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KARSEN'S GRILL
7246 East First Street | 480-990-7660

By Dale Messmer

We had just moved from Phoenix Municipal Stadium to Scottsdale Stadium, the Giants becoming the Firebirds as AAA baseball in town was about to give way to Major League snakes.

It was a move up in digs for those of us who had been covering or working with the team in the cement bunker known as a press box at Phoenix Muni. The writers were especially happy to have glass (and air conditioning) between them and the 200 or so fans who showed up nightly, many of whom I knew by first name from more than a decade as the official scorekeeper.

The writers quickly reminded me during the first homestand that as the local in the now-fancy press box, I must know of a neighborhood bar for the all-important post-game, er, discussion.

I grew up in old-town Tempe, so I protested. Scottsdale may as well be in California. The Tempe natives I knew sort of assumed it was more like Hollywood than anything in Arizona, anyway.

No, they insisted, it was my job to find a place for that after-game drink.

An always-stubborn and often-illogical bunch, it’s usually better to let writers think what they will than to try to use any logic with them.

So I boldly went where no one from my neighborhood had gone before, and we made a trek into downtown Scottsdale.

I’m not big on the “see-and-be-seen” downtown Scottsdale. Lots of good places to eat and drink, but you have to put up with ASU kids acting like they’re adults and Scottsdale adults acting like children.

So I chose Karsen’s for one simple reason: the tiny place was empty.

The three writers and I sat down and ordered our usual drinks. Before we were finished, we witnessed the “Karsen’s phenomenon” for the first time.

A favorite spot for waiters and bartenders, Karsen’s fills up quickly as hospitality professionals from around town end their shifts. Ray, our waiter and one of the owners, proved to be a knowledgeable baseball fan (which is almost a prerequisite to go into the bar, by the way), and all in all it was such a pleasant time, we decided to go back post-game the next night.

That’s when I really fell in love with the place.

Ray said hello to each of us by name. Knew what we drank. Knew which writer worked for which newspaper. Knew to address the important baseball questions to the scorekeeper, not the scribes.

I was hooked.

Been going there ever since, even though downtown Scottsdale’s best neighborhood bar is hardly in my neighborhood. My family counts Ray and his business partner, John, as friends.
Now, that’s no reason for you to try the place, of course. Those reasons would include the best $5 menu in town, available every night, bartenders who know what they’re doing and know when to (and not to) talk, and an atmosphere unique to Scottsdale, if not to the Valley.

It’s a great lunch/dinner place, a better happy hour place and the best reverse happy hour place. Whoever waits on you, please tell them Dale said hi.