Temporary Café at Phoenix Art Museum — Restaurant in Phoenix

Took a break from touring the Phoenix Art Museum for lunch at Palette which is conveniently located right inside. We had reservations, which I recommend, if you intend to hit the museum at around lunch time. The seating area is large, but when you think about how many people can be at the museum on any given day, the chances that Palette will be filled at lunchtime are high. The staff was extremely impressive. The service truly felt like that you would expect to receive at an exclusive big city or resort setting restaurant. Prices are reasonable. My salmon entree was priced at $18 and was LARGE. Interestingly, the bed of bitter micro greens that my salmon was plated over was treated by the chef as part of the entree, not a garnish. The greens were seasoned nicely, were served in abundance, and added a nice taste and texture contrast to the salmon and potatoes and asparagus. The asparagus was roasted, perfectly seasoned, and the stalks were large and meaty. The fingerling potatoes were perfectly roasted, creamy in texture. Others in the group had a vegan portobello sammy, PLUMP chicken fajitas (see my pic - rare to find - too many fajitas are served crushed flat as a pancake), and a kale power salad. While we did not order any alcohol, there is a very good selection of brews, wines, cocktails and spirits. There's been a trend with placing high-end restaurants inside of venues, and it works. If you visit the Phoenix Art Museum, treat yourself to a...

On vacation in Arizona, my wife and I visited the Phoenix Art Museum. After touring the impressive museum, we stopped for lunch at the museum's Cafe, called Palette. Palette is a wonderful little eating place that we would go to even if it was not attached to the Museum. It has an inside dining room, but with the perfect weather on that Wedneaday afternoon, we sat outside on their patio. I started with a glass of Mango Iced Tea, which was frankly a little watered. My wife had a signature cocktail called a Watermelon Sangria, my wife loved it, and the mixologist who creates the drink came out and explained the drink to usit started with Watermelon puree, and ended with sparkling wine. For lunch my wife had the Mushroom Tart. It was devine. Wild mushrooms, goat cheee, egg, sautéed kale, on the most wonderfully flakey crust. I had the Pecan Chicken Salad. It was delicious. Pecans, grapes, raisins, and nice sized pieces of Chicken, all on a nice grain bread. The service was very nice, and we were never left wanting for anything. One of the nicest lunches we've...

I don’t get the high reviews. How are you able to even eat here? Either they close early, or they require reservations on the holidays (even though all the tables were open), they run out of food, not serving food-just drinks, or not open during museum hours. I’ve been a member for two years. I’ve tried to eat there and for some reason or another was unable to. Just yesterday we were there during restaurant operating hours but the lights were off and the staff we’re going home. So either commit to being a restaurant or turn it into something a little more user-friendly such as a help yourself, ala crate, or something other museums are...