Friday, February 7, 2014

A Different Kind of Church Dinner

In downtown Phoenix there is a church with a long history.  In 1893 the Smith Chapel was built at what is now 546 East Osborne Road.  As the congregation and church buildings grew, it was renamed Bethel Methodist Church.  The Bethel Methodist Church building is a traditional mission style building with several very large stained glass windows, a cathedral ceiling with open beams and many other beautiful features.  Adjacent to church building were school and fellowship buildings.

In 2012 the Methodists made the decision to close the church and deconsecrate the building. The property was purchased by a local development company seeking to revitalize the area.  While keeping the historic atmosphere of the church, the main building was modernized and converted to a restaurant named Taco Guild.

Recently I had the pleasure of dining at the Taco Guild, with, appropriately enough, my church's supper club.  When looking at the web site, I was impressed with the unconventionality of turning an old church into a restaurant and looked forward to our dinner there.  The interior of the building looks much as I imagine the Methodist left it, including the beautiful stained glass windows & the framed church bulletin board which now houses an electronic jukebox.

The vestibule is now a cozy dining area, perfect for larger groups. The main dining room was spacious and tastefully done.  Where once there stood an alter, there is now a bar.  Other furnishings included padded pews, candelabras, wrought iron chandeliers and old photographs which may or may not have been original but certainly could have been.    I can't remember the last time I was so enamoured by a restaurant's building and atmosphere, that alone makes Taco Guild worth visiting.

Of course the main reason people go to a restaurant is to eat, right?  So, let's talk about the food.  The menu is rather limited, consisting mostly of, guess what, TACOS!  But these are not your ordinary everyday tacos, a couple of examples  are the AL PASTOR PORK grilled pineapple, jalapeño bacon, pickled red onion and THAI SNAPPER coconut green curry, sweet Thai slaw.  Each taco is available on a corn or flour tortilla about 4 inches in diameter.

Being a bit of a traditionalist, I was a bit hesitant about the menu.  So I went the safe route and ordered the braised beef and chipotle cherry steak.  Both were scrumptious, as was the grilled corn off the cob.  The entire meal exceeded my expectations and days later I am still thinking "damn those were good tacos".  I also want to add that the service was excellent, our glasses were kept filled along with our bowls of chips and salsa.

If you are a Phoenix local, this is definitely a place to visit.  So, go have a church dinner.





1 comment:

  1. Sounds divine, BJ! Our niece lives in Phoenix. I will pass the word. Amen. xoA

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