Having had our spirits raised by a good glass of Guinness at Seamus McCaffrey's, we were off to the corner of E Van Buren St & N Central Av to catch the Route 3 bus. Our destination was the La Grande Orange Grocery at 4410 N 40th St. According to the handy trip planner provided Valley Metro, the Route 3 bus would take us to our destination in about 30 minutes. It worked like a charm.
I often read in travel magazines about destinations for "sophisticated" travelers luxuriating in high dollar retreats. If that is your deal, then traveling the number 3 bus is definitely not for you. The bus winds through working-class neighborhoods and acres of parking lots, chainlink fences, and strip malls. We were nervously questioned by a toothless forty-something woman in a stained T-shirt about where she could cash a check and entertained by the conversation of three teenage girls wearing house slippers, using language normally reserved for drunk sailors, about how they were going to "pimp out their truck." Just part of the rich tapestry that is public transportation, I suppose.
La Grande Orange Grocery is part-grocery store, part-restaurant, with alfresco dining and a "Java Garden." We had heard that La Grande Orange Grocery had arguably the best pizzas in town and were a bit disappointed that they didn’t fire up the pizza ovens until 4pm. Undeterred, we ordered a croque monsieur and a grilled cheese sandwich off the extensive blackboard menu of soups, sandwiches, and salads. I normally don’t rave about sandwiches, but both selections were outstanding. Made on bread baked on-site, with generous portions of real cheese, the items were memorable due to the quality and quantity of the ingredients. If I lived in Phoenix, I would definitely be a regular at La Grande Orange Grocery. We were sufficiently impressed by the bread to purchase a couple of loaves take back home. If the weather is agreeable, dine outside or take your coffee to the landscaped Java Garden on the side of the building.