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| - Perhaps you know that guy who likes to talk in "quotes". Well, he would definitely be at home at Pei Wei, and especially at this location.
Set in Phoenix's "historic district" Pei Wei is supposed to represent a sign of "urban renewal" for the city's core. It's wedged on a very small parcel of land at the southwest corner of McDowell and 7th Avenue. As alluded to it's "parking lot" causes one to draw lots...because there's no guarantee of finding a space if you fancy eating a meal other than breakfast or dinner here. Nevertheless, the restaurant's architecture embodies a bit more "character" than one might be used to Arizona. Free-standing, it favors a "sophisticated" and "historic" look with brick-lined interiors.
Inevitably, there will be a prodigious line awaiting you (and your money). This is actually a benefit to you trying to read the "menu' posted on boards along the entry-way. The selections are all "Asian fusion" which defies description probably as much as the term "electability". Don't be fooled, there is little or no guarantee that any person of Asian descent got within miles of providing any contribution to your meal. Nevertheless, the food has been carefully calibrated to appeal to the "fast casual" palette.
And adhering to the mantra of "fast casual", you'll find all the service quality of Souplantation. You order your food, you take your number, they give you a table, they drop off your food and they take away your tray. This "forward-looking" and "innovative" human resource strategy doesn't seem to solve the wait for your food, but it probably does keep costs down.
The spectre of "gentrification" tends to raise prices...but in this regard Pei Wei still appeals to the rapidly disappearing "middle class". It's not possible to match the "value" of say In-N-Out here, but you can eat for under $10 easily. And even though the company has lost the role of culinary "vanguard" to say, Pinkberry, it's still one of the better options for lunch in the shadow of downtown.
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