How To Have A Nice Lunch On Christmas Eve Day - Valentino's Style

First question one might ask ... what's a nice Jewish boy writing about food on Christmas Eve? Easy to explain. Hannukah is over and I have nothing better to do. Unless of course I want to go have some Chinese food tonight. Nah, it's just Charlie and me and I don't feel like going out. Besides I am still full from a great lunch at Valentino's with some pretty impressive people.

One advantage of being a foodie is recommending places to eat. Let's face it ... there's not many great choices to eat out this way especially at lunch unless you're up for fast food and that gets tired quickly. So when I had the opportunity to suggest a place Valentino's must have been on my mind. It also helped that it was closer to the VIP's I was meeting. 

It's not often you get to meet and eat with the County Attorney Lando Voyles, Sheriff Paul Babeu, and the President of the Arizona Public Safety Foundation Joe Trasser. I feel very fortunate to be in the midst of their presence for all they have done for Pinal County. However, this isn't a political message but rather a review of some good chow. Sufice to say that only good things for our community will be a result of our meeting.

So you might ask what do VIP's eat for lunch. No not Wheatie's, that's for armchair quarterbacks. The same thing you and I eat. Good food. Can you guess by looking at these four dishes who ate what?

OK give up? First dish on the upper left is a Chicken Vermont Panini ... Breaded chicken breast topped with apple-smoked bacon baked with Vermont cheddar cheese, marinated plum tomatoes, lettuce and a pesto mayonnaise. Made for a big guy like me.

Bottom left: Chicken Parmigiana ... Breaded, boneless breast of chicken topped with Valentino's Original tomato sauce, baked on a demi loaf with provolone cheese. So good the guy with the badge almost arrested the owner as his own chef.

Top right: Mediterranean Salad ... Fresh romaine lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, pepperoncini peppers, Kalamata olives and feta cheese  served with Valentino’s Original Italian vinaigrette dressing and marinated charcoal-grilled chicken.The chef's going away for a very long time if he doesn't please this guy.

Bottom right: Antipasto Salad ...Fresh mixed greens with imported Italian meats, cheeses & olives tossed in Valentino’s Original Italian vinaigrette dressing. This guy heads up a company that offers Crime Scene and Biohazard Cleanup. Good thing the food was great ... no mess to clean up here. The plates are all clean.

Remember, food is a great equalizer. If only more people would put their passion into food the world would be a better place. Bon Appetit!

Valentino's Eatery

3385 North Hunt Highway, Florence, AZ 85132

Phone:(520) 723-5910

Miami - Globe Arizona Mexican Food at its Finest – Guayo’s Elrey

Who knew? Unless you're from around these parts who knew that the Miami-Globe area was a mecca for authentic Mexican fare? Well, apparently this is not new to locals or visitors from afar. I have lived in Arizona for going on 11 years and have had my share of Mexican food ... some good and some not so good. I have heard about the area but until now I never made it up there. What a waste of 11 years. Fortunately, I asked a new friend to AZ what he had a taste for this last Saturday and he replied Mexican. Go figure. A Chicago boy like me, Rich has had his share of big city Mexican food but this was my opportunity to brag about how good OUR Mexican food is. Of course I was sticking my neck out because I've never eaten at any places in Miami or Globe but this was my chance to find out.

Saturday morning I posted a question on the "I love Globe-Miami Mexican Food!" Facebook page and asked "OK so I'm going up to your area to do a Food Review today at lunch.

What's your top choice of restaurants and top dish I should order". Little did I know that I started a firestorm of replies that boggled my mind. I had no idea that I would receive such instant and passionate responses ... more than 100. After hearing about all the favorite places and dishes from everyone, I finally had to reply that I needed to leave to drive up there so I wouldn't be monitoring this post. That didn't stop people from posting.

It was a very difficult decision. Where to go for lunch. Only one place out of many? We could have spent a week eating our way from Superior to Globe. So based on the comments we decided to stop at Guayo's El Rey in Miami. We thought OK lets stop here a have a quick meal and go to another place and try something different. Never made it beyond Guayo's. The food was so damn good there we filled up and couldn't keep going. Which is a good thing because that means we're coming back! 

We were barely seated and the server greeted us with drinks and Chips & Salsa's. Are you kidding me? Flour tortilla chips? Two kinds of Salsa? Most places you're lucky to get a small plastic 1/4 ounce container of salsa. Both were extremely fresh and very good. I loved the one with jalepeno's, serrano's, and yellow hot peppers. Rich went for the milder dried chile salsa with a nice smoky flavor. Next came some fresh pica de gallo and more flour crisps. Muy bueno!

Based on consumer feedback we ordered the Green Chile Cheese Crisp. I had no idea what to expect but I'm hooked. Nothing real fancy about a mexican pizza with monterey jack

and cheddar cheese but the green chile side was amazing. Green chili's simmered with onions and spices and roast beef. You can just taste the love that goes into these dishes. I must also say the service was outstanding. It was not busy when we arrived but by the time we were finished people were waiting. That didn't stop the servers Jean, Linda and  host Dorine from answering all these questions I usually have when doing a review. I had no idea of the history and involvement of the Esparza family. 

Another recommendation from many Facebookers was the #6 Combinaciones. Shredded Beef Taco, Cheese Enchilada, and Roast Beef Burro. How can you go wrong? The flavors, the smells, the tastes are all great. We spoke with some of the other patrons and they all were raving about THEIR places on the Miami-Globe map.

The feedback from Miami-Globe followers was great. Their insights were right on and I can't wait to get back up here to try some of the other equally recommended places for Mexican treats. And, I have to thank my new friend Rich for asking for Mexican food.


Great food and people are a wonderful equalizer. If only more people would put their passion into food the world would be a better place.

GUAYO'S ELREY
716 W Sullivan Street
Miami AZ 85539
928-473-9960