Yesterday we began our talk with Brian Kingdeski of The Spot in Gilbert. The neighborhood restaurant and hangout serves "food you'll like" in a comfortably tiny and welcoming setting.
The Spot may be a baby in the restaurant world, but Kingdeski's no new kid on the block. He's been working the in business since 1994 and has done everything from fine dining to bartending and owned sandwich shops and pizza parlors before finally deciding to open up his own place.
"When you're doing everything else for everyone else, you only can do what they want," says Kingdeski. "I love to cook. We wanted to open up something where we could do our own thing."
And by "own thing" he means serving up classics like sandwiches, salads and pizzas in a community he's been a part of for years. Brian, his wife, Tracy, and their three kids live just a short distance from the restaurant in Agritopia. Kingdeski wanted to be sure the menu and location fit the needs of the community while still reflecting his personal style.
"I love large portions so you'll see our food is large portions. And we make everything here in house. We have a microwave that we hardly ever use. It's more like a drink stand than a microwave," he jokes.
"We wanted to have good value. Other places that are around here, you go and it's expensive. Its good food, but its expensive. We wanted to have a lot of comfort dishes and classics that people like."
In addition to offering hearty, home cooked fare Kingdeski hopes to incorporate live music to the picture. Back in Dayton, Ohio he bartended at a "heavy metal" bar and live music venue. While The Spot doesn't exactly fit for the head-banging type, Kingduski's is working on bringing local musicians to play on Saturday nights.
Check back tomorrow when he'll take us through the process of making The Spot's steak sandwich with Gorgonzola cheese and "horsey sauce."
