Arcadia Farms Cafe — Restaurant in Scottsdale

First time eating here on someone else's treat: we were seated outside, and it took some time for us to sit. (15 min) The aesthetic of the place is lovely, but hot, crowded, and somewhat overbearing. It touts a Parisian feel, but an American's idea of Paris: imitation that pales to the original. Once seated, we were placed at the end of the crowded patio near the bathroom, so many people passed by us, and we had people behind our table, with little space. Our waitress was not as attentive as she should have been, got the wrong drink for one of our guests, and took a long time getting the correct drink. We weren't offered refills either, nor any recommendations on the food. To be at a place that touts luxury and pretentious decorations, it would be nice if the servers were also accomodating and affable. Once we ordered it was an incredibly long wait (15 min) for our very simple bread and pesto, and then another 15 min wait for our starter of the Burrata with Prosciutto. The prosciutto was very thick, and the baguettes were nice and soft with a lovely crunch. The burrata was greatly textured with a gentle taste of milk, great with the pesto. But it was surprising to see it with such a higher price range for the time it took, the portion, and the overall not very complex preparation, even if the cheese is imported. 15 to 20 min later, we got our orders. I ordered the crepes, I enjoyed the orange mascorpone with the berry compote, but was disappointed with the serving size and cold temperature. Again I was surprised with such small servings for very simple food. My sandwich was toasted well, made well but the apricot sauce was sparingly put on. It was a pretty simple, small ham and cheese sandwich. The potato salad was nice, I liked the green onions used, and it complimented the sandwich well. I had water (with no ice offered) and a fizzy ginger lemonade (with ice) in a small cup. I suppose the wait for the food was due to the fact a bridal shower was going on but I feel the venue should be prepared for multiple guests, otherwise, offer less seating and reservations. I think the restuarant could benefit from decreasing the amount of tables and concentrate on creating a relaxed atmosphere. My experience was that it was a crowded, pricey, overhyped brunch place that seems to be the trending thing here in Phoenix. The food is simple with small servings, and overall, I feel that the place is satisfactory if you're a fan of "Parisian inspired" cafe/brunch dishes (and comfortable with paying $20-$25 per person). I also feel there are other places you could pay the same for much larger servings with complex dishes. I only ate here at someone's suggestion and treat, but personally wouldn't come here...

Arcadia Farms Café is well worth a visit, for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and then some! They had been on my breakfast and/or brunch bucket-list for a long, long time and when I recently discovered they were having dinner service during AZ Restaurant Week, it was the perfect excuse and occasion to try them out. My wife and I were privileged to dine at Arcadia Farms Café’s first ever dinner-serving night (we may make it an annual ritual) – I must say that they most definitively know what they’re doing and do it extraordinarily well, as the atmosphere is superb, the service perfectomundo and the food was well beyond fabulous. This is a quaint bistro-like atmosphere that won’t overwhelm the senses, but niches you comfortably into a subtle, relaxing, French-Romantic mood. Thanks to Daniel, our well-versed and excellent waiter, we were obliged and educated in the nuances and preparation of the food we were about to blissfully devour, as well as some fun additional banter. Before deciding our final selections on the menu, we started our dinner with a glass each of Caymus Vineyards Conundrum Red and San Bernabe Rose Diora. Both excellent wines on their list. Our selections for dinner were both extraordinary, albeit difficult to decide as the Prix Fixe Menu makes deciding difficult. We started with an exquisite Brie Brûlée well portioned with perfect brie, apples and fruit, and the Heirloom Tomato Salad, both of which were as close to perfect as humanly possible! Our mains consisted of my Bœuf Bourguignonne which was probably the tastiest rendition of this French Stew I’ve experienced in a very long time. The combination of carrot, onion, garlic, and mushrooms in the braised beef within its wine base was artfully rendered to a most delectably flavorful climax! And the mashed potatoes were probably the best in the Valley – not overwhelming, smooth, very creamy as well as well-proportioned with herbs and whatever secret your kitchen hides in its recipe. My wife went for le Coquilles Sain-Jacques, wow! the scallops, shallots, mushrooms and Gruyère combination is indescribable in its subtle yet tasty, smooth, and mouthwatering tenderness, allowing all its ingredients to be thoroughly distinguishable to the palate – a fantastic offering for any scallop lover, really (this must be kept on your long-term menu Arcadia). Finishing our magnificent feast, we wrapped up with a fabulous Chocolate Mousse – terrifically rich and licentiously good, and an extraordinarily prepared Lemon Curd & Raspberry cake – moist and rich. Again, Wow! Arcadia, what took you so long to open for dinner! This is more than Bon appétit,...

I came here for brunch and left wondering how this place is still in business. When we arrived at 11am, more than half of the tables were empty. We were told to expect a 25 minute wait and that there was one party of 3 ahead of us. I thought that seemed a bit odd, but we decided to wait anyway.

30 minutes went by and a couple who arrived shortly after us walked up to the desk to see how long it would be. They ended up leaving. I walked up to the desk and asked how much longer we had to wait and the hostess said they wouldn't seat us until lunch which was over 20 minutes away. I told her this was unacceptable as we had already waited for 30 minutes and had been told to expect 25. She then said that whoever put our name on the list had made a mistake, even though it had been her who wrote our names on the list...

She grudgingly agreed to seat us but only if we ordered quickly because they were switching their menu over to lunch. We sat down and soon after our waitress approached and prodded us to hurry up and order. I was surprised to see that we were surrounded by empty tables, only a few of which had a reservation sign on them. The hostess said that they were expecting a lot of reservations to show up at noon, but I took all of these photos at 12:30 and the majority of these tables had been empty since we arrived at 11:00am. How can they afford to keep so many empty tables during prime brunch hours with so many people waiting to be seated outside? Every customer who walks away is lost revenue, meanwhile they have empty tables just sitting there for 90 minutes!

A short while after we ordered, an employee approached and asked us if we had ordered. She then asked us what we had ordered. My wife and I looked at each other, wondering what was going on behind the scenes. Fortunately, our order hadn't been lost, and our food arrived soon after.

I had hoped that the food would make up for the poor service, but it didn't. I ordered the smoked salmon dish and found it to be flavorless and served on nearly stale bread. The salad was completely bland and a touch wilted.

My wife enjoyed her meal more than I did. She thought the eggs were cooked well, and the bacon was as crispy as she likes. We both thought the orange juice was good and fresh.

I won't be back. If you decide to eat here, make a reservation. I am surprised they have as many positive reviews as they do, but I suppose that may have to do with the fact that Acadia Farms actually operates several storefronts at this market and some are run better...