By Susie Timm, Chief Operating Foodie
The anticipation for my trip to Caffé Boa was high. It was a “girls day out” with my good friend Christa that would cap off with a trip down to Tempe to sample this Mill Avenue institution’s new menu.

I have heard many, many reviews of Caffé Boa over the years. Of late, I have heard a lot of buzz about Chef Payton Curry’s arrival and the changes to the menu.

I typically don’t read what other people are saying about a restaurant before I eat there, but for some reason I was compelled. I spent about an hour pouring over Yelp!, Chowhound and Urban Spoon. The anticipation grew.

Christa and I spent the day catching up and in the late afternoon, we decided to head down to our old ASU stomping grounds.

My business partner Jay decided at the last minute to join us for dinner and we arrived about 40 minutes before our reservation.

We took a seat in their cozy bar and took in the scene.

We saddled up on the long community style bar table and checked out the drink menu. I was immediately impressed by the variety of inventive cocktails.

Christa and I opted to taste the red delicious martini and Jay chose white sangria, a personal favorite of his.

We observed the interior of the restaurant whist waiting for our cocktails. The hardwood floors, brick walls, paned windows and painted murals gave Caffé Boa a very urban feel. It stood out ten fold among its peers on Mill Avenue on décor and classy interior design alone!

Our cocktails arrived. My Red Delicious tasted like a little bit of fall in a glass. It was topped with foamy goodness, reminiscent of childhood trips to Orange Julius. And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. I heart Orange Julius.

Jay’s white sangria was not the favorite beverage he tried that evening as he said it was a bit too “bitter.”

We sipped on our cocktails and were shown to our table around 5:30 PM.

We were seated between the kitchen and the enclosed patio.

Our server Nick arrived and gave us a little background on the restaurant since the arrival of Chef Payton.

He said the last three months has held a strong focus on sustainability and local produce. Evidently Chef Payton plants many of the crops they purchase from McClendon farms. They receive sustainable produce daily and make all their pasta fresh in house.

We were starving at this point and told Chef Payton to “go to town” and present us with whatever what on his culinary mind that evening.

Which is another interesting aspect to Caffé Boa. Chef told us the weather was rainy and dreary so he decided to change the menu at the last minute. He’s adaptable and sustainable—great combo! ☺

We did ask him if there was one dish we “had to try.” He said, “Order the fried chicken, and sign a waiver because it will change your life.”

How’s that for dish anticipation?

Jay and Christa decided to try another couple of their signature cocktails. A strawberry and basil muddled martini for Jay and a coffee martini for Christa.

Both were incredibly fresh and delicious. Our server described the strawberry martini as “taking a nice shower.” Hmm…interesting. (Side note: I later tried to conjure up memories of that martini in the shower and it just wasn’t happening…)

The joy of the evening arrived next. The charcuterie plate. Or should I say “pate heaven on a wood cutting block?”

Holy charcuterie goodness Batman! Chef Payton sampled for us the pork country pate, the turkey pate that he said was their ode to Thanksgiving, and the rich and creamy garlic and lemon zest turkey pate. There were multiple “wows” being thrown out left and right by all of us at the table.

The plate also contained fresh bread from MJ Bread, house made pickles, pickled radish, house made quince and house made mustard.

I am going to go on record stating, “Payton Curry has a curing and pickling addiction.” Lucky for Caffé Boa!

This stands alone and the best charcuterie we’ve had all year and the creamy turkey pate has officially toppled BLT Steak’s pate for best we’ve had in our lives.

At this point in our dinner Jay remarked that he previously only had visited Mill Avenue to sample Atomic Cherries at Fat Tuesday’s or to shake it at Club 411. (Ok, he really didn’t “shake it” but I really had to write that.) Who knew what culinary delights that Caffé Boa held for us?

Next we tried the Mayas green garlic and potato soup with caramelized onion. It was served with a crostini topped with a tangy goat cheese and a Thumbelina carrot top.

The soup was rich, creamy and thick. Paired with the crostini, it had the perfect combination of salt and tang. Magnifique. I was quite grateful that Chef was inspired by the rain.

Next they brought us Washington mussels with leeks, lemongrass, yellow curry and coconut milk. It was served with a grilled flatbread. Typically, I run screaming from curry (the powder, not the man), but this had a very mild flavor, and frankly, I tasted the lemon more than the curry flavor. Christa had never tried mussels before but we think we made her a believer.

Next came a panzanella salad that hand everything from duck confit, to mushroom broth vinaigrette, to three types of mushrooms, to orange blossom honey.

The three of us were not big fans of this dish mainly because it had waaaay too much going on in it. We would have liked it more without the duck. The layers of flavor did not combine in a way that suited our taste buds.

Next we sampled the gnocchi and sweetbreads that reminded us of an “adult pot-pie.” The gnocchi was incredibly delicious and we could really taste the potato. Some gnocchi comes out gooey or mushy. This was crispy and light with a strong and structured taste.

The autumn maccaroncello arrived next. This dish is made with butternut squash, fresh pasta, honey and pumpkin oil topped with pecorino cheese. We found the flavors to be overwhelmingly “squashy.” To interpret, that means we thought it was far too sweet. It had a beautiful color and presentation, but we are salty people. (in so many ways!)

Finally, the evening’s showstopper arrived. The “payt-n-bake” Fried Chicken. Chef Payton told us the chicken itself stays “similar” on most evenings, but that they mix up what they serve it with almost nightly.

The chicken was made-to-order and was served over sausage gravy and mashed potatoes. The skin was peppery, crispy and not at all greasy.

The chicken was also the MOST tender fried chicken I have ever had in my life. I had to ask how they got it to fall off the bone. They said they slow cook the chicken itself before frying it. Ahhh, I love culinary secrets! I am going to try that at home!

The mashed potatoes and gravy reminded me of a restaurant in Fon du Lac Wisconsin my parents used to take me as a kid. I absolutely adored them.

A few other notes, our server was pleasant however a bit inattentive. We asked multiple times for fresh silverware, plates etcetera. We even ate an entire course sharing one fork because it (the food) was getting cold and our server had disappeared.

We can tell they are really trying to improve the service, and we do expect it to match the quality of the food very soon.

Overall, we enjoyed our experience thoroughly. Chef Payton Curry is an excellent addition to Caffé Boa and we are proud and willing recipients of his pickling and curing addiction.