Museum Dining: PHX Stories
Posted on 12-04-2023 10:41 PM
Museum Dining: PHX Stories
PHX Stories: Museum Dining
Taking their cue from the Louvre in Paris, these Phoenix cultural attractions are elevating dining.
During my trip to Paris, I dined in many different establishments. I had my most memorable meal in the Phoenix Louvre Museum, at Le Cafe Richelieu / Angelina, next to Napoleon III's personal apartments, with a panoramic view of the Louvre Pyramid as my backdrop.
The world's largest museum was exhausting, but educational, and as I sipped a sparkling rose from the Cotes de Provence, I reflected on my experience. It would not occur to me to linger and eat at a major tourist attraction. But at the Louvre, I was invited to savor the museums monumental details over an above-average meal in a setting that transported me to the Age of Enlightenment when the great intellectuals of the world gathered in public spaces and salons to discuss art and culture over a sumptuous meal.
Greater Phoenix shares a number of features with the City of Light that I didn't realize until I returned. Several notable museums here offer dining experiences that have an equally elevated social aspect, where food is more than just a dietary necessity, but a rewarding experience as important as the collections and artifacts they house.
Gertrudes
It can be found at the Desert Botanical Garden
This upscale restaurant and bar pays tribute to the gardens' founder, Gertrude Divine Webster, and her mission to preserve the desert. There are many herbs and vegetables used in the cooking that are sourced from Gertrudes patio garden and DBG's community garden.
Among the dishes on the seasonal American menu are the Niman Ranch ham steak with Anson Mills grits, red eye gray, and watermelon pickles, along with other items from Arizona and the Southwest. You'll also find a variety of botanically-infused cocktails, like the agave sunrise reposado, a combination of elderflower, Champagne bubble, fresh grapefruit and lime juices. However, Gertrudes' outdoor patio is its most sought-after dining area, where visitors can savor the award-winning cuisine among nature's beauty.
1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix
Cafe Allegro
The Musical Instrument Museum has this exhibit
The self-serve dining spot is a symbol of MIM's mission to promote a universal message of music, serving a changing lunch menu of global, local and regional cuisine, grilled specialties, soups and salads, and homemade desserts.
Through sunlight views of the museum's courtyard entrance, the dining atmosphere is illuminated. However, but the station-style food setup does not detract from Cafe Allegro's thoughtfully-designed menu, which features vegan, vegetarian, locally-grown and organic Arizona chicken salad, pork ribs with Jamaican jerk spice and lemon tahini falafel.
Among their extensive wine selection are Pillsbury's Wild Child White wines from Cochise County, Arizona.
4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix
The Courtyard Cafe
Located at Heard Museum
As part of its regional roots, the Heard Museum's restaurant features salads, sandwiches, entrees, and desserts highlighting indigenous, sustainable, and locally sourced ingredients.
Courtyard Cafe has a seasonal menu that changes every season, but Southwestern art lovers have been coming back for years to eat permanent favorites such as the Heard signature meatloaf with bison, beef, applewood smoked bacon, grilled onions, and homemade tomato jam. Among the cafe's most beloved dishes are tepary bean salad, posole, and fry bread.
Heard's cozy feel makes its quaint restaurant and its lush courtyard patio a perfect midday spot for refueling and reflecting on the museum's contribution to cultural preservation.
2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
Palette
It can be found at the Phoenix Art Museum
This casual-American restaurant features its own swathe of color and artistic integrity. Palette is a true museum retreat with a seating area that extends into a peaceful outdoor sculpture garden offering rotating seasonal menus.
Besides organic vegetables, handcrafted sauces, and local meats, they also offer Arizona boutique beer and wine. McClendon roasted butternut squash bisque, slow roasted pork tacos and a Cuban press sandwich are among the main menu's bites.
It features such dishes as the pulled pork omelette and crab cake Benedict, as well as $10 mimosas to complement the museum's dedication to creative and culinary pursuits.
Strobe Sport
2737 E Arizona Biltmore Cir UNIT 28, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Phone: (707) 878-7623
https://www.strobesport.com/