Tag Archives: Italian

Local Bistro cute new spot in north Scottsdale

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Last night, I headed to north Scottsdale to check out a brand spankin’ new restaurant, Local Bistro. The restaurant features a menu with items from France, Spain and Italy, so there’s a little something for everyone. The decor was cute, with brick walls, stacks of wood lining the entry way and a big wine display next to the bar (which features television.)

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It’s not really romantic, especially given the fact the radio plays pop music–it’s more of a high-energy spot great for groups, with some upscale touches such as linen napkins and professional-looking servers.

One of my favorite parts of the meal was the cocktails. I first tried a Basil Gimlet ($10), which was so fragrant because of the fresh basil leaf in the drink. It was strong but so refreshing and contained Hendricks gin, basil, lime and agave. I loved it, and my companion got two of them, they were so good.

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I also tried a Cucumber “Collins” ($10) which, like the Basil Gimlet, had fresh produce, cucumber slices, in the drink. It also contained Square One Cucumber, lemon, sugar and mint and was very refreshing as well. Both drinks were light, but I felt the effects of the alcohol–perfect cocktails!

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For my meal, I started with a Farm Salad ($5), with mixed greens, tomato, shaved carrots, toasted walnuts, rustic croutons (soooo good!) and a dijon vinaigrette. It was pretty much the perfect salad. It was pretty and colorful, it had really fresh veggies, and the dressing was really tasty.

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My companion started with the Soup of the Moment ($5), which had garbanzo, pancetta, fresh herbs, roasted garlic, truffle oil and focaccia croutons. He said the soup was really salty, which overpowered anything else he may have enjoyed about it.

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For my meal, I got a Wild Mushroom pizza ($14), with wild mushrooms, fontina, truffle oil and arugula. The pizza was huge (I had to take half of it home), and it was generously topped. I really liked the soft, chewy dough, and the combination of ingredients really worked.

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My pal got Salmon en Pappillotte ($18), with seasonal veggies and mashed potatoes. He didn’t specify how he wanted it cooked and later complained it was too well done. Personally, if I was to eat meat, I would get it cooked as well as possible, so the salmon might have been great if he had just specified his preference.

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Our dessert was pretty interesting. It was chilled cream that looked and tasted like flan. I hate flan, so the texture sort of creeped me out, but the taste was good, and I loved the homemade strawberry compote it was served with. I could have eaten just that for dessert and been happy. The dessert was a special for the night.

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We had a limited menu when we went, but looking at the full menu, I would definitely go back to try some of their other options.  They have a ton of pasta dishes, including a mac n’ cheese meal that sounds so good. Plus, the prices are affordable, and the atmosphere is cozy–perfect for this season.

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Crudo leaves my stomach and wallet empty in Old Town Scottsdale

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Don’t go to Crudo.

Trust me, just don’t. I hate bagging on local eateries, but I had a very bad experience there recently (my friend’s company was great, but the restaurant sucked.)

First off, it was pretty difficult to find, since there was no clear signage pointing the restaurant out. I drove up and down 3rd Ave. a few times before finally parking and getting out, then walked up and down the street a few times feeling like an idiot for not being able to see it. After finally locating it, which is housed in a bizarre shop/spa combo, my friend and I sat ourselves outside. At 7 p.m. on a weeknight, there were probably only three tables full in the whole place.

Our server came out and got our drinks. She explained that “crudo” in Italian meant raw, so all the first courses were raw. We decided to split the Maya’s Farm table crudo ($12) to start. It had mozzarella cheese and squash, and it tasted pretty amazing. The problem was, though, it took more than 15 minutes to come out. Considering the restaurant was empty, and the dish was raw, it seemed like a really long time.

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I had the Mushrooms Au Gratin ($17) for my entrée, minus the fried egg. It came with fingerlings and mozzarella. I almost laughed when I saw the portion, which was about the size of my fist. For $17, I thought that was ridiculous. It tasted great, but the price for the portion was hard to swallow.

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What I did like about Crudo was the pretty patio. It has twinkly lights on it, which I’m a sucker for, but I thought the inside set-up, next to merchandise, was just plain weird. And I thought the prices were a huge rip-off. Not to mention, the service was less-than-stellar, and for a place that is supposed to be sort of fancy, I found that unacceptable.

You can find pretty patios elsewhere, like here, here, here, and here.