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| - Wednesday, October 27, 2010. Opening Night.
As we walked in we were greeted by Michelle Beckett (owner/partner) and she had even recognized me from my comment on their facebook page. This meant a lot because it shows that they are taking time and investing in the utilization of social networking. They want to know their customers and build the relationships to become that "neighborhood hangout," or a true Third Place.
The decor of the building is absolutely perfect. The dark wood, exposed trusses, brick wall, open kitchen are all inviting and comforting. They did a good job of expressing their business concept in their design; they aren't trying to be pretentious or snooty. They are down to earth and simple with the decor and aesthetics which leads them into being a comfortable neighborhood hangout. I was impressed with the wait staff. They were knowledgeable and had tried everything on the menu. This allowed them to give recommendations and answer questions. Likewise, they weren't your typical high school or college servers. They were seasoned wait staff, and it was apparent. My only comment on the service would be that the timing was a little bit off from ordering 1st course, 2nd course, and the time for our after dinner cocktails. However, these are minimal kinks I would expect on night one, so I see it as a nonissue.
Now for the food.
The four of us decided to share the Beckett's Original Grilled Cheese ($9). This grilled cheese had four cheeses and pancetta. It was delicious, and the roasted red pepper soup to accompany was great. This plays a lot into Beckett's concept. It's not food that you can't make at home, he's just going to do it a little better, and for a fare price.
We ordered a bottle of Page Springs Grenache ($41). It was very nice to see a handful of local wines on the list, this is something that I think all local restaurants should strive to do. It was nice to see chef Justin Beckett be able to escape the kitchen and make rounds in the dining room to greet his guests and thank them for coming, etc.
For our main courses we had the Wood Fired Mussels ($18), Fork Tender Short Ribs ($19), Local Pork Osso Buco Confit, and Chicken n Dumplings ($16). The mussels were great. It seems a lot of restaurants are serving mussels in a white wine broth these days (Beckett's Table, Iruna, Liberty Market, etc.). Each of them does it a little bit different, and Beckett's take on this dish is using a fennel broth. Normally I am not a fan of fennel, but it was mild enough, and with the other spices it was a good combination. My only concern (not even a complaint) was the portion of the dish. I had 32 mussels in my bowl. I spoke with Justin after we ate and he mentioned that that was not the correct amount.
However, we discussed portioning and he is definitely being generous with the amount of mussels in this dish. I'd say it's a great deal! The short ribs were cooked to perfection, and lived up to the name "fork tender." They were seasoned well with a nice bite of cracked black pepper. A very generous portion as well. The pork osso buco was delicious. It was tender and flavorful. Its side of butternut squash spaetzle was a nice touch. My little brother ordered the chicken n dumplings. These were delicious, and Beckett's take on this nostalgic dish includes saffron in the cream sauce. It created a very smooth flavor that definitely set it apart from all other chicken n dumplings (except our family recipe, of course).
We thought about dessert... and well... we had to. Chocolate dipped bacon s'mores. Wow. Another great taste combination, taking the smokey, salty flavor of the bacon and dipping it in the sweet chocolate was great. Their marshmallows are house-made, which is just a nice touch. It did come with a dollop of peanut butter whipped cream that complimented the dish.
Likewise, we ordered after dinner cocktails. I ordered the Legend City Cocktail. The name is something that will be nostalgic for those that have grown up in the Valley. This drink I feel was a great twist on a classic Old Fashioned. It was Woodford bourbon, Ricard, bitters and a splash of lemonade: served straight up. I thought it was delicious, but I have began to acquire a bias for classic bourbon cocktails. My mom ordered Miss Katie's Pimms Cup. This drink is named after one of the owning partners Katie Stephens, who also came around to our table and introduced herself and chatted with us for a few minutes. My dad, growing up on a farm appreciated and ordered the AZ Farmhand. It contains Hendricks Gin, ginger, lemonade, honey syrup and a splash of soda. Very refreshing drink as well.
I will be back Beckett and his staff have done a GREAT job opening this new neighborhood hangout.
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