"2013-06-22T00:00:00"^^ . . "1"^^ . "0"^^ . . "1"^^ . "4"^^ . "Streets of New York - Where People and Pizza are Their Passion\n\nAs first time visitors to the Scottsdale area, we wanted to experience a local restaurant that we did not have back home. We chose an Italian restaurant near the Scottsdale Links Resort where we were staying that was listed in our Vacation Planner - Streets of New York. We went there on our first night in town. The restaurant is located in the nearby Target & Albertson shopping center and we easily found parking directly in front of the restaurant. Since it was summertime, the place was not busy.\n\nAs we walked in the door, we were immediately greeted and invited to sit wherever we wished. We chose a large corner booth up front. I glanced around in the soft glow in the restaurant and thought how lovely it looked with the sun setting outside. Mirrors on the walls helped make the place look larger as well as give everyone a view of the two large mounted flat screen TVs broadcasting muted sporting events. Along one wall were booths with multiple attractive overhead hanging lighting fixtures. In the center were tables for four and chairs. A lovely free-standing tall outdoor street lighting fixture stood toward the rear of the restaurant reminiscent of one you might have found on a street corner in ole New York City. Where we sat we had a good view of the open kitchen as did almost every other table & booth. The Take-Out Counter was conveniently located just inside the entrance.\n\n Soon our server, Michelle, came over, handed us menus and took our beverage orders. After perusing the menu, we all decided that Eggplant Rollatini, $10.50 sounded great. It came with your choice of pasta and sauce. Three of us chose Fettuccine with Marinara sauce. Our fourth diner ordered the entr\u00E9e with Penne and Bolognese sauce. While we waited for our meal, Michelle brought over a basket of their Signature Passion Bread tossed with Garlic Butter and Parmesan Cheese. The warm bread was delicious and served with a mild Marinara-style dipping sauce. We scoffed up every last piece. In no time, Michelle offered to replenish the basket. \n\nOnly one member of our party could finish the entr\u00E9e. The rest of us took home leftovers - enough for another whole meal. Michelle gave us extra sauce for our leftovers. We were too full for dessert. We all felt that we had received great value for our meals with excellent service in a very pleasant setting. Even with the open kitchen and a setting sun, the restaurant was refreshingly cool. \n\nSince the place was not too busy, Michelle had time to chat with us. She told us that Streets of New York is actually a chain restaurant with 26 locations mostly in Arizona - two are in Las Vegas. The chain is family owned since 1976. It is the official pizza of both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, we didn't know that before we ordered. She said that wings are very popular, also. \n\nWe all had such a good experience that we all agreed to return several nights later for another meal. Michelle was not on duty on our second visit but Assistant Manager Denise was and she was just as friendly and professional as was Michelle. We decided to order different entrees from our previous visit. I ordered an extra large Cheese Calzone, $9.50. My husband ordered Chicken Pesto with Penne, $10.25. The two other members of our party ordered Lorrie's Lasagna, $10.50. We all enjoyed our meals as much as on the previous visit. We joked quite a bit with Denise. We even called over the Manager, Mike Kelley to praise both servers. OK we kidded around first about Denise a bit but she was excellent - very attentive and competent plus a lot of fun, too. How often do you get to have instant rapport with a server - in this case two servers and a Manager? \n\nIf we are ever back in the Scottsdale area, we will be sure to return to this restaurant for pizza. The menu is mostly pizza, pasta and subs - great for a casual meal. Broaster Chicken is now served at many of their locations. You can also find seven different salads including Antipasto and several different soups. Italian Wedding Soup is one that I always enjoy and they have added it to their menu. Children ten and under have five choices, $2.25-$4.50. If you decide to visit, come at Happy Hour which is more than an hour - Monday through Friday, 2:30 - 6 pm. House wine is $4 a glass then and there are several menu specials. Alternatively, dine at lunch for their several Lunch Specials such as Six Wings & a Slice of Pizza for $6.95 or Soup and Salad for $5.95. You just cannot beat the prices and the service too. Thanks Mike, Denise and Michelle for two fun filled enjoyable evenings."^^ . .