Parc Central

I have been very excited to try all the restaurants in the Scottsdale Quarter. After looking at all the restaurant’s menus I decided to start at Parc Central. BIG MISTAKE
I went with my mom on a Friday at around 6pm. We walked in and were immediately greeted by a very bubbly woman at the front. She handed us off to another gentleman to lead us to our table. I was able to sit but he stood in front of my mother’s chair as he was listing the specials, so she had to stand next to him during his entire spiel. A little strange, but alright.
The next part is what really irked me. When our waiter came to take our drink orders he was very friendly and warm and made lots of eye contact. As soon as we revealed we weren’t ordering wine or a cocktail you could tell he was almost less excited to be our waiter. Then when we ordered our food and didn’t order any of the dishes that were 35+ dollars he almost dismissed us. He refilled our waters pretty consistently but he said maybe 3 words to us after that. He never smiled and never made eye contact after taking our orders.
Just because we weren’t having the most expensive dinner doesn’t mean that you can treat us poorly. It wasn’t like we were looking to buy the cheapest things on the menu. We just ordered salads and water! Not abnormal.
Side note: I had the Parc Central Salad (Field greens, walnut-​whole grain granola & strawberry-​brie dressing). It was fantastic. Very fresh and light and refreshing.

Had an office lunch here last week and boy was I impressed.
The first thing I always look at — even when I am not drinking — is the cocktail list. If a place cares about their cocktails, then they must care about their food. This is, I think, the first place in Scottsdale I have seen a cocktail (actually several) listing Absinthe on its list. Boom — I am impressed. Plus all these beauties are actually included in the happy hour deal — not like some places where you get the crappy Sky vodka or Absolute cosmo for 5 bucks but the better drinks are still 12. Anyway — love them for that.
The place is super cool, I love NYC and the huge art on the wall showing central park definitely got me in the mood. The bathroom even smelled like the tropics — I felt wierd coming back t the table and saying to my work mate — «oh my god, you have to go to the bathroom — it smells so good in there!» ha ha!
I had the blackened salmon salad — forget the menu name. A touch over cooked, more on the side of full medium as opposed to medium rare, but the salad dressing (passion fruit) was lovely. The beet chips are amazing for sure.
I definitely want to go back for happy hour and try that black truffle hummus and a fun cocktail! So far my favorite place tof all the new joints in the Quarter.

Myself and 2 other people had dinner here Friday night. It was about 7:30 and the place was pretty crowded but not totally packed. I’ve never been here before so I made a reservation earlier in the day but I don’t think we needed one. Better safe than sorry I guess.
Everything about this place screams coolness. From the décor to the waiters to the people there. The place is pretty swank but not so over the top that it is a turn-​off. Anyway, it is a super cool and chill place to hang.
As for the food, here is what I tried:
* Black Truffle Hummus = I thought this was just ok. You could definitely taste the truffle but I found the truffle/​hummus combination a bit odd.
* Panko Crusted Goat Cheese = Also ok but nothing special. Basically just fried balls of goat cheese.
* Grilled Wedge = This was excellent and unique.
* Parc Central Burger = This was tender, juicy and delicious. It was perfectly cooked and of a decent size. The fries were also very good.
This place is a bit pricey but not too over the top. Everything was quality and combined with the «coolness» factor it was worth it. I don’t know why this place needs it, but I would definitely recommend getting a Local Dines gift certificate (
) to save a few bucks.

I really wanted to like this place. I know a couple of the investors and I wish they succeed in this new venture, however, there needs to be a lot of changes. I met a girlfriend for lunch. She used to manage a very famous restaurant in Dallas (that restaurant has been featured on Food Network a few times). The food was sub par, I had a chicken and brie salad. They put two uneven slices of brie on top of a pile of lettuce and a few pieces of shredded chicken, extremely bland. My girlfriend had a pasta dish, she noticed that the mushrooms were canned ones, she told me it was a good thing she likes canned mushrooms (who knew). Also, the asparagus ends were not trimmed, so the tough part was still on. we decided to share a desert. Wow, that was something, an not in a good way. We ordered the bananas foster crepes. It was supposed to have whipped cream on top. The cream had been beaten to death, so it was butter. Don’t get me wrong, I love butter, I could be Paula Deen’s daughter, or at least a niece, but butter has its place. Inside the crepes, the bananas were so oxidized that it looked like a chia pet. You know when you peel a banana and leave it out it not only turns brown, but after a while it gets kind of fuzzy and mealy. Well, that is what was inside. I don’t think I will be back, even if it is another invite from a friend. By the way, we asked to see Dave the manager, my girlfriend wanted to help out and make some comments on how to improve some things. Our server told us he was too busy, really??? the restaurant was almost empty. Not cool.

