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| - I never bothered going out of my way to Tempe since I knew this would open here. It just took forever! Like YEARS of anticipation. So...does it live up to the hype? Yeah, kinda, enough to be a happy return customer.
CPC's draw is an abundance of stuffed pastries that give diners dozens of choices. They range from the traditional, with stuff like roast beef or hamburger with gravy. But that's a snooze. I like the southwestern varieties like Cajun Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, and even their vegan meals, which I believe was some type of veggie vindaloo. My only complaint: the slightly sweet dough tries to be one-size fits all, but misses the mark. There's something about the bread that can work great with chicken and peppers, but can totally miss when fused with other styles of cuisine. It's not a big deal.
They're all much more filling than they appear. There's something for everyone. It's good. Whatever you order, start of with their wings. They are *huge*, the 'HP sauce' is delicious, and I just can't get enough of the Stilton sauce. My friend swears by the pate if that's your thing.
Aside from dining, keep in mind there are 3 floors, so it shouldn't be tough finding seating. The basement and second floor have a dive-y feel to them, which is good for socializing when Seamus and Valley Bar are just too loud for ya. To make things better, there's a limited cocktail menu, and a formidable assortment of roughly two dozen beers. You'll need them, as it seems impossible to bring anything out of the kitchen in under a half hour.
Overall, I'm just not seeing a reason to avoid this spot despite a couple of faults. It's one of those few restaurants you can take everyone to, and have your entire group at least content. It's that sort of reliability, along with variety, that will keep me coming back.
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