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| - A fine glass of zinfandel while relaxing to beats of the Pharcyde: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAfrhmIvZ_s . Ladies and gentlemen, your newest member of Phoenix's local restaurant community: The Main Ingredient Ale House & Cafe.
When I heard TMI was opening last night, I knew I had to go immediately as my work is very soon going to keep me away from Phoenix a lot over the next few months. I wanted to at least check it out now so I'll remember to go again during those brief periods that I'm back.
I was greeted warmly as soon as I walked in by Courtney, who along with her husband Matt are the co-owners. I took a look around the main part of the restaurant - not too many major changes of the interior from its Lisa G days, but still a great vibe. And a De La Soul poster! Word.
I then headed towards the bar, sat down and introduced myself to Matt, who I could tell was stoked about his first full day open. The bar itself was full of regular folks from the neighborhood and other local business owners who were there to chip in their support. A nice selection of microbrews on tap in front of me, and on the back shelf an array of wine and a vintage Schiltz statue holding up a lighted globe.
I took a look at the menu and noticed both carnivorous and vegiforous options, with everything around $10 or under. Desserts included 3 flavors from Crave ice cream (their neighbor) and offerings from the Arizona Cheesecake Company (Mark and Courtney told me that they wanted to keep everything as local as possible).
I saw Ayesha S.'s chile mac n' cheese, which looked great and she gave it her thumbs up of approval. Alas, with my doc-prescribed food restrictions, I had to limit myself to just a couple of things. I started off with a bowl of olives ($3) and then had the Winner salad ($9) which included mixed greens, turkey, egg, strips of salami, and some others items which at the moment I've forgotten. The olives were strong - a lot of garlic and spice - which I was fine with but wasn't sure how others would take it. The salad was great, although I had to pick out the salami (thanks, doc). Someday I'll be able to eat the whole thing, along with the rest of the menu (hopefully).
To drink I had two glasses of wine - a cab and a zin. I'm only supposed limit myself to one glass, but as TMI was brand new and I'd eaten rabbit food all day and was having a good time, why the hell not. Both glasses were great, and I also got a small taste of a brand new concoction by Matt - a rich, chocolatey porter ale with raspberry-infused vodka. Tasted like liquid dessert. Too bad I can't really order it moving forward but Matt's got a winner on his hands.
In terms of music, old school hip-hop beats and other phat tunes. Matt and I are the same age so I was appreciating each track that came on (Tribe, Digable, etc. Hell, even PM Dawn! Whatever happened to those guys?). Volume was just right.
As the evening wound to a close, I was able to talk to the owners further - about their plans for the place, their back story, on opening a new business - and really felt great that this house just off 7th Street is in the hands of a young, energetic couple ready to make their own imprint on the Coronado neighborhood as well as Phoenix in general.
Best to their success.
4 stars for now (come on, it's Day 1).
THE MAIN DETAILS
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* Open 11 am -11 pm M-Th, till midnight Fri-Sat, closed Sun.
* Happy hour prices on drinks from 11 am - 6 pm (!)
* Casual
* Outdoor and indoor seating
* Inexpensive food; lunch & dinner
* Beer and wine focus; limited cocktails
* Unpretentious
* Just your friendly, neighborhood spot
* Will I come back? Definitely.
And there you have it.
Cheers.
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