Stories from the PHX Museum: Museum Dining
Posted on 12-04-2023 10:49 PM
Stories from the PHX Museum: Museum Dining
PHX Stories: Museum Dining
A meal at the Louvre in Paris inspired these Phoenix cultural attractions to elevate dining experiences.
My Paris trip included dining at many different types of restaurants. I found myself at the Cafe Richelieu / Angelina in the Louvre Museum, tucked next to NapoleonIII's private apartments with a panoramic view of the iconic Louvre Pyramid, even though I was traveling in French cuisine circles.
My trip through the world's largest museum in Phoenix was exhausting, but educational as I nibbled on Quiche Lorraine and sipped sparkling rose from the Cotes de Provence. It wouldn't be my style to linger at a major attraction while dining. 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.
My return made me realize Greater Phoenix has some defining similarities with the City of Light. In many notable museums here, dining is not just an afterthought, but a satiating event as special as the collections and artifacts on display.
Gertrudes
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. The herb and vegetable sources are Gertrudes patio garden and DBG community garden.
Menu items such as Niman Ranch ham steak with Anson Mills grits, red eye gray, and watermelon pickles showcase ingredients from farmers across Arizona and the Southwest. Wines and beers from local producers are abundant, along with botanical cocktails like the agave sunrise reposado. At Gertrudes, though, the outdoor patio area is the crowning glory of the restaurant, where award-winning cuisine is served amidst lush landscaping.
1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix
Cafe Allegro
The museum houses musical instruments
The self-serve restaurant reflects MIM's mission to support a universal message of music with a changing lunch menu of global, regional, and local dishes, as well as soups and salads and specialty desserts.
Through a courtyard entrance, sunlight illuminates the dining atmosphere, but the station-style food setup doesnt diminish the well-developed flavors or nutritional content of Cafe Allegro's thoughtfully-crafted menu that focuses on vegan, vegetarian, and minimally processed items including farm-to-fork Arizona chicken salads, jerk pork ribs 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
With an on-site kitchen and a seasonal menu that focuses on indigenous, sustainable, and locally sourced ingredients, the Heard Museum honors its regional roots while showcasing its collection of American Indian art.
Southwestern art enthusiasts have been dining at Courtyard Cafe's permanent favorites like the Heard signature meatloaf made of bison, beef, applewood-smoked bacon, grilled onions, house-made tomato jam and country white bread for years even though the menu changes with the seasons. Additionally, the cafe serves warm tepary bean salad, acclaimed posole, and fry bread which are long-time favorites.
A quaint restaurant and lush courtyard patio make the Heard the perfect midday spot to refuel and reflect on the museum's historical significance to cultural preservation.
2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
Palette
The Phoenix Art Museum houses this exhibit
It's a casual-American restaurant bursting with color and artistic integrity, and it's called Palette. With a serene outdoor sculpture garden and rotating seasonal menus, Palette is a real museum retreat.
Restaurant items include organic vegetables, handcrafted sauces, local meats, and boutique beer and wine from Arizona. There are a variety of noshes and bites on the main menu, including McClendon butternut squash bisque, slow-roasted pork tacos and Cuban press sandwiches.
Palettes' weekend brunch also demonstrates its passion for the epicurean arts, with items like pulled pork omelettes and crab cake Benedict, along with $10 mimosas to toast the museum's vocations.
Strobe Sport
2737 E Arizona Biltmore Cir UNIT 28, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Phone: (707) 878-7623
https://www.strobesport.com/