Food, glorious food. Living in the West Valley of Phoenix this should actually read: Chain Restaurant, semi-adequate Chain Restaurant.
Oh how I long for a mom-and-pop diner with history. Or better yet, a corner bar with a jukebox (real, not digital), a pinball machine and semi-edible bar food. With a waitress who has been working there for 20 years and knows the name of all five of the people sitting at the bar. Wouldn't that be grand? It would be asking way too much for a four-star sit-down with cloth napkins and an owner-chef who was educated at the Culinary Institute of America. Wishful thinking.
We in the West Valley have a lot of Applebee's and TGIFriday's. At most major intersections you can find some national sit-down with Chicken Fingers, Asian Chicken Salad, and some sort of non-descript Pasta Alfredo. Sadly I get excited when any new restaurant opens longing for some sort of culinary diversity.
This week we have NYPD Pizza at the Northeast corner of Dysart and McDowell in Avondale and Manuel's on the Southwest corner of Dysart and McDowell in Goodyear. My daughter and I attempted to dine at Manuel's last evening but there was a long waiting line outside. I've eaten at other Manuel's in the Valley and have never been disappointed. We will try again in a few weeks.
NYPD Pizza is new for me. I had high hopes when I ordered take-out. NYPD Pizza has won may awards for their quality. I ordered by phone and when I arrived I was not surprised to find the parking lot overflowing with cars. NYPD Pizza is located next to the new Pei Wei and one has to wonder what the developer was thinking providing so few parking spaces.
Anyway, I was surprised that the restaurant was not larger. There is a small bar, tables and a carry-out line with stools. I was greeted and assisted immediately, always a good sign. As you wait for your order you can watch as the food is prepared. I was offered a free drink while I waited and the young lady was not impressed when i asked if that included free beer.
OK, on to the food. We ordered two pizzas and wings. The wings were a bit sweet which seemed odd. They were also 'soft'. In the world of chicken wings there are those with the crispy skins (which my husband loves) and those with not crispy skins (which he hates). So the oddly sweet soft wings were not a crowd favorite. The pizzas were just pizza. Not the fantastic awe inspiring pizza I was expecting. Now this might be because they just opened. I spent a lot of years in the restaurant business and am fully aware the first few weeks can be the most difficult.
We will go back to NYPD Pizza to give them another shot at making a fantastic pie. The first time we ate at the new Pei Wei it was awful but by last week it had become quite good. I hope the same can be said for NYPD Pizza.
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