Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Caffe Boa Bistro - A Hit or Miss Dining Experience





I just had dinner at Caffe Boa Bistro in Mesa at 2837 N Power Rd. It's on the NE corner of Power and McDowell (in the same shopping plaza as D-Vine Wine Bistro). This is owned by the same people as the original Caffe Boa in Tempe which I ate at a while back and it was good. The Mesa location opened a couple months back and I've been meaning to check it out since I live in the area.

Dinner

Caffe Boa Bistro is decorated nicely, albeit a little plainly. It's modern, but not edgy. The dark wood flooring lends it a slightly warmer feel than the generic tables and chairs do. There is a large, high-top table that could probably seat 24 people that runs down the center of the restaurant that helps break up the space nicely. If you're looking for privacy, this is not the place to eat as the seating is very open and your neighbors are close by. There is a pretty small bar area and a separate table in the back of the restaurant for a private group as well. Noise levels were pretty subdued, even with a large group of people at the bar while I was there. 

The wine list by the glass is very nice with about 50 different ones to choose from. I really like the fact that you can choose how much you want (3, 6, or 12 oz or a full bottle). But with all that customization, I was surprised not to see any wine flights offered. Bottles seemed to be pretty close to 1.5 - 2.0x retail, which is nice. There is a modest sized reserve wine list as well with some very nice offerings, but you'll need to be ready to shell out some green for most of the choices. I had a 6 oz glass of Miner Chardonnay ($11) with my meal.

The menu is an Italian format in the sense that it's split into Firsts, Seconds, and Thirds (which is really just another way of saying: apps/salads, pastas, and entrees). Apps range from $9 on up, pastas start around $14, and entrees are $12 for smaller plates (like a burger) or $25+ for a seafood or meat dish and they appear to include sides. They also give you fresh bread and a trio of items to use for dipping, which is a nice touch. We stuck with appetizers that night and here is what we ordered:

  • Meatball Bruschetta - This was an odd dish. Some parts worked and some, well, just didn't. This is not a typical bruschetta. Basically there was a large piece bread, a pile of meatballs and onions, and a mound of arugula on a plate. It was not assembled in any way and the plating looked pretty haphazard. The meatballs were in a sauce I'd liken to a cross between marinara and smokey BBQ with sauteed onions mixed in. The meatballs were tasty and moist, but the bread was just OK and there was way too much of it. The arugula was kind of plain and seemed like an afterthought. Also, like the bread, there was a lot of it.  
  • SoCal Love - Here is a salad that has many things I like: butter lettuce, chicken, avocado, almonds, sprouts, and tomatoes topped with a champagne vinaigrette. Again, this was a hit or miss dish. The butter lettuce was perfect and there were several large, full leaves. The tomatoes and avocados were also fresh. However, the plating of this salad missed the mark. The avocado was under the base of lettuce leaves and I didn't notice it until my daughter pointed it out to me and asked why it was hidden. The chicken was chopped/shredded and piled on the bottom edge of the plate. Sadly, it was fairly dry and kind of bland. The champagne vinaigrette was pretty good, but there was not enough on the salad. SoCal may have inspired the dish, but I wasn't really feeling the love....
Final Take

I had high expectations for Caffe Boa Bistro and I feel the whole experience was a little lacking. The service was fine as is the wine selection, but the food we had was just OK. Boa needs to do better if they want to keep people from defecting and going next door to D-Vine. I would eat there again and try something different, but it may be during happy hour where I can get something for a bit less cash. I want Boa to succeed as I feel they have enough of the right pieces in place to deliver a dining experience that is better than average. I guess time will tell.

Overall Grade = B- (Above Average)

The EV Foodie