Damnit Scratch. I wanted to like you. I really did.
Overall:
Here's the deal: My daughter and I do 'daddy/daughter' once a month or so. We decided to go see a movie and then hit this place for lunch on Saturday. I'm sure this place is doing something right (or perhaps Yelp is doing something right on their behalf?) because this place was hopping. As in: packed. As in: no seats available.
So we decide to do takeout. We ordered 2 sandwiches (they each come with side salad greens) and 2 desserts. And we waited outside on their patio set for our order to be done.
Location:
VERY hard to spot for a few reasons:
a.) It's in a strip mall
b.) The signage is HIDDEN BY A SUN-SHADE.
As other reviewers have pointed out, It's nestled between a Subway and some other insignificant strip-mall business. Look for the subway if you're trying to find it.
Ambiance
Cute in a neo-french sort of way. Pastry case where you order, small indoor seating area and communal table, and a bit of outdoor seating that's probably only comfortable to use about 2 months out of the year here in Arizona. (Did you know that it got uncomfortably hot outside here in Arizona? Who knew?) Campy french music playing when we were there.
Menu selection
Here's where it gets really interesting. Their pastries look delicious. To be honest, it was hard to pick just a few things to try. Their sandwiches sound incredible, and these were hard to choose as well. I settled on a Croque Monsieur and an almond tart. The part that is heartbreaking for a first-timer here is possibly spending a small fortune on something that isn't at all what you expected.
Price
Here's my main sticking point with Scratch Pastries. This place is EXTREMELY expensive for what you get. Our sandwiches were above average in both uniqueness and quality, but not 200% better than subway, next door (and that's about what we paid). The pastries were the main event, both in presentation & price. Again: They were good, but not $5+ good (and that's what we paid for them. Per pastry)
Summary:
Pretty cute. Very francophile. Interesting menu. Very expensive. Probably won't be back for a while.