kitchen, or grab a cocktail at the small bar overlooking the dining patio and ninth green. In an efficient approach,


servers are GCU hospitality students working toward college credit. The young team keeps things moving quickly, and in fact, there are no heat lamps at the kitchen pass-through. Walton insists his food be served the second it’s ready. Small details add up to


a par — or better! Chicken tortilla soup brims with the freshness of homemade, the thick, rust-orange broth stocked with shredded chicken, avocado, ample fiery spice and a cap of crispy tortilla strips ($4). A steak quesadilla gets a modern boost from jalapeno cream sauce with the three- cheese blend ($8), while crispy chicken wings are interesting for their sweet chile glaze and a dip in


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buttermilk dressing ($8). The tuna melt ($9),


pastrami on toasted rye ($9), and patty melt ($9) are popular, my server tells me, but so is the Southwest chicken sandwich ($9), and I see why. Here, the flavorful roasted bird is cut in slices instead of a single slab, the better to balance the guacamole, bacon, lettuce, tomato and Oaxaca cheese atop. And when was the last time a casual café went to the effort of double-frying its hand-cut French fries? Those splendid spuds are included with every sandwich. Lope House is open for


breakfast, as well, and this is a nice place to welcome the cool morning, sitting on the


patio or inside with the floor- to-ceiling glass walls rolled up. A breakfast sandwedge (pun intended, $8) is traditional with eggs, bacon and Cheddar, but the huevos rancheros are even better, the crisp tortillas stacked high with fried eggs, chorizo, refried black beans, Oaxaca cheese and roasted salsa ($8). For dessert, Walton puts


student pastry chef Jabari Corbin in the spotlight, and the result is a standing ovation. Rather than traditional creamy New York-style cheesecake, this version is an ultra-firm mousse, almost like freezer box cake on a graham cracker crust ($6). Drizzled with berry coulis and topped with


Chef Kevin Walton (top) keeps things fresh, inventive and seasonal at the Lope House. Below GCU students enjoy all kinds of different food items, like chicken tortilla soup (lower left), cheesecake (top) and a Southwest chicken sandwich (above).


chocolate curls and sliced strawberries, it’s the final pleasing touch to a carefully crafted café meal that is the perfect complement to a great day on the GCU links. n


Carey Sweet writes about food and wine for the Arizona Republic, San Francisco Chronicle, and Scottsdale and Sunset magazines.


DETAILS


Lope House 5902 W. Indian School Road (at the Grand Canyon University Golf Course), 602-639-8975, gcugolf.com/ lope-house-restaurant. Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.


FALL 2016 | AZ GOLF Insider | 19


CAREY SWEET


COURTESY GCU


COURTESY GCU


CAREY SWEET


CAREY SWEET


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