Tempe grill impresses ASU alum with good food and fun

By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI
Get Out

Wait: We could hear the chill sounds of local reggae legend Walt Richardson as we walked north on College Avenue a little after 7 p.m. on a Friday. Happy hour was in full swing and the place was packed, but we found ourselves a table far enough away from the band to have a conversation while still enjoying the music.

Service: Our server was very accommodating (I overheard her offer to divide the bill or run multiple credit cards for a party of five behind us) and she kept our glasses full.

What we liked: We loved the anti-Wildcat house rules (“We will not televise U of A sporting events unless they are playing our revered Sun Devils. Alternatively, we will gladly televise a U of A event if Wilbur is getting his tail handed to him” and “We will do our darnedest to rip off U of A fans and pass the savings on to ASU fans”). As far as food goes, everything we tried was above-par for bar-and-grill fare. The Philly cheesesteak scored major points with its thin, grilled slices of roast beef mixed with pepperjack cheese, loads of grilled onions and ancho chilis on a toasted hoagie roll. The humongous onion brick, with a side of barbecue sauce, was a greasy good time. Chunks of red potato overflowed from our large sourdough bread bowl full of creamy, hearty clam chowder. Sadly, I have to penalize the mud pie — keep those pesky nuts out of the coffee ice cream.

Scene: Any restaurant that discriminates against U of A gets an “A+” from this ASU grad. Sun Devil Stadium is Stateside’s neighbor and, as one would expect, the new restaurant is all about sports. Oversized photos of ASU athletes are framed in a row on a visible-from-the-street wall, and Sports Illustrated magazine covers are scattered throughout. The crowd is way more alumni than collegiate and beer and wine flow freely.

Bathroom break: Clean and spacious private men’s and women’s restrooms with an urban look.

Tab for two: $52 with tip and tax for an onion brick ($6), chicken poblano quesadilla ($7), Southwestern clam chowder ($6), cheesesteak sandwich with fries ($7), angel hair pasta ($10) and mud pie ($5).

If work weren’t buying: I’m already planning to bring my Philly-lovin’ friend and fellow Sun Devil to Stateside.

By CHRIS PAGE
Get Out

Wait: Hold on just a minute. Don’t make the same mistake we did last Saturday, hoping to swing by Stateside for a quick bite on the way to an event in Phoenix. It was game night at the nearby stadium: All traffic-y hell was breaking loose, and the jam-packed Stateside resembled a rowdy, beery Mardi Gras sidewalk. We tried our luck again the following day, postgame, at 6 p.m. and were told to find our own seat amongst the thinning crowd of hangover sportos, who were busy sucking back Heinekens while catcalling female passersby and heckling rickshaw bikers.

Service: As you can probably guess at this point, I’m no sports guy, and sports bars make me uncomfortable. (They give me a certain kind of “jock itch,” if you will, though it’s more of a nervous twitch.) Our server was an amiable dude, as expedient as typical barstaff, though dressed and mannered like every backwards-baseball-capped no-neck I loathed in high school. Yow. The flashbacks.

What we liked: You won’t find any of the more enticing menu items available on game days, when Stateside offers a more jejune list of grub: burgers, wings, mud pie, the like. Our teriyaki chicken sandwich was dry and accompanied by chips of the off-brand Tostitos kind, and our veggie burger was standard-fare fare. The breakfast chimichanga — such a fun word to say, chimi-chan-ga — was a better choice, gooey with cheese and flaky from its fried tortilla shell filled with tasty eggs and limp bacon like you’d get on a Jack in the Box burger. It was served with a dollop of sour cream and fruit salsa on the side. Me likey — not enough to warrant another game day visit (it’s featured on the regular menu as well) but enough to avoid calling a foul on the evening.

Scene: Stateside’s patio aesthetic is postmodern swanky, streamlined and pretty cozy — a great vantage point for watching the sun set against dreary rainclouds, with “A” Mountain in the foreground. But a bank of televisions on the back wall reminded me why my TiVo doesn’t touch “SportsCenter,” and the sound system pumping loud jock rock made me want to purchase a Nickelback CD just to let the rickshaws roll over it, again and again.

Bathroom break: The men’s room was cleaner than you’d expect after a game, although some bruiser must have put the hurt on the soap dispenser, ’cause it was ripped from the wall and recuperating on its back across the room. Maybe someone’s team lost.

Tab for two: Everything on the game day menu is priced like the devil’s own value meal: $6 each for a teriyaki chicken sandwich, vegetarian burger and breakfast chimichanga, plus a few clams more for two soft drinks. Grand total, with tax and tip: $28.79.

If work weren’t buying: The regular menu has some mouth-watering choices, like a stuffed portobello mushroom and tomato basil soup. Too bad our taste buds got sidelined by game day.

Stateside Grill
502 S. College Ave., Tempe,
Major cross streets: College Avenue and Fifth Street
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun. to Thu., 11 to 1 a.m. Fri. and Sat.
Reservations accepted: Yes
Health report: No major violations on Aug. 3
Kid friendly? Yes
Web site: None