Audio By Carbonatix
Consider it a dress rehearsal.
On the night a dining accomplice and I check out the Theater Terrace Cafe in the Hyatt Regency Hotel Phoenix, we are neither going to nor coming from a play at the Herberger Theater.
No, it is early evening and we are cultural lowbrows. All we hope to do is make it home in time to watch the Academy Awards–from beginning to end. The broadcast begins at seven.
Although Southwest paraphernalia fills the hotel’s gift shop windows, I feel transported to another, more urban city when we approach the Hyatt Regency. The shoeshine man even bids us good evening as we enter the lobby.
We ride the escalators to the second level where the Theater Terrace Cafe is located. When we arrive upstairs, we hear the tinkling of piano keys and ice cubes. Men wearing suits and sporting eyeglasses are congregated in an open lounge. A sign identifies this gathering as simply, “Industry Cocktail Reception.” We skirt the ominously anonymous businessmen’s gathering and locate the entrance to the Terrace Cafe. At first glance, the long, rectangular room reminds me of an upscale Denny’s. The decor is considerably more sedate–gold-tinged walls, silk plants, unusual lighting fixtures, Southwest-hued banquettes, a dusky-purple spider mum on each table–but it has the kind of regularity and organization one associates with high-volume. It’s subtly lit, but not intimate.
Our request for nonsmoking seating lands us a table in a long, evenly spaced row. Again, Denny’s deja vu. (There is an alcove seating area, but it is unused the night we visit.) I note the sensitivity exercised by the staff in placing single diners along the banquette lining the room. Oddly, we’re so distanced from everyone else in the spacious cafe that we achieve a sort of privacy after all.
Thinking as pre- or post-theatregoers, we decide to try some appetizers, a salad, a sandwich and some sweet things. “That’s a lot of food,” our waitress warns. “I’ll wait until you finish the appetizers before I put in the rest of your order–in case you change your mind.” She makes a good point: If this were the real thing rather than practice, we’d only be having one or two of these items. Who wants to go to the theatre (or home to bed) after a big meal?
Black bean sirloin chili comes in a queso-encrusted crock. It manages to be tasty and disappointing at the same time. Black bean lover that I am, I expected significant chunks of identifiable sirloin in a black-bean based chili. Instead, it is regular red chili mixed with a few black beans and no visible sign of steak.
But the brie-and-papaya quesadilla is wonderful. The lightly browned, folded flour tortilla is cut into wedges concealing melted brie sweetened with tiny slices of yellow papaya. A pile of sauteed green, yellow and red pepper slices provides a functional and attractive garnish. Do eat this appetizer promptly–it’s best before it cools.
The combination consists of three appetizers you can order separately: stuffed jalapenos (two), Buffalo-style chicken wings (five) and Southwest “tato” skins (four). My advice is to order the stuffed jalapenos and skip the rest, unless you’re a real potato skins fan.
The Buffalo wings, though plied with a zesty barbecue sauce, are very tiny, very messy and very sticky. Basically, they’re not worth the trouble. (Especially if you’re on a date.)
Southwest “tato” skins are pretty traditional. (Potato skins are potato skins, right?) They come loaded with cheese, bacon, black olives and sliced scallions. You can boost the calories if you add some sour cream garnish which comes with the combination.
Ah, but the stuffed jalapenos! The menu warns us they’re spicy, and they are. The melted longhorn-cheese stuffing and mild, tomato-y salsa on top don’t do much to douse the fire. They’re small and definitely worth the risk.
As our plates are cleared away, I urge our waitress to put in the rest of our order. It is getting late–we do not want to miss the beginning of Billy Crystal’s monologue.
So far, I like Theater Terrace Cafe. Our table has round, ceramic salt and pepper shakers which sit on a matching pastel-colored ceramic tile. Even the canned music–a sort of easy-listening/New Wave format: The mellow side of Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson, buffered with doo-wop and Bruce Hornsby–is perversely appealing.
The smoked chicken salad is a winner. Crushed walnuts and grilled chicken strips are generously scattered over a bed of fresh, dark spinach, balanced with hard-boiled egg halves and ripe, red tomato quarters. Warm, honey-sweetened mustard dressing comes on the side, but be sure to tell your server you want to add it yourself if you’re picky about such things. All the flavors come through, including the tomatoes, which (hallelujah!) taste like something. A nice piece of garlicky, cheese-crusted Texas toast completes the plate.
Meatloaf Handwich also succeeds. Served on grilled sourdough bread, the compact Southwest meatloaf contains onion, corn and scallion, and is coated in a barbecue sauce. Accompaniments include fat, tempura-style onion rings, Russian dressing and dill pickle. Colorful coleslaw is a delightful go-with: Shredded green and red cabbage, bell pepper, radish and tomato are complemented by a not-too-tart vinaigrette dressing.
