The Cornish Pasty Co. in Tempe inhabits a long narrow space. The walls are painted black and the floor is covered in tile.
The pasty itself is ingenious -- a lovingly crafted solution to a culinary problem. It is a hard egg-washed pastry crust surrounding a savory or sweet filling. Originally from the Cornwall region of England, wives and mothers made pasties for Cornish tin miners. The miners could hold onto the folded crust of the pasty with one arsenic covered hand, without getting the rest of their meal dirty. The bit of crimped crust used as a handle could then be discarded.
On our visit we tried the Chicken Tikka Masala Pasty, which had the
right mix of chicken, tikka Masala sauce, potato and green pepper in
every bite and the Royale With Cheese which featured hamburger, French
fries, and grilled onions inside the pastry served with a side of
thousand island dressing. Both were delicious and about as much food as
we could handle. There are more that 30 varieties to choose from at
Cornish Pasty Co. and all vary in price from $6.50-$9.00
We're already planning our next trip. Sometimes you're lucky if a few
items catch your eye on a menu, at Cornish Pasty Co. there are a dozen
more pasties we can't wait to try. Oh lucky us. Throw in the fact that
you can drink a Guinness or Boddingtons on draft and this could become
a hideout. It's a great ten and under lunch spot, just limit yourself
to one table mate.
