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Café Bistro
5101 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85250
Hours: Sun-Thurs. 6:30a-10p, Fri-Sat 6:30a-11p
480-949-7301

        Watching for the palm trees out front that are encircled with white rope lights is an easy way to spot my favorite new eatery. Located just south of the Hotel Scottsdale, Café Bistro features everything any diner wishes for – superior service and fantastic food made with the freshest, tastiest ingredients.
        With a hint of spring in the dusk air, we decided to pick one of the seven tables on the patio with its wonderful vista of Camelback Mountain.
        Our attentive server explained that their menu features only fresh, natural and organic cooking, but this is no tofu/granola joint.
        The warm goat cheese appetizer ($6.50) had the standard ramekin of herb-topped gooey goodness with toast for spreading, but also had a nice added touch of thin sliced apple and crunchy candied walnuts.
        Companion’s Prime Cut Flat Iron Steak ($21.95) came char-broiled to perfection and already sliced against the grain, before being sprinkled with a generous amount of bleu cheese chunks. The meat was certainly prime in taste and perhaps the most tender piece of steak I have ever tasted.
        His chosen side of fries were cut in a diagonal design with skins on and the soy oil they were cooked in assured the potato tidbits were tasty and light. The accompanying arugula salad came in an interesting Asian-style house dressing.
        My Bistro Burger ($10.50) was a double patty of lean meat that our server said they grind fresh daily. For an extra $2, my juicy burger came covered with bleu cheese crumbles and caramelized onions with a criss-cross of two bacon slices. What the Hell, it was Friday…   For my side, I went for the fried yam chips, then almost regretted the choice when I tasted companion’s French fries first. But then we each sampled the yam chips and were bowled over. Very thin sliced then fried to crispy perfection, these were sweet and definitely made to be impossible to eat just one.
        The restaurant has their own pastry chef, so luckily the light yam chips had left me room for dessert. I could not resist the carrot cake ($7). Layers of moist cake dotted with nuts between just the right amount of sweetened cream cheese created a perfect blend.
        Companion’s undecided hemming and hawing finally ended with a huge hunk of pecan pie ($7), although our server did offer to switch out his pecan for apple ($7) if he wanted. I did manage to snag one bite of the thick, delicious pecan pie before companion managed to polish off the rest.
        Café Bistro’s menu offers a variety of healthful breakfasts, including Irish oatmeal, organic egg dishes, and pancakes served with organic maple syrup; in addition to a full barista bar for that shot of caffeine.
        Their lunch/dinner menu offerings include sandwiches and larger meals, such as natural, hormone-free Grilled Chicken with roasted organic vegetables ($15.95); several pasta dishes with an Asian flair ($9.95 - $16.50), a nice wine list and an extensive children’s menu ($2.25 - $9.95).
        The menu also states that their chef is happy to take special requests for anyone with health or dietary needs.
         I would say Café Bistro has something for everyone!