New York Flavor: Egg Creams and Winning Sandwiches in the West Valley

Salads and pasta dishes can be found on the menu, as well, and although they don't pack the same interesting flavors as the sandwiches, they are safe bets. There's a Southwest Caesar that gets surprisingly lively due to a spicy chipotle dressing. And for pasta entrees, a slice of cheesy, meatless lasagna fares better than a less-remarkable eggplant Parmesan.

In addition to lunch, New York Flavor serves all-day breakfast items like pancakes, omelets, a spicy French toast, bagels that Olear buys par-baked from Scottsdale's New York Bagels 'N Bialys before finishing them off firm, and, for New Yorkers who consider eggs on a roll a major food group, a New York classic egg sandwich.

Jackie Mercandetti

New York Flavor's basil mascarpone burger (right) and top-notch deli sandwiches are welcome additions to Surprise's dining scene.

Location Info

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New York Flavor

15170 W. Bell Road
Surprise, AZ 85374

Category: Restaurant > American

Region: Surprise

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Details

New York Flavor
15170 West Bell Road, Surprise
623-266-2520
www.newyorkflavor.com
Hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Hot corned beef sandwich: $8.99
Tribeca sandwich: $7.99
Basil mascarpone burger: $8.99
New York cheesecake: $3.99

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More About

• Lynn Olear
• Washington-born Craig Emmons
• Brooklyn (New York City)
• Food and Cooking
• Eating Out

Desserts at fast-casual places like this can sometimes seem like a plastic-wrapped afterthought, but not at New York Flavor. Lynn Olear makes most of them in-house, and if you're too full for a sweet ending to a meal, they come in individual take-home containers. Two standouts include a wonderfully moist classic chocolate cake with a thick and fudgy icing and a rich yet light New York cheesecake with a golden brown crust and a bottom of heavenly sponge cake.

If you are not facing the counter with a view into the kitchen, New York Flavor could be mistaken for a small living room, an observation Olear credits to the décor choices of his wife. Along the wall are photographs of New York, taken by Olear on his many walks through the city; a few chandeliers with two in the back emulating the those of the Metropolitan Opera House, which ascend from the floor to the ceiling to announce the beginning of an opera; and a large, wall-mounted screen showing a live-streaming view of Times Square so that diners, Olear says, can get a feel for the lifestyle.

And of course, Olear has New York egg creams, the unique beverage most associated with soda fountains in Brooklyn. He says his method of a half-inch of Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup followed by an inch of milk and seltzer water for the remainder of the glass is the most successful way to make one — and after my first sip of creamy meets chocolaty meets fizzy refreshment, I couldn't find fault with his thinking.