At a friendly Phoenix restaurant, Texas Rangers’ World Series fans eat for half-price
Texas Rangers fans visiting Phoenix don’t have to go far to find familiar food.
Seven miles north of Chase Field, a restaurant is known for a giant chicken-fried steak, chili and brisket that won a Big Bend cookoff.
The name: Texaz Grill.
Founders Steve Friedkin, a Dallas native, and Jim Mitchell started the restaurant in 1985, at the height of an early Austin country music craze.
The restaurant, 6003 N. 16th St. played Jerry Jeff Walker on the sound system, dished up Blue Bell ice cream and generally served as a refuge for Texans missing home.
For the World Series, Texaz Grill is offering half-priced dinners during games to anyone wearing a Rangers or Arizona Diamondbacks gear,
Not too long ago, a giant longhorn steer head hung over the bar, and there was a poster from Texas humorist Kinky Friedman’s 2006 campaign for governor. A TCU sticker adorned the beer cooler.
Phoenix is known as a city where residents moved from all over the country, and the foods reflect that.
East Texas fried chicken
Texas home cooking has an outpost only 1 mile from the Diamondbacks’ home Chase Field.
Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe was opened in 1966 by Elizabeth White of Athens, Texas, It serves fried or smothered chicken and pork chops, fried catfish and vegetables such as yams and collard greens.
A serious steakhouse
It’s not a Texas restaurant, but nothing makes a Texan feel more at home than a big steak.
Durant’s has been Phoenix’s best-known steakhouse for 70 years, ever since former Vegas casino manager “Jack” Durant opened it at 2611 N. Central Ave. downtown.
The decor maintains the original red-flocked wallpaper and serious steakhouse appearance that makes it look like a Hollywood set come to life.
Flower Child, P.F. Chang’s, Pei Wei
Phoenix is also where national restaurant chains started.
That list includes Flower Child, now in Fort Worth’s University Park Village, and two Asian chains from Scottsdale, Arizona: P.F. Chang’s and Pei Wei.
Dallas has locations of three related Flower Child restaurants: Culinary Dropout, the Henry and True Food Kitchen.
This story was originally published October 31, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
