We drove up to Carefree to meet our friend Meg. Meg owns and runs
Adelante, a gallery with some of the wittiest art in town, located in the El Pedregal shopping center on Scottsdale Road, just before it turns into Tom Darlington Drive. It’s just a short hop up the road to the Cafe. It was early, and still too hot to eat out on the cute covered patio. Inside the long, narrow room a bar runs along one side and tables on the other. The decor is subtle and pleasant, and there was no loud music to interfere with conversation. Our waiter did his job with aplomb, making useful suggestions and picking out a superb wine (Markus Molitor, 2005 Riesling Spatlese) for Meg.
French fries ($8 for a very large order), requested extra crispy, were served with a trio of sauces. There was ketchup mixed with truffle oil which I found oddly disturbing, a nice aioli, and a green herb based sauce which was our favorite. They were served, wrapped in paper, standing in a cone-shaped holder - a very nice presentation. Ken preferred the fries at George’s Gyros (see below) because he felt the oil was fresher. I liked Bink’s a little better because of the quality of the potatoes.
We decided to eat tapas style and ordered a number of starters. Country pate ($13) came out first. The waiter had suggested this because it went well with the fries, but they were mostly gone by the time the pate came to the table. This wasn’t because the kitchen was slow, but a testament to the potatoes. The pate came with cornichon, whole grain mustard, pickled pearl onions, pistachios (which were also in the pate) and some very nice Texas toast. Ken, who is a pate lover was unimpressed. I generally don’t like pate, but I like this version. You can draw your own conclusion from this disagreement.
The Molasses Glazed Pork Belly ($13) and a Caesar Salad ($11) arrived together. A long time ago the three of us had eaten at Binkley’s, Cafe Bink’s big brother. The memory of the pork belly we had there was still fresh in Meg’s mind, and she had liked that version somewhat better. It had come with a nice square of crispy skin which was missing here, sadly. Meg also remembered a different sauce, more citrusy, which helped cut the richness of the pork. I was happy with the molasses version. There were some yummy Brussels sprouts on the plate and some spaghetti squash. The big disappointment for me was the Caesar salad. It had been prepared with mild white anchovies, which in no way resemble the standard brown version. I realize most people don’t like the distinctive taste of the brown ones, but for me that’s what makes a salad a Caesar. Also, the dressing was very unevenly distributed. The part I ate was dry, while Ken’s was dripping.
We were too full to order dessert, but Ken had espresso. He said it was adequate but nothing outstanding. I’m sorry about all the nit-picking (isn’t that a disgusting expression to use while talking about food?) but I felt for the price of the individual dishes that it was only fair. However, when you add in the ambience and quality of service and the presentation of the food, it was worth it. I would certainly go back. They’re open for lunch and have some interesting sandwiches. Give it a try, and visit Meg’s gallery on the way.
Cafe Bink
36889 N. Tom Darlington Dr.
Carefree AZ 480-488-9796
cafebink.com
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