It's hard to see the logic in the name Pallets Food and Bar until you go there. By name alone, it would seem to make more sense that the name be "Palates," a reference to the sense of taste. Or even "Palettes," a potential reference to the fact that the restaurant sits in the heart of the downtown arts district.
But once you step inside the pan-Asian eatery, it becomes clearer that the name refers to the old, weathered wood planks that cover the walls. They're the same kind of planks that make up shipping pallets. The decor choice summons mental images of overseas shipping and far flung ports -- and that's a perfect connection to this restaurant's menu, which offers diners a culinary journey through Japan, China, Thailand, and Vietnam.
See also: Virtu Honest Craft in Scottsdale: Simple, Exquisite Food
Here's an excerpt from this week's review by Kathleen Vanesian:
On a tip from neighborhood regulars seated next to us, we found out about the red curry entrée with rice, which for some reason was not listed on the dinner menu but was available for happy hour (Monday through Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m.). Our tipsters were not lying about how good it was. There wasn't a morsel of this dish left as evidence of what once were thin slices of white-meat chicken swimming in a sea of mildly spicy, coconut milk-based red curry sauce kept company by equally thin slices of carrot, bell peppers, onions, and bamboo shoots and flanked by steaming jasmine rice.
Hungry for more? Check out our full review of Pallets Food and Bar.
