We decided to pack up the car & drive north from the real downtown PHX. Driving north on Central ave around 7pm on the weekend is very enjoyable especially when the weather is mid 70's & clear skies. Just east of Central ave on the south side of Camelback Rd is an old office building 111 that's been turned into the coolest venue in town to eat at, BAR NONE!
Our wait was only 5 minutes or so & the got us a 4 top in the main seating room. Once we ordered they gave us bread w/ oil. We got water w/ lemon & some house made lemonade which is stellar!
As an appetizer we ordered the potatoes crispy fingerlings, rosemary, sage, lemon aïoli $6.00. This was a HUGE surprise. It's unlike anything we've ever had around the world. The flavors are vast & the ailoi is one of a kind! Highly recommended!
They asked us right away if we'd like to put in an order for our daughter. She's 3 & was hungry. Good looking out by the St. Francis staff here! Kids eat free @ St. Francis, YES, KIDS EAT FOR FREE! They get to choose between the pot roast & cheese pizza w/ the salad. She chose the obvious & loved it! Our girl ate all but one bite of the pizza, I had to try it, & it was very well done! The salad they serve w/ the free kids pizza is wonderful also, I'd gladly eat a larger portion of it or lunch sometime @ the price of $8-$12! This alone is reason for the value meter to range beyond 10 out of 10!
The wife ordered the chicken: garlic whipped potatoes, mushroom sauce, con t tomato $18.00. This is served rotisserie style w/ the bones in it. Very fresh, small portion, very moist, & variety of types of meat w/ a breast, drumstick, & thigh included. The presentation is phenomenal as well.
I had the Pot Roast caramelized carrots, broccolini, texas toast $18.00. This was incredible. The sauce was from another world it was so good! The veggies were good. The roast was so soft & served on a larger than normal texas toast piece of bread. The entire dish was like a 3-ring circus, it kept coming w/ new tastes & options of how to set up your next bite. I was starving & could have used another 1/3 to this dish but it probably enough food for most people out there.
The bread pudding sticky to ee w/ sweet cream gelato $7.00 was wonderful. Again very small in portion & could have used twice the sauce for as some bites w/out the sauce were VERY DRY & almost painful to get down. If this was twice as big in size & had a few more spoonfuls of sauce I'd almost have to rank this as one of the best desserts in the entire valley! The flavors are unimaginable, it's mixture of sweet cream gelato w/ the bread & sauce are unlike anything you've ever tasted. Rumor has it the recipe is over 200yrs old & safely guarded by an underground group of chefs.
St. Francis get's a 10 out of 10 for comfort & venue. It's the nicest venue in town, the location couldn't be any easier to get @ 111 Camelback & the free valet allow you to come in, drop off the car, & worry about quality food & an enjoyable experience.
Value is a 9 out of 10. The free kids meal is appreciated. You won't feel nickle & dimed here. There's nothing more that pisses me off than to go spend $80-$120 on dinner & get charged for a side of syrup or get charged again for what should be a free refill on your soda. The reason it's not a 10 out of 10 is simply due to the portions. Like I said on previous posts, I like to EAT & for $20-$30 a plate you should be FULL after wards. I was almost comfortable but not FULL when I left. Do not let this get in the way of going here however, it's quality & extremely enjoyable!
Service is an 8 out of 10. The water glasses are under sized & the place is usually packed. If you're needing to get in & out do not consider St. Francis. The staff is kind, professional, & on top of stuff. Sometimes I get a weird "I'm better than you vibe" from a few of their managers, waiters, kitchen runners, etc. & it drives me nuts. If my glass was full more times than empty & the attitude was checked @ the door I'd be forced to give them a 10 out of 10. We'll see if & when the service improves as this blog gets more popular.
Over it's an "A" for one of a kind "EXPERIENCE" for anyone who goes!
Recommendation: GO, ENJOY, & GO BACK AGAIN.
YOU'LL GET HOOKED LIKE I DID & WANT TO GO BACK WEEKLY!
Here's to the coolest venue in town & top 5 eatery's in all of Maricopa county w/ regards to food quality!
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FIRST of all, I'm going to gain weight just DROOLING over this!
How many places do u go to a week? The pictures of the food are amazing!!!! Thanks for the picture treat of the meal u guys had, yum!
"I like to EAT & for $20-$30 a plate you should be FULL after wards"... most people aren't 6'7" either. Little ol' 5'8" me would probably be full.