If you live in the Phoenix area, you may have heard this news weeks or even months ago. But the signage outside the storefront in Scottsdale Quarter is up, but the store is still more or less a shell.
It was slated to open on Dec. 1, but from my drive-by investigation, the menu remains largely composed of construction materials and dust.
If you’ve ever been to the quaint (another word for small, cramped, standing ass-to-elbow with dozens of other wine touring patrons) store in the Napa Valley, you know that the food stuffs there are top notch and the wine selection is good.
It was at my first visit to Oakville that I witnessed a tipsy fellow on a wine tour pick a toothpick out of the cup marked discarded and use it to sample a piece of cheese. He soon became self-aware of his mistake, shrugged it off, and ordered some lunch; no big deal.
That attitude sums up the atmosphere of the real place. It is neither persnickity nor affected (hey look at us, we’re soooo gourmet, and we’re awesome). It knew it didn’t have to be. It’s just great food served in what could be a Depression-era storefront.
Hopefully, fingers crossed, the atmosphere of the store in Scottsdale doesn’t trump all those elements I like about the original.
Frankly, that is one of the things that is really frustrating about Scottsdale, lots of style (hey look at me, aren’t I awesome!?) and not enough substance. If the food is outstanding, I’ll eat off of a paper plate on table made from milkcrates set on a dirt floor, but that’s just me. OK, that’s a slight exaggeration, but you get the gist.
In any case, I’ll provide a detailed review once the store is open. Hopefully it comes after I race PF Chang in January!
