"5"^^ . "2011-01-13T00:00:00"^^ . "24"^^ . . "5"^^ . "I really had no idea what Caffe Boa was. I just had had a feeling it was good, and I wanted to eat there. Call it \"gut instinct.\" But the name and logo had me thinking it was a New American or Fusion cuisine cafe. No, that wasn't it at all. Caffe Boa is Italian. And about as Italian as you can get. I mean, made-from-scratch, obsessive, \"we know what we're doing so don't ask too many questions\" Italian. Capisci?\n\nOh, and the food...DELICIOUS. They do know what they're doing. I've tried a bunch of dishes, and can't really say a bad thing about any of them. The salads are perfectly-dressed (not a dry leaf, but not sitting in a pool of dressing either). The soups are homemade and amazing (try the Lentil if they have it that day). The Lasagna will have the pleasure center of your brain firing neurons it didn't even know it had. Also, the Voodoo pasta & chicken dish is like...it's just like \"wow.\" The quality of food really can't be beat. You can tell they take an exceptional amount of pride in every dish they serve.\n\nThe menu isn't extensive. So, if you don't feel like pasta, fish, salad, or soup, then you're not going to find much else on the menu -- there are other offerings, just not many of them. But anything you do order is going to be very tasty. Has been for me anyway. \n\nThe ambiance is sort of upscale...but I felt at ease in my hoodie and jeans too. But it is nice inside. And it's VERY dark in the evening. They play Smooth Jazz and have a big wine selection. Not a bad place to take a date I guess (although I usually go with family).\n\nThe service is...? Service is good...I might even say \"very good\" actually. But I wouldn't really say it's \"friendly.\" More urbane than amicable. Think \"east coast friendly.\" But even without a lot of smiles, they get the job done. Also, I like when places pay attention to details. For instance, Caffe Boa serves Stella in the Stella glass and Guinness in a Guinness pint glass (both of which they have on tap). It's a small detail, but it shows that they're aware of what they're doing. So, props for that.\n\nOverall, this place is very good. It's my go-to spot for Italian in Ahwatukee now....and there are a lot of Italian places in Ahwatukee. But I think Caffe Boa's food beats them all so far."^^ . . . "8"^^ .