valleyvittles phoenix
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Thu, August 05, 2010
The more I think about it, the more enthusiastic I become about The Mission. We had lunch there yesterday since I wanted to try someplace new and I’d read good reviews. It’s “new Latin” cuisine, brought to you by the people behind the successful Zinc Bistro, Matt Carter and Terri Ellisor. The setting is lovely. It’s housed in one of the outbuildings of the blindingly white old Mission Church in Old Town Scottsdale. You walk through an attractive fireplace’d patio and into the aroma of fire- grilled meats and romantic darkness (even at lunch). Unfortunately, you’re assaulted by the background music which was very loud and distracting. There’s an interesting back-lit wall of orange and beige Himalayan salt blocks (actually I thought they were fake bricks until I read differently - gauche me). Lots of fancy chandeliers hang from the black ceiling, casting only a little light on the faux finished ochre walls and the somewhat crowded dark topped tables. Our server, Derek, added to the ambience - he was attractove, attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. Many of our south-of-the-border neighbors are represented on it: Mexico of course, Ecuador, Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, Uruguay, Cuba,and probably some I’ve missed. I ordered a Cubano torta, one of my favorite grilled sandwiches with pork belly, smoked ham, swiss cheese, pickle, dijon and yucca ($12). The pork belly was meltingly tender. Surprisingly, the torta did not come with a side, which struck me as pretty chintzy for the $12 price, but that was okay because I had to try the Creamy Grits ($8). Ken chose the Pabellon Arepas ($12). An arepa is a cross between a pancake and an english muffin. It’s made out of a special pre-cooked corn meal, water and a little salt. First it’s fried on a griddle, then it can be baked in the oven for a while where it rises a little and becomes less dense. It’s then split, sometimes some of the interior is scooped out, and then it’s filled with whatever delicacy strikes your fancy. In this case the arepa contained braised beef, peppers, black beans, cotija cheese, and fried plantains. So good. I spent an hour today googling arepas recipes and plan to go in search of the special corn meal tomorrow. The only disappointing (actually downright bad) thing on Ken’s plate were the french fries, a mixture of white and sweet potatoes. They were supposed to have been sprinkled with lime and cumin, but they weren’t, and also they were sadly limp. But OMG, the grits!!!! These were made with the addition of chipotle powder, butter, honey, and cotija cheese. They were on the spicy side, but the heat was moderated by the honey. The color was kind of a cross between pink and salmon (at least that’s how it looked in the dim light), which made it even more interesting to eat. $8 for a good sized bowl which I proceeded to eat pretty much by myself as the grits were too spicy for everybody else (this was fortunate, because I really don’t know if I would have been able to bring myself to share). Our friend Ernest had a Skewered Grill Prawn Salad ($14), with arugula, yuzu vinaigrette, avocado, potato and orange sections. He said the prawns were nicely cooked but were somewhat too spicy for his taste. Anna ordered a chicken arepa ($12) with chorizo, corn, aji amarillo (the menu doesn’t tell you, but this is a hot yellow chili pepper from South America - be warned), and Oaxaca cheese. While she didn’t complain, I have the feeling she would have been happier without the pepper. The food here really isn’t for the faint of heart (or heat). I don’t know if the kitchen would be able or willing to tone it down for you, but it’s worth asking. But the desserts won everybody over. We tried the Pumpkin Bread Pudding ($6), which is composed of pumpkin bread, creme brulee, a butterscotch sauce loaded with Scotch, pepitas, and topped with Berto’s cinnamon gelato. To die for, not to mention get drunk on. The Fried Bananas ($7) were terrific, too, served with butter, nutmeg, peanuts, and a dollop of peanut butter mousse. Go on line to see the dinner menu. It’s expensive, most of the entrees are in the $20+ range, but they sound fabulous. The Mission is, for me, one of the most exciting restaurants I’ve been to in a long time, and I’m grateful for it. But especially for the grits!
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