The Mission's Bar

The Mission's Bar has style.  The lit candles and glass make for a hip, trendy, Spanish ambiance. My Spanish-speaking friends in Latin America would say "Tiene mas nivel," which means it has more level or it is high level or high class.

The bowl at the bar in the top photo is holding fresh lemons and limes. What a great place to have them displayed and quite functional for the bartender. The candle in the photo below with the wax dripping down creates quite a sculpture.

The Mission is a nice location in Old Town Scottsdale to have a drink at before going to a play at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, or to have dinner at after a stroll through the Scottsdale Mall after viewing the LOVE sculpture and listening to live music, or to visit for a cup of hot tea after seeing modern art exhibits at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.  All of these art venues are within very close walking distance of the Mission.   

The Mission has smooth margaritas, especially the Mission or Palmarita margarita, but it also has great tea.  I always judge a restaurant by their attention to detail, including their selection of tea and whether they offer brown sugar.  I once had tea at a restaurant called Nikki's in Vienna, Austria on Christmas Day and they served six types of sugar.  What a presentation of sugar to go with our tea.  There was white granular and brown granular sugar, white and brown sugar cubes, and white and brown sugar rock crystals.    

Most restaurants can have good ambiance, unique menu, but then they serve two types: English Breakfast tea or chamomile and that is it.  Uggh!  I prefer a choice of at least a few teas. The Mission serves "two leaves and a bud" tea  www.twoleavesandabud.com. The tea has nice flavors and is served  in a see through clear bag and uses whole, not crushed, leaves and buds.  I had Jasmine Petal, a green tea.  A good cup of tea is a very nice ending to a delicious meal.