Caffe Boa

Let me preface my first ‘We Eat Out’ entry by disclosing the extent to which I am unqualified to review restaurants. First of all, I don’t eat animals, so it is highly unlikely that your meal choices will be reflected in my blogs. Second, I don’t drink alcohol (asian flush) and will thus have no insights to contribute on the subject. I should probably also mention that I am relatively parsimonious (which works out quite will with my aversion to meat and alcohol), and neither sophistication nor objectivity are among my ambitions. However, if apple juice, side salads and grilled cheese are your fare, I’m your girl.

A couple of Mondays ago, we dined at Caffe Boa, a lovely Italian place tucked away on 4^th street off Mill Avenue. It was here where we conceived of a dining review blog, in response to what we perceived to be a grave injustice. (More about that later.) Walking into Caffe Boa, one is greeted with a warm air of self-importance: the place is obviously “nice” and you, therefore, are “nice” for having been there, on dark wood floors, under soft lights, amongst other “nice” people. Any doubts are eliminated immediately by the sprig of rosemary bound by twine to your napkin and cutlery.

We began our meal with a delicious and beautifully complimentary loaf (or two) of fresh bread with a dish of olive oil. The bread is impaled by a large knife and served on a cutting board, leaving you to tear or slice as you wish. For our entrée, Lauren and I decided to share the Tortellini Brigantino (cheese tortellini in a cream sauce with broccoli, peas and mushrooms, $15.95.) It is a colorful pasta dish, and not very large, but quite rich and filling, so if you prefer a light meal, this one is not for you. We chose two desserts, the tiramisu, and Chocolate Hazelnut Royale, a chocolate mousse on a crunchy hazelnut base. Although the tiramisu has apparently won awards, it was clearly upstaged by the Royale on our table. Overall a tasty meal, however rich beyond my taste.

The atmosphere, again, is nice. I’ve heard that when they have live music, conversation can be challenging, but on a slow Monday, the room lent itself to our blog brainstorming and musings over presidential candidates. The décor is subtle, with the exception of a few out of place pieces of art. In an effort to tone down the pretension of a wine-heavy café, it seems the owners opted for colorful, seminonrepresentational, textured, vagina-reminiscent paintings which proved to be both a distraction and an amusement. But I certainly appreciate the effort towards color.

The low point of the meal, by far, came with the bill. Caffe Boa implements what could be called a regressive tax, that is, a tax weighing heavily on those with the least ability to pay. They call it a “splitting fee,” which means that if you’re going to make them put half a dish on another plate, it’s going to cost you an extra $3. It’s meant to discourage the poor and those with moderate appetites from dining at Caffe Boa and we were appalled. (Though we shouldn’t have been, it turns out that the menu includes a splitting fee warning. We didn’t bother to notice it because in our naiveté, we couldn’t imagine such a measure.) It was generally a pleasant evening with an ugly end. Probably best kept for special occasions for someone of my income and appetite, Caffe Boa might have more appeal to a wine connoisseur with more sophisticated tastes and a thicker wallet. As for me, the free bread might have been the highlight of my meal.

oh, and check out the candle. Yeah, that’s not a candle.

www.cafeboa.com
398 S. Mill Ave.
Tempe, AZ 85281
480.968.9112