Jayne's Restaurant Review - La Bocca Wine & Urban Kitchen

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I recently returned to a restaurant/wine bar in which I had dined almost a year ago - La Bocca Wine & Urban Kitchen. As the weather in Arizona has been beautiful my friends and I decided to dine on the patio in the City North location.

As you would expect they have a nice selection of wines and really good happy hour drink pricing. For wines over $10 it's $5 off and for wines under $10 the price is $5. Sorry but I didn't even look at the beer or cocktails when I'm at a wine bar I only have eyes for the wine. Although everything on the menu was full priced during happy hour the prices were not outlandish.

We started with an appetizer plate of four bruschetta.  One of smoked proscuitto with figs and truffle oil, one of gorgonzola with pear, basil and balsamic reduction, one of brie with kumquat marmelade and one of fresh ricotta, rosemary and honey. They were divine.  The bread was slightly crisp without being so hard it crumbled. The cheeses were perfect and the pairings accented the flavors perfectly.

My three friends all got the same salad (two with grilled chicken and one without), the goat cheese and pear. The salad was a blend of spring mix, loaded with walnuts, cranberries and cheese. I ordered the smoked proscuitto alfredo. I found it to be a little strange as it contained a wide noodle rather than the typical fettuccine noodle to which I am accustomed. La Bocca used what appeared to be an egg noodle that I might find in a German dish, rather than an Italian. Despite that it was good, the sauce creamy and cheesy without being overdone. However, I probably wouldn't order it again.

We shared the made to order brownie with vanilla bean ice cream. Sorry but it was a disappointment. It was overdone to the point of tasting burned and the scoop of ice cream was so small it melted before we could dig into the too hot brownie.

I would recommend this restaurant for a happy hour, sticking to the bruschetta options and enjoying the great wine prices.

Happy dining,

Jayne





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