"5"^^ . . "3"^^ . . "2"^^ . . "This was my family's 1st stop of our Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and Man vs Food Arizona self-guided tour. Defalco's was featured on Guy Fieri's DDD and they're an Italian food/sandwich/deli joint. Why was this our first stop instead of the multitude of Food Network or Travel Channel foodie destinations located in Phoenix and Scottsdale? Our family was here in Phoenix for my daughter's 4-day volleyball tournament and the wifey wanted her to carbo load to get her ready for some spiking and blocking. I AM SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY DEFALCO'S WAS OUR FIRST STOP!!!!!!!!!\n\nI got a little frustrated trying to find Defalco's because we got lost trying to find it. As we were driving down Scottsdale Road looking for the address 2334 Scottsdale Road, my GPS directed us to where it should have been, but the numbers skipped. Just continue driving North because the numbers will resume again. Defalco's is located on North Scottsdale Road not South. Just make it easier to find this foodie haven because others have to try this must eat at destination. Defalco's is an Italian market combination deli. The seating area and overall look gives off a Mom and Pop, hole in the wall vibe, which was a great sign of what was to come. Triple D locales usually are annointed with Guy Fieri's mug plastered somewhere in the restaurant. There was a framed picture of him as well as a spray painted picture of his signature spiky hair and beard. Both signifying Guy's stamp of approval of a must visit establishment. Defalco's had shelves of Italian food products to purchase and it's a full service deli that sells delectable meats and sausages. Interesting tidbit: I spoke to one of the employees and asked him if his business spiked after the DDD episode. He said it definitely opened the floodgates, but Defalco's initially rejected DDD's desire to feature them on the show. He said they were popular already and didn't need DDD, but a customer wrote the show and was adamant about DDD featuring Defalco's. DDD's producers were persistent and kept calling them, so Defalco's relented and man, my entire family is soooooo glad they did.\n\nI asked the kind gentleman behind the counter what Defalco's was known for and he said that they had the best cheesesteaks in the nation. Wow, that's a bold statement and made me skeptical. He also said their pastas, pizzas, and salads were can't misses too. I ordered of course the half cheesesteak sandwich, small pizza with Italian sausage and pepperoni, large penne meatball pasta, and a vegetable pasta salad. Everything is made to order, so you'll wait a little while for the food. The wait is worth it. I got my half cheesesteak sandwich filled with a piled amount of tender, thinly sliced rib eyed steak mixed with melted cheese and caramelized, juicy fried peppers, onions and mushrooms inside a soft bread roll. When I took my very first bite of the half sandwich that was more than enough, OMG OMG OMG, I was speechless. As I savored this first bite, my family laughed at me because as I tried to vocalize how scrumptious this heavenly collection of meaty, cheesy, vegetably, and bready goodness, I mumbled something that wasn't discernable. That good!!! I didn't have to eat anything else because this sandwich alone was 10-star rating worthy. Order a pizza. Any pizza. The small is good enough to feed a family of four. The crust was tasty and had a good texture. If I wasn't so full from my sandwich, I would have eaten more than the 3 slices I ate. The pasta salad had good tasting dressing and the pasta had a huge, nicely seasoned meatball. Defalco's had a good assortment of desserts. I tried my wifey's chocolate covered cannoli and wow, I need to try more of their desserts next time. Get the cheesesteak sandwich, you won't be disappointed.\n\nMr Fieri, I thank you for featuring Defalco's and Defalco's, I thank you for your cheesesteak sandwich. I've been a little unlucky when it comes to my best foods ever. Best buffet and burger in Las Vegas, best burger in Los Angeles, and now best cheesesteak in Phoenix. 6 hours to drive for a cheesesteak? So worth it."^^ . "2014-06-26T00:00:00"^^ . "3"^^ .