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| - To be surprised... and joyously so! That's what comes to mind when I think of Cafe Monarch.
It is definitely a place where one can practice the arts of "going with the flow," "shooting the breeze," "smelling the roses," and whatever other cliches you can think of that involve taking the time to enjoy oneself AND the people your with AND the setting that surrounds you... It's about being here and now and definitely not in a hurry. If you can do that, then, you will have a wonderful time.
It's an interesting dynamic. If you walk in, everything will be a surprise... but the man of all trades in the land of the Monarchs, Christopher, will accomodate you as best he can with the ingredients he has on hand that day. It is a very casual conversation you will have with him in lieu of selecting off a menu. You'll discuss allergies, likes & dislikes and what's available in the kitchen. The day a friend and I went, Christopher was cooking lamb... he described it has very Mediterranean with olives and I immediately stated my un-love affair with the pitted fruit. He then said he could make a lovely orange glaze and both my friend and I said that'd be wonderful... and oh was it... the Lamb, the Spinach with Barley and Pineapple... the pretty Tomatillo and Roasted Pepper... all of it was DIVINE! (Refer to pics to drool and be jealous). If you were vegetarian or vegan or didn't eat lamb, at this point in the scenario, the experience may not be the best it could be, so you see, you must be open minded and equipped with foodie cojones just walking up to an establishment like Cafe Monarch and just in case, be equipped with a Plan B restaurant... if you do end up using the Plan B, I feel very sorry for you... you'll be missing out!
A better way to go if you are picky, or have a specific allergies/diets is to make reservations for dinner and discuss all that with Christopher prior to dining. I have yet to try this, but can't wait for my second dining experience at dinner time! Whichever way you choose to approach this unique cafe, there is an element of Chef-surprise, and I think that is SPECIAL and we are lucky to have Cafe Monarch in Metro Phoenix... it truly is an experience.
One final tip: Bring CASH, Christopher only deals in "paper." And this can be another analogy... Plastic = Fake, Paper = Real = Cafe Monarch!
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