14 Jan 23rd-Jan 29th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Questions? Feedback? Email me at [email protected] • Follow me on RATING (out of 5 McFly’s) 2025 MAZDA CX-90: BIG STYLE, BIGGER EFFICIENCY 2025 MAZDA CX-90 The 2025 Mazda CX-90 The 2025 Mazda CX-90 is proof that you really can is proof that you really can have it all: luxury, efficiency, have it all: luxury, efficiency, and a little bit of swagger. and a little bit of swagger. At $60,000, this three-row At $60,000, this three-row SUV offers serious bang for SUV offers serious bang for your buck, especially with its your buck, especially with its PHEV powertrain delivering PHEV powertrain delivering an impressive 56 MPGe an impressive 56 MPGe when running as a hybrid when running as a hybrid and a respectable 25 MPG and a respectable 25 MPG on gas alone. It’s perfect for on gas alone. It’s perfect for those who want to save the those who want to save the planet and look good doing it. planet and look good doing it. Behind the wheel, the Behind the wheel, the CX-90 feels like it’s punching CX-90 feels like it’s punching way above its weight class. way above its weight class. The hybrid system combines The hybrid system combines smooth, quiet electric driving smooth, quiet electric driving with enough gas-powered with enough gas-powered oomph to make highway oomph to make highway merges and steep inclines merges and steep inclines a breeze. Handling is sharp a breeze. Handling is sharp and responsive—Mazda and responsive—Mazda didn’t forget their sporty didn’t forget their sporty roots here—and every drive roots here—and every drive feels like a little adventure, feels like a little adventure, whether you’re hitting the whether you’re hitting the road for a family trip or just road for a family trip or just popping out for groceries popping out for groceries (and taking the scenic route). (and taking the scenic route). Step inside, and you’re Step inside, and you’re greeted by an interior that greeted by an interior that could easily be mistaken could easily be mistaken for a luxury car. From the for a luxury car. From the soft leather seats to the soft leather seats to the real wood accents and real wood accents and expansive tech features, expansive tech features, it’s clear Mazda wanted to it’s clear Mazda wanted to wow you. There’s plenty of wow you. There’s plenty of room for seven, premium room for seven, premium finishes everywhere, and a finishes everywhere, and a touchscreen so nice you’ll touchscreen so nice you’ll want to swipe through want to swipe through menus just for fun. If you’re menus just for fun. If you’re in the market for a stylish, in the market for a stylish, efficient, and powerful SUV, efficient, and powerful SUV, the 2025 Mazda CX-90 is in the 2025 Mazda CX-90 is in a league of its own. a league of its own. Comfort: Value: Fuel Economy: Looks: The Drive: Safety & Security: Overall: Sound System: Bells & Whistles: small farm, the challenge fit Steadfast’s approach of “bootstrapping and making a lot out of a little,” Erich says. Inside, the diner has undergone a light refresh. Gone is its metal countertop, replaced by a warmer butcher block. On a recent afternoon, students released from neighborhood schools gath- ered on the expansive patio’s picnic tables, shaded by a canopy of red umbrellas. They ordered ice creams and chicken tenders from the walk-up window. The idyllic scene is exactly what owner Yvonne had hoped for. “This is a great spot for families,” she says. “We have young families as well, so we’re trying to create a place they all enjoy.” Neighbor Tiffany Chandler says she felt the absence of the diner while it was closed. “It’s all what Eastmark is about – it’s about meeting your neighbors out for lunch and coffee,” she says. “It’s a staple.” Diner shows ‘what an urban farm can do’ Whether a single nine-seat prefab ‘50s-era diner set on a single green acre can help to make Phoenix a hub of sustainable foodways has yet to be seen. That’s a tall order, of course, but Steadfast does have a chance to “really showcase what an urban farm can do to a community and bring to the table,” general manager David Stevens says. You don’t have to think about any of that over lunch, though. You are perfectly welcome to simply order a sandwich, bowl or salad. Dishes include pastrami piled on rye bread with Swiss cheese, griddle onions, house pickles and mustard as well as a grilled chicken sandwich topped with Swiss, bacon, avocado, garlic aioli, lettuce and tomato. Grain bowls are made with a rotation of seasonal Steadfast produce, served with a base of White Sonoran Wheat berries or brown rice. Among salad selections are classic Cobb and Caesar, as well as the autumnal Steadfast Salad, featuring little gem lettuce, Gorgonzola, dried cranberries, green apples, candied pecans and an apple cider-honey vinaigrette. The diner will also serve coffee, craft beer and wine from makers such as Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. and Dos Cabezas WineWorks, plus seven signature cocktails developed by Iconic Cocktail Co. owner Matt Farrow. Tipples include an espresso martini and a Gold Rush, a riff on a whiskey sour made with the farm’s raw honey syrup in place of sugar. There are also cones, floats and milk- shakes made with Thrifty’s Ice Cream. The diner will offer lunch and dinner daily. In time, the team hopes to serve breakfast, starting with weekend service before moving to seven days a week. There is counter service at the nine stools inside the diner’s cozy L-shaped bar, where guests can watch their cocktails being made. Looking forward, Erich says they would also like to host monthly chef’s dinners, featuring Christensen and others from around the Valley to showcase a tasting menu format. It’s another way the trio hopes to display and celebrate how the farm and restaurant work together. ”It’s not any old farm to any old table,” Christensen says as he stands in the farm’s rich soil. He points to the diner. “It’s this farm to that table. And that’s great.” Steadfast Diner 5149 Inspirian Pkwy., Mesa Farm to Diner from p 13 On the biointensive farm, vegetables are planted and harvested several times a year. Steadfast Diner has an expansive patio. There, guests can order through a server or at the diner’s window
