August, 2015 | Arizona Reviews

Liberty Market

On Saturday we had the good pleasure of finding ourselves in Gilbert, AZ. One of my favorite downtown areas in the east valley. There’s something special about the old water tower, the splash pad under it, and the cool restaurants.

Liberty Market has been a personal favorite for years, and it’s almost always our first stop when we pass through Gilbert. Liberty Market is a restaurant and coffee bar, that has an almost idealistic setting, and delicious food.

We sat outside on the Liberty Market patio, which is shaded by nice big umbrellas. On this particular day in April, we were marveling at the amazing weather.

We ordered the following: The burger of the day, which was a 8 oz patty with ham and cheese on top, a wood fired sausage pizza, a sweet potato muffin, a chocolate and salt treat, as well as the house-made chai latte. After lunch we ordered two espresso drinks from the menu, including a Cortada and an iced almond-milk mocha.

Phew! Sounds like a lot, but we downed it because of our enormous appetites.

Food highlights: The burger was perfectly cooked to my medium-beef preference, and the sliced deli ham on top added a really interesting taste. The cheese was a smoked cheddar, which added a nice smokey flavor to the whole burger.

The sausage pizza was cooked in the Liberty Market wood fired pizza oven. They churn out these pizzas night and day.

The chai is home-made. I wrote about the recipe on Arizona Coffee.

Ordering at Liberty Market is an interesting experience. They get busy on weekends, but waiting in line is fun because you can talk to other people about what they are planning to order, as well as watch the cooks prepare food.

At the same time, you can oodle over the baked goods and decide what sides and desserts you want to order. That’s what happened to me. I wasn’t planning to order the chocolate and salt dessert, but it looked so good.

The espresso bar is situated in its own corner away from the main food line. This is perfect because it separates the coffee ordering experience. After lunch, you can stroll in and order coffee and watch them make it.

The espresso bar is surrounded by bar seating. So it’s a fun way to sit and enjoy your meal, and coffee!

The coffee is from Stumptown, and they also serve Mr. Espresso.

So, next time you are in Gilbert, AZ, do yourself a favor and enjoy the flavors at Liberty Market!

Getting there

Liberty Market
230 North Gilbert Road
Gilbert, Arizona
Phone: (480) 892-1900

The Parlor

The Parlor is a well known and popular pizza restaurant in Phoenix, AZ. It was recently named as one of the best places to get pizza by The Huffington Post.

It’s a valley favorite, and is often recommended as one of the best in the state.

On a recent visit, we tried the Pepperoni Pizza and the Spicy Barbecue Chicken Pizza.

We definitely made the right choice!

First of all, these are thin crust pizzas and wood fired. The crust was superb. Just the right level of crispness so it stays together, but not overdone.

You can order pizzas as either a 8″ personal, or a 12″ size. We ordered two of the 12″ pizzas as well as a salad.

They put basil on top of the pepperoni pizza and it’s amazing! It was so fresh and cooked to perfection. Easily ranks as one of my favorite pepperoni pizzas of all time. The pepperoni was quite good, and wasn’t spicy.

The barbecue chicken pizza was also a table favorite. The chicken was tasty and best of all the BBQ sauce had a really unique flavor. It was obvious it was a homemade sauce and that they’ve perfected it over the years.

We should mention that The Parlor also serves beer and wine, as well as mixed drinks. They made me a Long Island Iced Tea which was quite good. They also made a really good Margarita.

The interior of The Parlor is a mix of modern and ’60s. The modern wood beams and paneling along with the varnished cement flooring contrast nicely with the brickwork on the exterior. When we visited it was packed! They have a happy hour that goes from 4-6 pm and we just missed that. There was a 15 minute wait to get a table indoors.

Oh, and lest I forget to share the salad with you. We tried the spinach salad and loved it! It had spinach, tomatoes, avocado, and thick cut bacon. It also had some gorgonzola cheese bits throughout.

So, if you’re looking for a great place to go for a romantic pizza dinner. Check out The Parlor. It is located on Camelback Rd. just east of the 51. They have free parking.

Including tip, we spent $75 for two pizzas, a salad, and two drinks. Worth every penny.

Getting there

The Parlor is on the north side of Camelback directly east of The Armadillo Grill. They’ve got free parking in the back and also offer valet parking.

The Parlor
1916 E. Camelback Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85016
Phone: (602) 248-2480

Chloe’s Corner

Up in the Kierland Commons shopping center is a small breakfast and lunch spot called Chloe’s Corner. It’s quickly becoming one of our favorite places for breakfast meetings, or casual lunches with colleagues.

They serve delicious hand-made breakfast entrees and lunches on the spot. I’ve ordered both the Chorizo Breakfast Burrito as well as the Egg Breakfast. Both were great!

I’m a huge fan of chorizo, so that’s quickly becoming my personal favorite. That burrito comes with green salsa and I can eat the whole thing.

Coffee is fairly cheap, and they do charge $0.50 for refills. Seems expensive, but so is the rent at Kierland, Im sure. I didn’t ask them where they get the coffee, but I liked it.

One thing I really like about Chloe’s Corner is the friendly people, and the open seating. Find a spot anywhere, and the food comes quickly. There is no table service besides that, so you don’t need to leave a tip.

There’s also a big grab-n-go area where you can get lots of great pre-made entrees, drinks, and snacks.

Getting there

Chloe’s Corner is located one block west of Scottsdale Rd. inside Kierland Commons. The location is a little bit tricky to describe, but let’s just say it’s on the first road west of Scottsdale Rd. and north of the main square. By the parking garages, if that helps.

Chloe’s Corner
Kierland Commons
15215 N. Kierland Blvd.
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Phone: (480) 998-0202