Why I am 192 lbs...

So I am in Tempe: Tempe/Phoenix/Scottsdale.  It’s all the same.  Welcome to the Southwest region of the US.  This is my third time to these cities.  The first trip was in 2003.    I am beyond happy to be back.  Especially with respect to the hunt for exceptional food.

I started doing research for somewhere noteworthy and came across two places.  This is the first -Le Grande Orange Pizzeria in Phoenix.  Le Grande Orange started approximately 10 years ago as a coffee shop, which eventually started selling gourmet pizzas. It later grew into a pizzeria, then expanded to a grocery store which has now morphed into a ‘strip mall of dreams’ for this traveler.

I debated for a few days whether to write about this place or not.  I have already mentioned two places with similar cuisine, which then made me realize that gourmet pizza’s are everywhere.  Not just LA and NY, but throughout the country.  What I predict will be fun  is seeing different cities approach to this trend, especially since different regions have different local ingredients, and most of these places do buy locally.  (that was a generalization, whether this is true or not I don’t know, but we'll go with it for the time being).

I went to Le Grande Orange Pizzeria not knowing what to expect.  Imagine my childlike wonder when I pulled into the parking lot and saw everything I previously mentioned.  As I sat in the dinning room, I was pleased at how laid back the atmosphere is.  Our waiter, whos name I wish I could remember, was more than happy to give me information about the place, his favorite dishes and also other restaurants, bars, and live music clubs in the area.  

The menu consisted of sandwiches, pizzas, burgers, and breakfast till 5 in the afternoon.  A late breakfast is always a plus.  I came for the pizzas, so lets focus on that.  

I came here for a pre Valentine’s day dinner with Bud.  Upon sitting we immediately ordered their Avocado Pizza with Prosciutto.  I’ve never had avocado on a pizza.  Here is why it works... Avocados have a light flavor.  I feel we can all agree on that.  It’s a mild taste, with the salt the cheese and prosciutto provide, all ingredients compliment each other extremely well.  To top this all off, lemon zest.  I love lemon anything, so imagine my excitement to have this added to this already light and refreshing dish.  Pizza, refreshing?  Yes.  Yes, it is.  At least this one.

They have a limited bar here, but why order hard alcohol when you have a wall of wine, and a freezer full of beer at the adjacent grocery.  The prices for the wines are reasonable as is the bottled beer.  Also with this economy, just buy the bottle, if you don’t finish it they will gladly re cork it for you.  Don’t like their selection?  Bring your own, because guess what?  There’s no corkage fee.

I had to come back here one more time and try one more thing to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.  In the day time this place is just as busy as it was in the evening.  This time around, instead of ordering from a waiter, its a walk up counter.  Le Grande Orange began as a coffee shop, so I order an iced coffee (they have almond milk so this already made me happy), I got their version of a cobb salad to go for later that day, and I ordered their Rocket Man Pizza. Roasted vegetables, broccolini and spicy red fresno chiles.  I ordered this pizza in a rush, there was a line, I hadn’t really paid attention to the menu, and honestly, I am not a fan of roasted peppers on anything (roasted vegetables on their own, period) unless I grill them myself.  Most restaurants tend to drown their vegetables in olive oil prior to roasting, which leaves them soggy and end up over powering any other flavor they are being served with and a slug like consistency.  I don’t know how they cooked them here, but they were a fantastic addition to my pizza.  Perhaps, peppers are a plenty in the southwest so it wouldn’t surprise me that their freshness is why they added a sensible flavor to this pizza instead of what I feel they usually do.  The broccolini added texture and the chiles added a nice kick. THANK GOD for the pizza crust to ease the fire in my mouth.  

I ate the whole pizza.  I have a problem.  I’m off to the gym.