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| - We went here for Sunday brunch (9-1). It's a really open air restaurant. The front 'door' of the restaurant opens widely and there are long couches opening out onto the covered patio. It was easy to imagine sitting there with friends sharing wine and appetizers. The patio goes around the sides and towards the back there is a little grassy area that I imagine is pretty packed at Happy Hour. The menu, food presentation, and décor really make it feel like eating at a European bistro.
We sat on the side of the patio. The road noise was a little bothersome - next time I would sit farther back on the patio. (Note, we arrived at 8:50 so the restaurant was pretty empty and quiet at first - that may have made the road noise more noticeable.) We were also right under a speaker -- some other reviewers have commented about the music being too loud. I would imagine with our table location at peak time, conversation might have been tough.
Hubby had the bruschetta ($13.50) - Brie & Apples with Fig Spread, Ricotta with Dates & Pistachios, Prosciutto with Figs & Mascarpone, Burrata, Bacon, Arugula & Tomatoes. The bread was outstanding and the flavors really blended nicely. He liked all of them, but his favorite was the ricotta with dates & pistachios - wouldn't have thought to put this combination together but it was outstanding.
I had the roast beef Panini with ciabatta and romaine salad for the side. The ciabatta was toasted which helped blend all the flavors. It was very good. I try to keep my carbs low so for the second half of the sandwich, I took the top of the bread off and ate it like a bruschetta. The romaine had feta cheese and very light sprinkling of seeds. Not sure if there was a dressing but if so it was very, very light.
Had the crème brulee for dessert. Haven't had crème brulee that good in Phoenix metro area since Elaine's closed. Lots of vanilla bean flavor with a properly light and crispy carmelized top. Mmm.
I had water and hubby had iced tea (although he didn't drink it because he doesn't care for fruit-flavored teas). Bill came to $35. They appear to run multiple specials where drinks are cheaper ($5 glass of wine). I'm not a beer drinker but they seemed to have quite an eclectic selection of beer.
We live in Gilbert and the options for non-chain restaurants are pretty limited, so I think we'll be back.
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