It is 6:30, but we decide to go for dessert. Why? For you, dear readers, of course. We peruse the dessert menu and eye the pastry tray with the post-theatregoer in mind. We finally settle on Billy’s Carolina brownie and the cookie platter. Eight cookies come on the platter. They look big and hard, but I’m pleasantly surprised when I try them. What I had figured for three oatmeal-raisin cookies are, in reality, cinnamon-oat with slabs of chocolate laced throughout. What a way to get your fiber! I love them. Another trio of peanut cookies falls on the bland side, though these cookies feature chopped peanuts. The one macaroon we’re served is delightfully sticky and coconut-y and our single chocolate chip cookie is regrettably fine–I wish we had more of these.
I didn’t like Billy’s Carolina brownie. The dense, Sara Lee-like brownie is warmed and served with vanilla ice cream. What nixes it for me is the thin layer of marshmallow just below the thick chocolate icing–once the dessert cools, the white fluff hardens and becomes rubbery.
At this point our otherwise good service sours. Every minute counts. We’ve missed the monologue and we’re starting to worry about the Best Supporting Actor award. Unfortunately, our waitress has just been given two more tables. Like hostages we wait for our check, then wait again until it is picked up and returned. It is well after seven when we are able to leave.
As we hustle down the stairs to the lobby, I envy the people staying at the Hyatt Regency tonight. In the final analysis, a room with a view (and a big TV) would have been the only improvement to our startlingly good meal.
Coffee Plantation is ideally suited to provide the same pre- and post-performance services for patrons of the Mill Avenue Theatre in downtown Tempe. Unfortunately, this popular coffee house and outdoor cafe limits its creative food offerings to lunch only.
While these hours may work for matinee attendees, early and late-evening nibblers must satisfy themselves with bagels, cheesecake, assorted pastries and Italian biscotti. And of course, coffee: decaf, regular, exotic and all forms of expertly prepared espresso.
It is 11:30 in the morning when I arrive in Tempe to rendezvous with my lunchtime dining accomplice. He is late, but that’s okay. Coffee Plantation is a very busy place, but it retains an Old World feeling. No one ever is hassled for sitting at a table without ordering.
Looking around, I note some late risers in the outdoor crowd. They are drinking coffee and iced tea, sharing Coffee Plantation’s generous-sized muffins or toasted bagels with cream cheese. Others are reading, writing, rehearsing lines. I watch as the nearby fountain changes from its steam to its bubbling phase (the third phase is flat sheets of water).
My accomplice arrives and we go inside to place our order. (Note: The attentive staff delivers food and clears tables, but does not take food orders. Tipping is done at the counter.) Lunch specials change daily, but generally include soups, salads and sandwiches.
Today’s carrot-cashew soup is a hot carrot puree backed with the dull crunch of crushed cashews. I like the combination of flavors and its burnt sienna color. The cold blueberry soup is not as successful. Dark purple in color with a spider web design on top, it reminds me mostly of Swiss-style yogurt.
Lemon-tarragon chicken salad is tangy and brisk with herbs in a mayonnaise base. Chopped celery and red pepper add texture and flavor. The salad, served on a bed of torn lettuce, is accompanied by sliced Bermuda onion, miniature corn, an artichoke heart, alfalfa sprouts, tomato quarters and pumpernickel bagel chips.
Shrimp and egg salad turns out to be egg salad with tiny shrimp in it. It comes on a choice of bagel (ours was onion) and is garnished with hard-boiled egg slices and dill weed. Bland and pale, it needs a good shake of paprika or black pepper. Even the tiny bit of fresh jalapeno mixed into the salad can’t save it–there’s not enough to give it the zest it needs.
Our coffee drinks are great. Double decaf iced cappuccino comes in a tall glass swirling with milk and topped with whipped cream. Iced decaf cafe mocha seems more chocolate than mocha.
There is one drawback to dining outdoors at Coffee Plantation. Food and liquid can spill through the metal table tops onto clothing below. My dining accomplice and I both discover carrot stains on our socks when we leave.
Later in the week, I return with a classmate for some cheesecake and coffee before a night class. Our cappuccinos are half-price because it is happy hour (4 to 7 p.m. weekdays). Of the two cheesecakes we try, I prefer the chocolate-macadamia, which features chopped macadamia nuts and a crumbly chocolate crust. The only strawberry in the strawberry-banana cheesecake comes from a dab of jam on top–the cake itself is solely banana. Both are rich and fluffy–which, I admit, is a problem for me. Cheesecake is a personal thing, and I’m from the New York school. I like it creamy and so dense my fork meets resistance. This version is just too airy for me to endorse wholeheartedly.
Coffee Plantation can be a bit of a scene-making hangout, but it’s perfect for meeting friends before or after Tempe cultural events. Though the late-night food offerings are limited to sweet things at present, I can still dream, can’t I?
Theater Terrace Cafe at Hyatt Regency Hotel Phoenix, Second Street at Adams, Phoenix, 252-1234. Hours: Breakfast buffet, 6 to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday; 6 to 11 a.m., Saturday and Sunday. Lunch buffet, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday; noon to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Dinner, 4 p.m. to midnight, seven days a week.
Coffee Plantation, 680 South Mill, Tempe, 829-7878. Hours: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday. Lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week.
