All hail the Arizona cheese crisp and this instituation that has been around since 1970 still makes a great one.
This most recent trip to Phoenix for the Jewish New Year left me longing to visit my Grandfather's grave along with my Great Aunt Florence and my Great Uncle Marshall. In order to go to the cemetery, we have to go through what is now a "sketchy part of town" but a part that I used to be more familiar with when I was younger. Since we were going on our way to the airport, I suggested to my Mom that we go to LP for lunch so I could get my cheese crisp fix and see if my childhood memories of this place lived up.
The Synagogue I grew up going to was close to LP. La Pinata was the first "real" Mexican food restaurant I ate at and the only one my Grandparent's would go to since they never really cared for Mexican food but did like cheese crisps and chimichangas. My Great Uncle had his 50th birthday party here in 1976 and I was there. Yes, there is history.
Most importantly, when we arrived around 2pm on Saturday afternoon, there were mostly empty tables and the decor was the same as I remembered it. Our waiter was super nice, we ordered the cheese crisp and it came out crispy, and piping hot. For those of you who don't know what a cheese crisp is, imagine a giant tortilla topped with cheese then baked or put under a broiler for a few minutes and sliced in triangles like a pizza. It is awesome and something I make at home but it is not quite the same.
My mom ordered a spinach enchilada a la carte, I had a side of refried (lardy kind) beans and rice and the daughter had the lunch portion of steak fajitas (huge portion). Lunch menu is available M-Sat which is a very nice thing to know.
Is this the best Mexican food ever? No. Did the taste and my memory hold up? Yes. Will I be back-DEFINITELY!
Thank you La Pinata for being at least one thing that hasn't changed in Phoenix...