Jerry's, located on US 70 in Safford, AZ
The Pinaleño mountain range, with the 10,700 foot Mount Graham as its highest point, is the most prominent in the state. Rising 7,000 feet from the Gila River below, it offers spectacular views and the perfect "sky island" experience; hiking from the base to the summit is, in ecological terms, not unlike driving from Chihuahua in Mexico to Alberta in Canada. Their abundant hardwoods--oaks, sycamores, and the occasional walnut at low elevations; aspens nearer to the top--make the Swift Trail (AZ 266) one of the region's best fall color drives. Perennial streams and pools, many harboring native Apache Trout, are said to be some of the best fishing in the State. The area's relative remoteness--two and one quarter hours' drive from Tucson, nearly four hours hours from Phoenix, and four hours from El Paso, means the range is far less crowded than the Catalinas, Madera Canyon, or the Huachucas.
Safford, AZ is the town nearest this outdoorsman's paradise. With a population just under 9,000, it's giant by Graham County standards, but it's a small town to the rest of us; everyone seems to know everyone else, nobody's in a hurry, and by 9 PM, even on a Saturday, almost everything is closed.
If, as I did last weekend, one tries to squeeze every last minute out of a trip to the Pinaleños, coming down hungry after 9 PM and too tired for even the thought of McDonald's or KFC to be anything but stomach-turning, Jerry's is the only option, and it isn't bad.
Since Jerry's looked much like Denny's, I was a bit reluctant to stop in--maybe fast food would be a better choice--but it wasn't as bad as I thought. Good, even, for a 24-hour diner, although nothing special. Although, as I found out later, it's a franchise restaurant, it's run as though it was local. Newspaper clippings, Safford High memorabilia, and nostalgic photos contributed by locals, including a few from 1966, the year the restaurant opened, are hung above the counter. The one waitress on duty seemed to know most of the customers and was attentive and quite pleasant for the hour.
The menu, laid out in a self-consciously retro-60s "Populuxe" style, was pleasantly low on gimmicks and pitchmanship. The usual short-order diner fare: hamburgers, sandwiches, fried chicken, liver and onions, omelettes, make up the bulk of the offerings. It's like a Denny's, were Denny's management to know simplicity and restraint, and the food also compares favorably with that of Tucson's famous Grant Road greasy-spoon Bobo's.
I ordered a BLT with coleslaw on the side. Nothing special, but the cole slaw--crisp, fresh-tasting, and not overly sweetened--could pass as homemade, and the sandwich was close. The bread was sliced thinly and toasted to the point where it had a pleasant snap, the bacon was crisp, the lettuce unwilted, and the tomato contributed more than just texture.
Jerry's isn't worth the drive to Safford for its own sake, but if you're in the area and need a meal, I recommend it over fast food.
Comments