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| - We ate here last Friday (6/6/14) with family and friends (6 of us in total). We were sat immediately when we entered. Since we wanted something quick, and "cheap" (lol, it's downtown Phoenix, nothing is "cheap" there!), this was the place we ended up at.
Inside they have high ceilings, and lamps that drop from them, the lamps were fun to look at and a great way to start a conversation. They have two large TV's on either side of the restaurant so you can watch the game at the bar or while eating. They also have an outdoor patio with misters if you want to eat outside.
The booths are made for large groups. Even small groups are grouped with other spots in the large booths, the only way to have an individual table is if you ate outside, or got a table for two along the wall. The Strand is almost a hole in the wall restaurant, it's thrown under Tilted Kilt, and sitting next to The Arrogant Butcher, so it's rather overlooked by a lot of foot traffic.
Their menu is large, everything from salads to pastas to pizzas and drinks thrown into the mix. Orders were: Chicken Alfredo, Lobster Mac 'n' Cheese, Burger, Salmon Dish, Salad.
I tried some of the Lobster Mac 'n' Cheese, it's spicy but good at the same time, it came to us with the cheese still bubbling and piping hot. The Chicken Alfredo is a simple dish, nothing to write home about, but I wanted something simple that night! I stole some of my mother's Parmesan fries from her plate, they didn't have a Parmesan taste, but they were really crispy and tasted good when dipped in their basil vinaigrette dip they bring to you with some bread while you wait for your meal to cook up.
Our waitress was a doll, she kept our cups filled and made sure we had everything. We chatted with the manager afterwards for a little bit too, if I'm in need for some easy Italian food around the Convention Center again, I'll be stopping by here!
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