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.      

Crystal Crosses for Bottle Stops

The Mission restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale has a gorgeous bar with great color and glass.  On the left of the bar are these beautiful crystal cross bottle stops, right next to lemons and limes.  A nice combination of color and freshness at the bar.  

We are very lucky to live within about one mile from Old Town Scottsdale. We regularly take walks and check out different restaurants so we can try and convince ourselves we live in an urban environment, even though the Valley of the Sun is the lowest density major metropolitan area in the United States.

Old Town Scottsdale has over ninety restaurants to choose from, and for locals, we all have our favorites.  We tend to stay away from the purely tourist-oriented restaurants and instead primarily enjoy dining experiences at locally owned restaurants with great chefs.  The Mission is locally owned, has a great chef, good ambiance, and has the beginnings of becoming  a local and tourist favorite.  Now, go have a drink at that bar!

Candle and Cross

The new Mission restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale is full of crystal chandeliers, candles, and crosses. There are real burning candles both inside and out on the patio, which really makes for a nice ambience.  I captured this candle and cross on the door going from the patio inside the restaurant.

As I already wrote about our great dinner yesterday, today I will tell you what I will eat next time I go: table side guacamole (can't live without it); Almejas al vapor consisting of clams, rock shrimp, chorizo, roasted corn, pan de yucca, and aji amarillo; hearts of palm salad with swordfish bunuelos; pork shoulder, pumpkin bread pudding, and fried bananas with dulce de leche.

The Mission is a great addition to Old Town Scottsdale and is located at 3815 N. Brown Avenue. Reservations can be made by calling 480.636.5005. 

The Mission Restaurant

A new restaurant called "The Mission" just opened in Old Town Scottsdale.  It has a Southwest feel and some great architectural elements, which I will share with you over the next few days.  No, the sign is not out-of-focus; the shadow from the bright Arizona sun gives that appearance.

This is not one of Arizona's traditional Mexican food restaurants. The Mission has complex Latin food with a French influence. Some dishes have zing, which is perfect for me.  I love the variety of chilies that Chef Matt Carter works into his inventive dishes. Matt Carter was the chef at Zinc Bistro, another great location in Scottsdale.

We had the table side guacamole as I am a guacamole connoisseur.  I deem it excellent in both presentation and taste and and I am very picky. Great tortilla chips also.  The grilled meats were very flavorful and melted in our mouths.  My Mom had the Uruguayan rib eye with chimichurri sauce and a side of green chilaquiles, which consists of layered tortillas, eggs, pulled pork and red chili sauce.  I had the Chorizo Pachetta with a side of white bean puree that just rocked!  Both items were superb and unique.  

Tourists and locals will love the food and atmosphere.  There is an outdoor fireplace that you can sit and enjoy the Mission margaritas with salt (highly recommended!).  Because I am a foodie and always eat out, I hope to introduce or highlight many of our local restaurants to both tourists and locals.