The adage “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is one that resonates with me. I enjoy having at least one hearty and/or decadent breakfast per week; Sunday is typically that one day. While I’ve had many wonderful morning meals through my travel, breakfast is not one I usually go out of my way to write about…until now.
While in town visiting the folks for my mother’s birthday, I discovered a petite neighborhood bistro I thought Mom would love…Amuse Bouche. This relatively remote bistro is located in the western part of Surprise, Arizona in a somewhat nondescript strip mall—just the type of restaurant I like to seek out. What amazes me is how far foodies will travel when they learn of an epicurean local restaurant, which is what’s been happening ever since Amuse Bouche was featured in the New York Times, Arizona Republic and PBS’s “Check Please.”
My plan was to take the folks to dinner, but as I soon learned, Amuse Bouche only serves breakfast on Sunday. (Mom’s birthday). Given that my folks love dining out, and the relative proximity to their home, I was surprised that they had never heard of, or been to, Amuse Bouche. This added to my delight, as I know how much my folks enjoy trying new places.
As we arrived, we had to make our way through a deluge of people waiting outside for a table…thankfully I had made reservations. As we entered the diminutive setting we had a feeling of being in an authentic French bistro. 
If you’ve been to Europe, you know that the dining affair is often an intimate and communal experience, with tables close together and bistros all a buzz. The aroma of cinnamon, freshly brewed coffee and other breakfast scents filled the air, which created a delightful degree of anticipation for our forthcoming meal.
We started our breakfast out with some fresh and hot beignets, which, if you’re not familiar, are basically square fried dough balls sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar. We enjoyed our beignets with some wonderful French roasted coffee.
We then shared the following items:
♦ Smoked salmon eggs Benedict – poached eggs over toasted English muffin, wild smoked salmon with hollandaise sauce served with seasoned country potatoes.
♦ Belgian Waffle - with fresh strawberries, bananas, vanilla whipped cream and brown sugar cinnamon syrup.
♦ Corned Beef Hash Benedict – homemade fresh corned beef with onions, red bell peppers, and potatoes served with toast, two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.
♦ Quiche Lorraine – with bacon and Swiss cheese accompanied with country potatoes.
The meal was simply scrumptious and the overall dining experience authentic, which was certainly an unexpected “surprise” given the geographic location. As I indicated, when it comes to good food, no distance is too far for those who appreciate a culinary experience that is backed by passion, experience and execution.
The word “gourmet” is often an abused superlative, such as “Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches.” Refreshingly, Amuse Bouche Gourmet Bistro delivers its expectation of the word.
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of dining at Amuse Bouche, please share your experience with my readers and me.
Amuse Bouche Gourmet Bistro & Catering Contact info:
Restaurant Phone: 623-322-881
Catering Phone: 623-680-7280
Email: info@AmuseBouche.biz
Website: AmuseBouce.biz
Address: 17058 West Bell Road, Suite 104
Surprise, AZ 85374
For example, we started off with the lobster bisque with fennel, shrimp and chorizo fritter, which on an odd and snowy day seemed perfect. While the flavor of the bisque was quite good, it was served as a puree. I don’t know about you, but I’m used to having chunks of fresh lobster in my lobster bisque.
As an entrée I tried the rainbow trout with quinoa, agave lacquered parsnips & carrots with a Spanish red pepper vinaigrette, which was artistically presented. The color, contrast and flavors were outstanding. My only critique is that there was significantly too much raw garlic used, and personally I prefer using roasted garlic when I cook so as not to leave such a strong aftertaste.
First up we tried the Belgian endive salad with mixed greens, cabrales cheese (a Spanish cheese, similar to blue cheese), avocado, pecans with an agave vinaigrette dressing. This was quite good, light and refreshing.
The bananas were caramelized and slightly warm. There was a single scoop of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with chunks of chocolate and toffee topped with fresh whipped cream. It was pretty darn decadent and delicious.
The moment you step inside Vogue, a sense of culinary optimism stirs your taste buds with excitement. The ambiance is warm and inviting with a local cosmopolitan feel. The décor is stylish and sophisticated without being pretentious.
To start off, we both ordered a glass of red wine from the broad menu. We enjoyed our wine with a classic French hors-d’œuvre of escargot, which was simply delicious. The delicate Burgundian Escargot was baked in a puff pastry with herb and garlic infused butter.
As we relaxed by the warmth of the fire we had to try one more appetizer that seemed perfect for the cool evening…French onion soup, another French classic. I’m not a “French onion soup” connoisseur, but this was fantastic. Unlike what I’m used to with a piece of French bread atop the soup, this seemed to have a thin layer of croissant-type pastry with perhaps some Gruyere cheese.
Hawaiian Snapper with roasted fennel, Minnesota wild rice medley in a lemon-caper sauce.
The passion and care this culinary power couple has for the restaurant business is clearly evident. We visited Vogue on a Wednesday evening and the place was nearly packed, so I would suggest making reservations to assure a seat at this wonderful dining establishment.
Address: 15411 West Waddell Road, Suite 108
