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Dave-Thanks for the commute times.
Place for a GOOD! steak?
Looking forward to have fun down south.
Funny found HAG- Heart Attack Grill in Tempe Funny joint.
Jim Weaver
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Jim, as most restaurants in the Phoenix area are of the chain variety (nothing wrong with that, per se, just not very original), perhaps you might be interested in trying out a few local specials.
For steak, I'd try Durant's. It's on Central Ave near downtown, and is easy to get to from where you're staying. It's been there since 1950, I believe, which for Phoenix is quite old. It has that great 50's Rat Pack vibe to it and the food is good.
http://phoenix.about.com/od/phoenixsteak/gr/durants.htm
For Italian, definitely try Pizzeria Bianco. Also located downtown. It was voted by one food magazine as the best pizza in the US. Living in NYC (so I think I have a decent comparison), I can say it is quite good. Chris brings in water from NYC to make the dough (it makes a difference, believe it or not), makes his own mozzarella, and usues all organic tomatoes. Make sure to get the tomato, basil and mozzarella appetizer.
http://www.pizzeriabianco.com/
For Mexican, there's a bunch of places, but since I've stuck with the downtown area, I'll recommend Los Dos Molinos in South Phoenix.
http://www.losdosmolinosaz.com/
I'll actually be back in AZ from Friday on restoring my 442 at my parents house, so if you want to swing by, feel free. Haha.
Tom