Wait: It’s 1:30 p.m. on a Sunday, and there are plenty of empty tables and bar stools at this pasty (PASS-tee) pub.

Service: The staff mostly stays behind the restaurant-length bar, but we’re noticed even though I picked a table tucked in the back corner.
Like the restaurant, service is casual. Our drinks arrive quickly, and our server asks if we want refills — something I prefer when I’m in a no-waste mood. She also asks if we want to split the check, which was a nice gesture.

Meal: The pasty is a neatly tucked, tasty stuffed pastry (think calzone with flaky pie crust instead of pizza dough) that Cornwall, England, native Dean Thomas brought to Tempe when he opened Cornish Pasty Co. in early 2005.

The pasty has a cool history. It dates to the 1200s, when women designed the easy-to-eat meal for their husbands and sons so the tin miners could chow down without getting arsenic — from the mining process — on their food.

The traditional Oggie (steak, potato, onion, rutabaga) is available along with 29 other variations, including the Philly Cheese Steak, Carne Adovada, Portobello Chicken and Cheddar Broccoli Cauliflower. Sandwiches, impressive salads with great dressings and a couple of desserts round out the menu — but the hearty pasty is where it’s at.

It’s tough to pick from all the interesting combos, but we go with the Carne Adovada (red-chili-stewed shredded pork with cheese), Bangers & Mash (slices of homemade sage and pork sausage, mashed potato and grilled onion) and Lamb Vindaloo (cubed lamb, potato chunks and rice stained pink by an Indian curry sauce). Dough-based delights are one of my culinary soft spots, so these pasty deals with their thick, golden crusts were right up my alley.

As requested by my boss, I resist the booze, but it’s definitely a plus that the pub pours pints of Boddington’s, Guinness, Kronenbourg 1664, Hoegaarden Witbier, Strongbow Cider and Kiltlifter.

Scene: I don’t know how the owner found such a perfect mine-shaftish space, but the scruffy young Englishman plays it up nicely with black walls, black high-backed modern chairs, black tables, black ceilings and thick black frames around black-and-white photos of miners.
Sirius satellite radio’s Classic Vinyl station infiltrates the small room with the likable sounds of Led Zeppelin and the Doobie Brothers.

Bathroom break: One clean, private restroom with yet another mining photo.

Tab for three: $36 with tip and tax for Bangers & Mash ($5.50), Carne Adovada ($6.50), Lamb Vindaloo ($6.50), half garden salad ($2.25), half Greek salad ($3), two sodas ($1.30) and a Vimto soda ($1.80).

If work weren't buying: This Tempe tavern would be my new noshing spot if I didn’t live 30 miles away. With the generous pasty-to-price ratio (only two hit the $7 mark), it’s a shoo-in for Get Out’s low-budget lunch lineup.

SCORECARD
Food B+
Service B
Scene B
Bathrooms B
Overall B

Cornish Pasty Co.
960 W. University Drive, Tempe


Major cross streets: Hardy and University drives
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. Sunday
Reservations accepted: No
Health report: One major violation on Aug. 29
Kid friendly: Yes
Web site: www.cornishpastyco.com