This morning, Dan Majerle was being interviewed by the guys on 620 KTAR about last night’s Suns game as I was making my morning drive, checking up on listings.  The normal banter was going around about the Suns, their win over the Knicks, fan reactions, etc., when Dan gives a shout out that he’s opening up a new Majerle’s in Chandler across from Chandler Fashion Center. 

Hmmm, I thought, I think I know where I’m going for lunch.

But first, I feel a bit of disclosure is in order.  I’m a pretty big Dan Majerle fan.  I probably own at least 75 pieces of sports logo clothing, including shirts, jerseys, shorts, etc., from the various sports teams in Arizona.  But I only own 2 jerseys that have someone’s name on them:  Dan Majerle and Steve Nash.  I’ve run into Dan a few times, always on a lark, and while I really don’t know anything about the man personally, he’s been pure class every time I’ve seen him, willing to say hi, shake your hand, and even sign an autograph (as he did for me years ago, when I saw him at the Phoenix Open).

I arrived at 11am, just as they were opening, to check it out.  The new Majerle’s has a great setup for a sports bar and grill in Arizona.  It has 2 patios.  One on the north side of the building and one on the east side of the building, putting the patios in the best spots for shade year round.  The one on the north side is about twice as large, and is adjacent to the bar, which was modified with a number of large windows that can be opened to bring the outdoors inside.  This trend toward an indoor/outdoor bar is being seen in many of Phoenix’s newest and best bar/restaurants, and they’ve pulled if off perfectly at the new Majerle’s. 

Inside, the bar is large, and there is seating for a good sized crowd.  Of course, there are plenty of plasma screens to watch the Suns.  There was even a fireplace surrounded by more relaxed, casual seating, creating what looked like a comfortable place to hang out after the game is over.  I’m sorry, but without my tripod handy, I couldn’t get any decent shots of the inside, so you’ll just have to go and check it out for yourself. 

Even more cool is the bocce ball setup they have adjacent to the north patio. 

Snapping pictures as I arrived, Dan himself came over and shook my hand.  I took the opportunity to double check that I was indeed looking at bocce ball.  That’s a rare enough find, I wanted to be sure.  I mentioned the blog, and asked if it was ok to feature his restaurant, and he gave me the go ahead.  Unfortunately, he’s not current a reader, but I’m working on it.

Lunch was really good.  I had a grilled chicken sandwich, which was surprisingly moist.  The staff was all very friendly, and when the opportunities arise, you know I’ll be back again and again.

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