Been here at least a half dozen times now, usually just for drinks and appetizers, and always a good time, good vibes, good service, and good food.
Likes:
* Appetizers — they have AWESOME appetizers. I’m a big fan of the hummus, the goat cheese, the crispy tiger shrimp and the canapes. I do have to say I did have the mussels once too and they weren’t all that fresh, I probably wouldn’t get them again.
* Drinks — great cocktails, super cool bartenders that are chatty, personable and know how to make a proper drink, and a decent selection of wine by the glass & draft brews.
* Ambiance — nice but not pretentious
* Location — I work in the Quarter myself, so perhaps I’m biased but I think its a cool location
An added bonus is that they’re great with hosting big functions — we have company happy hours here all of the time, and they don’t screw it up like a few other places in the Quarter always seem to manage to do. They have private dining areas, they can section off the back bar for you, they’re very accommodating to groups.
I’ll be back soon I’m sure.

This place has the best hummus ever!!! I love it. The make it with truffle oil and Cannellini Beans. It gives the dish a really creamy texture that is sure to please. It comes with little Parmesan toasts, and the new summer menu will have fresh cucumbers with it — which gives it a whole new dimension.
The Lemon Tree is a pretty awesome cocktail on the Happy Hour menu — nothing says «love» like half off drinks!
Try the happy hour weekdays only and get it half off appetizers and cocktails.

This is a beautiful, new restaurant in Scottsdale Quarter. The décor is chic, the service was great and the food was delicious! I highly recommend checking this place out.

Very expensive and the service was not very good. I won’t be back.

The food here is excellent, and so are the drinks — however, the many seating rules made our visit uncomfortable and we are reluctant to return. Happy hour prices are only available to patrons sitting at the bar, even though there are several high-​tops in the bar area that LOOK like they are part of the bar. Patrons are «allowed» to sit there, but are not «allowed» to have the happy hour specials or prices. Also, the patrons next to us at the bar were «allowed» to order from a special bar menu that we were not privy to.
The seating rules are cumbersome and alienating — and maybe not worth it, even for the great food and drinks. We felt like we had «gotten told» from the time we walked in the door until we walked out.

Well other than the cutesy spelling of «Park» (nails on a chalkboard to this grammar Nazi) this is a pretty nice place. I had lunch here recently, and despite the small frontage the restaurant is HUGE. I think about 8 of 300 tables were occupied.
The menu is pretty diverse, and I had the hamburger which was well-​cooked. However, the guacamole just didn’t fit and I think sliced avocado would of tasted better. It was just too much mush and salt. The beet chips were wicked awesome and I should of put some on the burger to add crunch.
My coworker ordered the pork chop, but for some reason he asked for it medium/​med rare (you don’t have to be clairvoyant to know how this turned out). Once he sent it back and had it cooked properly he said it was excellent.
I’m not sure how this place will fair, as it’s tucked back slightly on the north side of Scottsdale Quarter and will need to move a lot of chow to pay the lease. It’s a bit pricey for what you get ($ 14 burger) and has a lot of eatery competition. I don’t feel they quite nailed it on the décor and concept. Perhpas if they get a HH crowd (nice large patio) which will probably depend on some better specials as all the cocktails seemed north of $ 10 and some appetizers over $ 15!
Bathrooms were unimpressive. Every establishment from this day forward will get a bathroom commentary but I will not add or take away stars… unless it’s particularly baller or disgusting.

