Morning Squeeze, Scottsdale - Review
Sitting in the exterior portion of the bar this morning in a bustling Morning Squeeze was reminiscent of being on a cruise. The mild weather and breeze, the tropical colors of the decor, the permeating smell of bacon, and the clatter of dishes and silverware all felt like the breakfast buffet on the lido deck of a Caribbean cruise liner. The food provided a similar feeling in that it was good to be hard to find specific complaints, but not so good as to be memorable in and of itself. That's fine on a cruise because breakfast is nothing more than an opportunity to fuel up before a day of shore excursions, and honestly for a hip Scottsdale breakfast spot there may not be any need to have great food to attract a crowd.
For my money, I want better than tolerable for a $17 out-the-door price for coffee, meal, and tip because there are plenty of better, cheaper breakfast spots in the area and many of those have the added benefit of not being the starting point for Sunday-Funday.
Much like a Caribbean cruise, the staff and patrons were all attractive and well put together for a 9:30 breakfast; most being dressed as lightly as politely acceptable. In a way, it's a continuation or new start to the Scottsdale social scene, with pickups still occurring.
Every part of the service at the bar was prompt. Quickly provided water and menu, my Americano came out quickly and all the usual barrista questions were asked (which comes down to "hot or cold?"), and once I assumed the I've-looked-at-the-menu-and-am-ready-to-order pose a bartender was there to take my order. I witnessed a food-prep snafu regarding the diners beside me--their order was taking a while so they asked the bartender to check on it. She promptly investigated and was quite candid in letting them know that the kitchen didn't put together their custom sandwich (a menu option) correctly and redid it. A minute or so later she came back to let the diners know their meals would be comped. It was an impressive level of candor and remedy in a situation that could easily have been covered up.
The food, as indicated above, was satisfying but not exceptional. It's not something I'm in a hurry to return for... I had the country fried steak and eggs--two eggs any style, hash browns or country potatoes, toast, some fruit, and country fried steak with sausage gravy atop. The steak could have really used a crisper fry and some more breading to give it a nice crunch and to provide a vehicle for some pepper. Otherwise, it was tasty and the sausage gravy was a good topping. The rest of the dish 'was what I thought it was'...which is to say, eggs and toast and potatoes are routine. My neighbors' dishes looked underwhelming. 3 of the 4 had a breakfast sandwich, which was served without a side. I'm not sure if that's by choice or design, but it definitely makes for an unimpressive plate. The remaining person ordered french toast, which looked amazing in that it seemed to have the crispy batter my steak lacked, but also was plated and served with no accompaniment than syrup--the side of bacon had to be specifically ordered separately.
In a way, perhaps, Morning Squeeze is the perfect metaphor for Scottsdale - everything looks nice, but scratch the surface and you'll find the beauty is only skin deep...despite that, you'll still find yourself satisfied and ok with enjoying good looks. Ok, that's a little dramatic, but I'm more focused on football than metaphor right now.
http://www.morningsqueeze.com/
For my money, I want better than tolerable for a $17 out-the-door price for coffee, meal, and tip because there are plenty of better, cheaper breakfast spots in the area and many of those have the added benefit of not being the starting point for Sunday-Funday.
Much like a Caribbean cruise, the staff and patrons were all attractive and well put together for a 9:30 breakfast; most being dressed as lightly as politely acceptable. In a way, it's a continuation or new start to the Scottsdale social scene, with pickups still occurring.
Every part of the service at the bar was prompt. Quickly provided water and menu, my Americano came out quickly and all the usual barrista questions were asked (which comes down to "hot or cold?"), and once I assumed the I've-looked-at-the-menu-and-am-ready-to-order pose a bartender was there to take my order. I witnessed a food-prep snafu regarding the diners beside me--their order was taking a while so they asked the bartender to check on it. She promptly investigated and was quite candid in letting them know that the kitchen didn't put together their custom sandwich (a menu option) correctly and redid it. A minute or so later she came back to let the diners know their meals would be comped. It was an impressive level of candor and remedy in a situation that could easily have been covered up.
The food, as indicated above, was satisfying but not exceptional. It's not something I'm in a hurry to return for... I had the country fried steak and eggs--two eggs any style, hash browns or country potatoes, toast, some fruit, and country fried steak with sausage gravy atop. The steak could have really used a crisper fry and some more breading to give it a nice crunch and to provide a vehicle for some pepper. Otherwise, it was tasty and the sausage gravy was a good topping. The rest of the dish 'was what I thought it was'...which is to say, eggs and toast and potatoes are routine. My neighbors' dishes looked underwhelming. 3 of the 4 had a breakfast sandwich, which was served without a side. I'm not sure if that's by choice or design, but it definitely makes for an unimpressive plate. The remaining person ordered french toast, which looked amazing in that it seemed to have the crispy batter my steak lacked, but also was plated and served with no accompaniment than syrup--the side of bacon had to be specifically ordered separately.
In a way, perhaps, Morning Squeeze is the perfect metaphor for Scottsdale - everything looks nice, but scratch the surface and you'll find the beauty is only skin deep...despite that, you'll still find yourself satisfied and ok with enjoying good looks. Ok, that's a little dramatic, but I'm more focused on football than metaphor right now.
http://www.morningsqueeze.com/
.jpg)