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Peter's European Café
7125 E. Fifth Ave., 480-874-0104

You won’t find Peter’s European Café just by driving by. It is tucked away in a cool shaded courtyard among the Fifth Avenue shops. It occupies an interesting high ceiling space and has patio dining flanked by a long water fountain. My associate and I came across Peter’s while strolling through the arcade of shops on a cool evening and decided to find out what Hungarian food is all about.

We started out by sharing an appetizer called Hungarian Palacsinta ($15.95). It’s a crepe filled with chicken and mushrooms, and an accompanying gravy which seemed like a béchamel sauce, but incorporated the mushrooms.

For my entrée I chose the Weiner Schnitzel, a breaded veal cutlet ($17.95). Schnitzel is like the original chicken fried steak, of which I am a big fan. It came with a generous side of Spaetzle—a type of Eastern European pasta, which reminds me of how dumplings taste.

My wife really enjoyed the Chicken Paprikash ($15.95) a linguini-sized noodle dish with chicken and a Paprika-based crème sauce.

Peter’s is definitely a place to save a little room for dessert. Our server proudly showed off a tray of pastries and cakes made fresh that morning. Peter’s is open from 11 a.m. to
9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Rumor has it their Sunday brunch is a huge local favorite and is on my list of things to check out in the near future.

Galileo Bread Emporio
9619 N. Hayden Road, #108, 480-998-7280

Zoran Bisenic is quietly baking while you’re sleeping. At 3:30 a.m. every morning, this Serbian-born co-owner of Galileo arrives to bake some of the most sublime pastries and Italian breads in the Valley. Bisenic and wife co-owner Milka have made this Italian bakery and café an inviting place for a gourmet breakfast and lunch, and the closest thing we know to the cafés we adore all over Europe.

For breakfast, we love ordering Galileo’s caffe latte and one of their Italian croissants ($2.35). Coffee drinks range from $1.75-$4.50. Their capuccinos, café americano, and other coffee drinks are made to order by Zoran and wife, and are prepared without all the fuss and long lines of corporate cafés who shall remain nameless.

The croissants are baked daily and have that crispy-sweet crust we’ve only found in the best pastry shops in Rome and Barcelona.

Galileo is also an ideal spot for a quick gourmet lunch that won’t break the bank. My wife usually frowns upon tuna fish, but the Acquario panini ($7.95) is made with imported Italian tuna along with fresh onions, tomatoes, and the perfect amount of olive oil. This is my wife’s favorite sandwich, and now she refuses to use mayonnaise in any tuna sandwich.
I prefer Galileo’s Ariete, a classic Italian pannino (I have learned that “pannini” is the plural of pannino). It is prepared with fresh-sliced prosciutto di Parma, mozzarella, tomatoes, and olive oil. Try the Scorpione for a taste of real Italian cooked ham. All pannini are served with Galileo’s home-made crusty baguette bread or focaccia and range from $7.95 to $9.50.

But, remember to leave room for a few of Galileo’s home-made treats! For dessert on a 90 degree day recently, we opted to top off our lunch with gelato. This is Milka’s special pick from a recent trip to Italy: she also serves authentic roman sorbetto inside a real lemon, orange or peach.
And if you feel you can burn off a few more calories or would like to toss your most recent diet to the wind, end the meal with Zoran’s famous tiramisu ($5.95).

All of Galileo’s specialty sandwiches, breads and pastries are available to take home, but better get there early, as they go fast, especially on the weekend.

Galileo is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are closed on Monday.