Metro Phoenix

I believe it’s the Daily News which used the advertisement slogan "the most New York you can get." In terms of eating in the Phoenix area, that phrase works well to describe Chompie’s delicatessen. There is a chain of three or four Chompie’s in the valley, with another possibly opening at PV Mall. I’ve heard this one fell through, though. The one I frequent is in a mall at Shea by 92nd st. Most of the time there is a crowd, especially though during the snowbird/winter season.

I love Chompie’s because it is very New York. The decor features a number of wall-sized murals all NY-based; one prominently is a tribute to the heroes of 9/11, others based on sports and on New York in general. There are also posters from Broadway shows hanging up, in a Carnegie Deli style. Lunch is very much like Carnegie as well. Large portions of corned beef and tongue in sandwiches and great matzo ball soup. Breakfast is good too. Latkes, New York-style Bagels and Bialys, and their breakfast skillets are my favorites (especially the corned beef hash skillet, with eggs, a layer of cheddar, and good corned beef hash).

Chompie’s also offers a full New York style bakery. Those Bagels and Bialys, plus butter cookies, petifours, and cakes and cookies you’d find at your corner bakery in NYC are all here. I seem to remember reading somewhere that Chompie’s won some sort of award for "comfort food." As a New Yorker, any time I need a pick-me-up or that back-home feel, Chompie’s is where I go.

The Sand Bar is a place I would love to say I love, except it seems like every time I go here I have a problem of one sort or another. The pluses: the place is aptly named, as the outside bar is like a little beach, complete with what I believe is a wading pool (I’ve never seen anyone in it though, hence "I believe"). The place always seems hopping and the term "meat market" definitely comes to mind. There are plenty of TVs showing sporting events and videos. In the summer, the waitresses seem to take a "Baywtatch" approach to dressing, wearing lifeguard swimsuits and short shorts… A plus depending on your point of view.

I really enjoy a lot of the food here. The guacamole seems a little odd to me (tangy), but otherwise there is a Tex-Mex seafood flavor. I don’t know if I’ve ever had calamari more tender than here. They have these small beef-fried tortilla rolls on the appetizer menu which I can’t remember what they are called. However, I absolutely love their ahi tuna tacos. Large pieces of fish served in lettuce instead of tortillas, covered in cheese and with a sweet white sauce. It’s all very reasonably priced, too: the tacos, on two large leafs of lettuce and filled as much as possible, are $8. However, I only go here maybe once a month because I have little faith in the waitstaff. I’ve had issues with promptness (waiting for someone to take my order, to drop off my bill and giving me back my credit card), with being short-changed (waitresses rounding my change down, not up) and in general just feeling like I’m an unimportant customer. Maybe other guys are happy just with a pretty face or body, but I’m not.

When I have good service here, I tend to come back the following week. However, as that tends not to be the case, well, that’s why I am here so infrequently. Overall though, I’d say as a place to eat on vacation, this is a place definitely worth checking out. It’s a little far out of Old Town, but I’d also say it’s worth the ride.

This Phoenix-area chain offers good proportions of traditional Greek food at pretty good prices. I know of three locations, but have only eaten at the two Scottsdale locations. The food was the same at both, but I find the location by Paradise Valley to be more enjoyable because of the staff and the lighter, airier environment (in the mall on the northeast corner of Shea and Tatum. The other one I've been to is in Old Town Scottsdale on Scottsdale Road).

The chain's staple is the flaming cheese appetizers, either feta or saganaki. They make a small spectacle of this, calling "opa time" as they set the cheese briefly on fire. These and the non-flaming feta and olives are my favorite starters. My two favorite main courses are the braised lamb - where the meat is very tender and literally falls off the bone - and the spinakopica (spinach pie). I've also enjoyed their salads on occasion, especially their calamari salad. The disappointment for me is dessert. I usually love baklava, but here it is small and dry.