23 Nov 7th-Nov 13th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | 40 Years of Steakhouse Staples This Phoenix icon serves Texas-sized chicken-fried steaks and nostalgia. BY LAUREN TOPOR O n Oct. 15, 1985, Texaz Grill made its big debut at the intersection of 16th Street and Bethany Home Road. It was a place where friendly service, comfort food and roadhouse- esque decor like mounted deer heads, Texas highway signs and vintage license plates converged in a corner strip mall. Back then, the restaurant was called Lone Star Steaks. Founders Steve Freidkin, a Texan, and Jim Mitchell planned to run a steak-centric restaurant inspired by the somewhat lowbrow, kitschy steakhouses in Texas, hence the beefy moniker. But it didn’t last long — the restaurant was quickly renamed due to a trademark conflict. However, the beef, and everything else, wasn’t going anywhere. Today, when you think Texaz Grill, the next thing that comes to mind is likely their popular chicken-fried steak. But for Freidkin and Mitchell, it was an after- thought in the ’80s. That would change — eventually. Due to some Texas-sized customer demand, the dish was offered on special. After seven years, it was officially added to the menu. Since then, the restau- rant claims to have sold 1 million chicken- fried steaks. New ownership, same Texaz Grill Over the years, the restaurant has racked up accolades from the press and adoration from its regulars. After 33 years in business, Freidkin was ready to hang up his apron. In 2018, Friedkin sold Texaz to Long Nguyen, who had moved to Arizona from Houston in the mid-2000s. Just a few years later, Texaz hit the market again. After weathering the global COVID-19 pandemic and its after-effects, Nguyen was ready to sell. In 2022, Greg Linaman and a group of five co-owners purchased Texaz Grill from Nguyen. Linaman and his wife are the majority owners. Linaman, who was born and raised in Arizona, moved from Tucson to Phoenix in the ’90s and was a customer at Texaz Grill before he became a co-owner. “When you walk into the restaurant and the country music’s playing, it’s dark, there’s all the nostalgia and home-cooked food. It’s almost like stepping back in time,” Linaman says. While he doesn’t claim to have a culi- nary background, Linaman says a serving gig in college was “his favorite job.” “I was a server at a restaurant in Tucson, it’s also where I met my wife, it was a very, very special place to me. I loved the industry and always wanted to find a way to get back in,” he says. “When this came along, it was a special opportunity because it was a restaurant that was running based on a formula that absolutely had worked and was proven.” Not only is that special formula part of the appeal of this Phoenix landmark restaurant, but it’s also part of its success. From the decor down to the menu, very little has changed at Texaz since it first opened in the mid-1980s. Diners are looking for down-home eats served with a big side of nostalgia. Undeniably, the chicken-fried steak is the main attraction at Texaz, but other menu standouts like the smoked prime rib and the fried catfish are not to be missed. Do your- self one better and dig into the loaded pota- toes, a dish dripping with melted cheese, bacon, sour cream and ranch dressing. And don’t skip the house pecan pie. And although Freidkin is officially retired, you might be lucky enough to catch him behind the bar shucking Gulf oysters during happy hour on the last Wednesday of the month. While Freidkin is not on the payroll, Linaman says he is still “very engaged” and “extremely gracious” when it comes to sharing his expertise and his memories of the restaurant. For those taking notes, happy hour is Monday through Friday, from 3 to 6 p.m. and those oysters are just $1.50 each. Texaz has mastered comfort food, and that’s exactly what keeps people coming back. Each piled-on plate is like a big hug from your Southern memaw — warm, comforting and thoughtfully made. But the standout food isn’t the only reason why customers are so loyal to Texaz. The friendly service is just as big of a draw. A staff of regulars Server Cherie Movroydis started working at the restaurant with Freidkin and Mitchell in the 1980s, took some time away to pursue a pharmacy career, and returned to the restaurant in 1994. “I’m not the oldest, but I have worked here the longest,” she says. She has tallied up quite the tenure, too. Movroydis has worked at the restaurant for 29 of its total of 39 years. Movroydis, who is originally from Minnesota, had to learn the Texas cuisine staples when she started working at the eatery. “I honestly never heard of chicken-fried steak until I worked at this restaurant,” she says. In the years since, and now that Texas- style eats have gone mainstream, she says that she feels confident in every menu item. “That’s one of the best parts about working here,” she says. “The steaks are great and the prime rib.” Her personal favorite is the fried shrimp, a hefty helping of five jumbo Gulf shrimp dipped in house beer batter, golden-fried, and served with house cock- tail sauce and lemon. The dish is also avail- able grilled with Cajun seasoning. “I suggest them all the time and people love them,” Movroydis says. She’s among a handful of longtime staff at Texaz Grill. Notably, three of her coworkers have been with the restaurant for more than two decades each. Like the staff, Texaz Grill has its share of longtime regulars. Movroydis’ relationships with regulars extends beyond small talk from the cushy booths inside Texaz Grill. She says a Texaz Grill customer named Bill is one of her “favorite people in the world” and shares that they bet on baseball, talk and go to church together. Movroydis says she and her husband have gone out to dinner with some of the regular couples who have frequented the restaurant over the years. Movroydis’ tip for a successful career in serving: “Be sure you like people.” Since starting at the restaurant, Movroydis has seen co-workers and owners come and go. Today, she says she feels supported by the new ownership and considers it a “positive change” for the restaurant. “These guys seem invested to keep it the icon it’s been for almost 40 years,” she says. “It wasn’t broken, so don’t fix it.” A Texas-sized milestone and the road ahead Texaz celebrated a major event this October as it entered its 40th year of business. With emerging trends and flashy strate- gies to capture consumers and concerns like labor shortages and rising costs at play, what does the future of Texaz look like? Linaman says he and his team of co-owners want to “preserve the restau- rant’s heritage.” “It’s excellence, that is really the goal,” he says. “We want people to have the same meal and the same service that they had in 2015, 2005 and 1995.” And that’s exactly what you’ll get when you mosey into Texaz — whoever you are, wherever you’re from, any day of the week. Texaz Grill 6003 N. 16th St. Sam Lewis, the Armadillo Man, and his critters get cozy with Jim Mitchell and Steve Freidkin at an armadillo race held at Lone Star in 1986. The event took place prior to the restaurant’s renaming. (Photo by Steve Freidkin) Jim Mitchell, Steve Freidkin and Gary P. Nunn at the restaurant’s renaming party. Nunn plucked the winning name from a hat. (Courtesy of Steve Freidkin) ▼ Food & Drink
