Red White & Brew By Frank Hamilton Whether you are in the mood for pasta, sandwiches, salads, pizza or something else, Red White and Brew offers a variety of tasty food in a relaxed atmosphere. Located on the northwest corner of Power and McDowell, Red White and Brew is a great place to meet for lunch, dinner or drinks. While my wife and I have dined at Red White and Brew on several occasions for dinner, I recently stopped by on a business lunch. We arrived around 1 p.m. and, although most of the seating was full, we were seated immediately in a booth. The menu looked so good I had trouble making up my mind. On the walk in we passed several people eating pizza; it looked delicious, so I had pizza on the brain. And while individual slices are available, I decided to go another route: To buy a little time and tame our hunger, I ordered Chicken and Cheese Empanadas, explained as “slightly spicy chicken and cheese empanadas served with a creamy Thai sweet chili salsa dip.” The empanadas arrived, and were crispy and full of flavor. We both agreed the Thai sweet chili salsa was an interesting partner to the empanadas. I chose an old favorite for lunch, the Marinated Sliced Steak Salad, containing fresh greens tossed with sliced roasted red peppers, diced tomato, shredded Asiago cheese, red onions and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The salad is topped with a sliced, marinated steak and crisp, fried onion strings. I never think salads will be filling and I am often proven wrong, including this time. A generous amount of tender steak tops this salad to make it a satisfying meal. My lunch partner, Larry, chose the “Just a Sirloin Burger” without cheese or bacon. The burger is a half-pound, fresh, 100-percent ground sirloin on a grilled bun with lettuce, tomato and sliced red onion. All garnishes came on the side. According to Larry, his burger was cooked to his specification and very juicy. On previous dining excursions, my wife, Megan, has ordered the Spicy Black Bean Veggie Burger and found it very good. The veggie burger is a spicy, all-vegetable burger topped with lettuce, sliced tomato, red onion, provolone cheese and chipotle mayonnaise. From her recollection, the burger was not dry, as veggie burgers tend to be. For dessert we split a Tuxedo Mousse Cake, consisting of layers of chocolate and vanilla mousse topped with rich chocolate ganache icing. The piece was so large we each only ate a quarter of it. The cake was very rich, but not overly sweet. It provided just the right amount of sweetness to complete the meal. We drank water and iced tea with our lunch, but a full bar menu is available. If you would like to experience Red White & Brew or learn more about the restaurant, its take-out menu or catering services, visit them at 6740 E. McDowell Road in Mesa or on the web at www.rwbaz.com. The restaurant’s daily specials can be found online. To reach them by phone, call 480-807-9393. Tell them NearbyNews sent you. .