Eating in the Far West Valley of Phoenix

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.