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| - Ten of us spread out into a semi-private room at The House last night for dinner and then made our way out back to the Urban Barn for a little live jazz/blues from Paris James. What a cool place! There are 3 distinct atmospheres to enjoy: the historic spanish mansion with wood floors and a full menu; the chic urban barn out back; and a cozy fire lit alfresco dining patio separating the two.
Besides being a sucker for restaurants in old houses, the menu was spot on. With words like "maya's farm, mcclendon farms, queen creek olive mill, homemade pasta, seasonal vegetables and Tracy Dempsey" you can't go wrong.
Everything was excellent but there were several dishes worth an extra mention. The sweet potato planks were not your typical deep-fried plank. These were round, perfectly cooked creamy sweetness with crisp pancetta wheels on top. The grilled bread served with the mussels and the artisan cheese plate actually tasted grilled. So often you get the grill marks but not the taste. Not so here. The seasonal salad was super fresh and full of veggie goodness, including crisp slices of watermelon radish. The best of all though, sure to be my newest craving food, was the handmade papardelle pasta with local fennel sausage and pecorino cheese. It couldn't have been better. Perfectly cooked and seasoned, it melted in my mouth.
If nothing else, go for apps and drinks. The cocktail menu is eclectic and fun. Again, when you mix booze with ingredients like basil, cucumber, cactus, rosemary, figs and pear, what could go wrong? Nothing, in my book.
Where we went wrong was by not ordering dessert. Local pastry chef, baker and candy maker Tracy Dempsey's desserts would have been a perfect end if we weren't so full. On a side note, pick up some of her bacon brittle wherever you can get it. And her homemade marshmallows and caramels are insanely good. If you don't eat them all yourself, they make ideal hostess gifts.
After dinner we joined a lively group in the Urban Barn for music by Paris James. We met co-owner Pat Christofolo (Santa Barbara Catering and The Farm Kitchen at South Mountain) and her husband Greg (we call him George).
They hung out and talked food with us and we had a great time. Bottles of wine were 1/2 price - Score! - and we were especially excited to see a well-conceived wine list complete with AZ winemaker Sam Pillsbury's '08 Red Roan (hard to get if you even can) and Foxen's Pinot Noir.
Great job, guys. Keep it up!
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