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| - First visit to The Normal was very promising. For those of you who are new to Arizona, ASU was previously known as Tempe Normal. Thus, the name. Love it. Located at the newly remodeled hotel now known as the Graduate. Love that name as well. Great location near Gammage Auditorium and the W.P. Carey School of Business.
The restaurant has been nicely redone. No evidence that it was once an IHOP. A kind of retro feel. Very welcoming. Very friendly server who helped the vegetarian with whom I was dining maneuver the menu. We sat in place for a long time after our meal and felt no pressure to vacate our booth. Loved the use of vintage Western paperbacks to deliver the tab.
Greeted promptly when we entered. Seated immediately. Offered beverages. Order taken the moment we were ready. Yes, perhaps evidence of a three week old restaurant with employees who are trying hard to please, but I sensed it might be sustainable. I was a little concerned The Normal might be positioned to become just another bad hotel restaurant. Happily, this does not seem to be the case.
We only sampled two items. The burrito, modified for a vegetarian pallet, was excellent. The blue corn pancakes were unique. I would order them again, but they were a bit much by themselves and I would consider splitting entrees with a friend next time. I mentioned on a comment card that some color on the plate, perhaps just a slice of orange or the like, would help with its presentation and could break the taste. We appreciated The Normal's emphasis on sourcing locally...
Not priced for starving students. Not too high priced. Just a little. The folks dining at The Normal this night appeared to be local, not captive hotel guests, which was nice.
Five stars. While the food and surroundings were nice, it was the high level of customer service that made the difference.
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