The bread was good. However, it could have done with a little less butter.

It did not take long for our food to arrive. The shrimp and seafood alfredo came with pieces of fresh shrimp and mussels with diced tomatoes, scallions and basil, tossed with spaghetti and topped with Anzio home made alfredo sauce. It was not a huge portion. I may have been expecting something a bit larger considering it was quite pricey.

Overall the food was good. I believe Anzio’s Landing is a good place to go even if you go only once. It is a bit pricey (10-15 for lunch and even more for dinner). However, it has a good atmosphere. You are able to get a great look at the mountains while also watching planes land on the runway. Like I stated earlier, this could be an excellent place to take a first date or your wife on a special occasion.