Hallelujah, Amy's Back!!!!

For more than a year Amy’s Baking Company has stood empty. Periodically the faithful would drive through the parking lot at the N.E. corner of Scottsdale and Shea, craning their necks to check for signs of life. It was a pilgrimage. And finally we’ve been rewarded. We thank our friend Anna for calling us with the good news.

In the time before Amy’s closed it garnered glowing reviews from the likes of Phoenix Magazine and the Arizona Republic. Everyone mentioned the upscale decor and the friendliness of chef Amy Bouzaglo and her husband/host Samy. But mostly they raved about the food - especially the desserts. I’m more than happy to say that nothing’s changed, or maybe it’s even better. They’ve added a pizza oven and a long list of designer pizzas. The dessert case was full of cakes and tarts, some of which seem to be new recipes.

We ordered fried calamari with a pesto aioli ($10 ), and the hummus platter with wild mushrooms ($10 ). I asked Samy to take a piece of chocolate-orange-raspberry-truffle cake out of the refrigerator case so it would warm to room temperature while we ate our dinner. The calamari were tiny rounds, very tender, lightly breaded with seasoned crumbs. The aioli was delicious, I could have eaten it by itself. But the real hit was the hummus. It’s texture was perfect, and it was most thoughtfully seasoned. A very large helping of sauteed mushrooms sat atop. But what capped it off was that it was served with a pizza pan full of Italian flatbread (which is also used for the pizza crust) fresh and hot from the oven, blistered and crunchy. It would make any topping shine.

While we ordered from the antipasti section of the menu, there’s lots more to try. Salads, like Caramelized Pear ($12) and Vanilla Bean Coconut Shrimp ($16).Sandwiches: the MonteCristo ($17) is a house specialty, dipped in a French beignet batter and served with homemade raspberry preserves. Butternut squash ravioli is one of my favorites from the pasta selections. And then there’s the pizza: fig, pear and prosciutto ($16 for a 12 inch) is my next must-have. While the prices may strike you as on the high side, the portions are big enough to share and the ingredients are top quality.

Then, the cake. It’s time out of the refrigerator case had softened the buttercream and accentuated the flavors. Amy is master of the buttercream - it’s never overly sweet. The play of orange and raspberry was intriguing. We also shared a “creamy iced coffee” ($4) which went perfectly with the cake. Choosing a dessert isn’t easy. Everything looks beautiful - lemon curd tarts, cupcakes, bread pudding, cheese cake, creme brulee. Now that Amy’s back we can try all of them.

A note: Amy and Samy will be serving Thanksgiving dinner. There will be three seatings, and reservations are being taken now. You’ll find us there.

Amy’s Baking Company

7366 E. Shea Blvd. Scottsdale 480-607-- 0677

amysbakingco.com

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