After drinking a bunch of delicious coffee at Press Coffee Roasters, my mom and I stopped by here for lunch. Large, modern restaurant — but it was after the lunch rush so it wasn’t very busy. We both had the ahi sliders, which were delicious. Sesame crusted was seared just right (ie not cooked) with a tasty teriaki glaze and asian slaw. The shoestring fries were good, but the beet chips were delicious. Good enough that you would come here just for the beet chips. And I don’t even eat beets. They were sweet, salty, and savory with a perfect crisp. How have I never seen these anywhere else? Overall, very good, and the staff was friendly and not pretentious.

Went for lunch. Cute place. Very hip, long bar with comfortable seating and a piano in the back room with an additional bar. It’s a lot bigger than I expected it to be. It has good light, and feels modern, yet warm. It’s not garishly loud.
The drink concoctions are very different and for that, I like them. They aren’t your sugary sweet confections that bestow an instant migraine. They will put some hair on your chest for sure. We had the hummus which we both enjoyed. It is very creamy drizzled with truffle oil. The only thing I would change are the toast points it comes with are over peppered and over cheesed. Too much of a good thing just doesn’t work sometimes. A simple olive oil toast would be perfect. (for me at least)
Also had the ‘fish of the day’ which was a white fish of some sort… grouper, i think. The fish itself was delicious. It was just a little overkill on the amount of sauce. It was pretty salty and very garlicky. Not a first date dish at all. lol. Everything else was good. I liked the smashed purple potatoes.
I saw someone order a salmon salad that looked really good. I may just have to come back and try that.

Went here for lunch last Friday and thought it was great. From the outside it didn’t look like they were open, but we went in to check it out.
The inside is very nice and we were seated right away. Their lunch menu is very nice and has a wide selection. It seems very similar to The Greene House across the street at Kierland.
I had the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad and was very impressed. I initially thought that it would be a boneless skinless breast sliced on top of the salad, but was very happy to see that it was grilled, on the bone, chicken. The dressing was great and the portion size was perfect.
While there I saw several of the other entrees and will definitely be going back for more.
Downside — They need to get rid of the few wicker chairs that they have. I had the unfortunate luck to be seated in one of them and they were the most uncomfortable chairs I have ever sat in. Luckily there aren’t very many of them, so they should be easy to avoid.

I just called the restaurant to reserve for 4 tonight and asked about the poor reviews. I understand their broiler had broken down but they now have a new one. Those with issues had ordered ribeyes… consequently the long wait as the broiler was broken. This is not an excuse for poor service/​communication but I do believe this restaurant has great potential for good food, service and longevity. We went for dinner a few weeks ago and had superb service, food and overall experience. We met the chef who was delightful and very commited.
The food industry is tough. It is demanding and often produces slim profit margins. We owned a catering business for years and understand the challenges and rewards. We enjoy the variety of options in dining in Scottsdale/​Phoenix and surrounding areas. We try to experience as many as possible and when we find a good one, we promote it through friends and business associates.
We are anxious to find out if our experience at Parc Central tonight will warrant further raves. We believe it will.

It was open late so we strolled on in…
I had gone in a looked at the menu one night after they had closed and was eager to check it out one night. Two days later I was back only to find out, the place is larger than first sight, with a second large bar in the back !!
«Happy Hour» — notice the quotes, when you ask for the late night happy hour menu they hand you one, but look closer its simply a smaller menu, like physically on smaller paper but with the same items and prices. dont be fooled.
Black shirts– The first night we had a pretty ok time, the little bartender chick” Desreie??” was fun and talkative, however I went in a few nights later with 2 coworkers, and oredered the Ophilia, my new fav cocktails (although its 13 bucks) took about 10 minutes, WE WERE THE ONLY PEOPLE IN THE BAR!!! we watched him just casually wander around forgetting what he was doing every two minutes and then my friends ordered bottled beer, which was” not stocked in the bar back here «so instead of simply going ten feet to get it, he uggested they just order something else. the were maybe three people at the tables in front and we were the only people in the back so he was not busy just extreamly lazy.
Dishes– I had the brushetta like food, simply delish!
Break it down Jess– I enjoyed my food and cocktail so much I was eager to go back as quickly as I could, however having been back with such poor service. I will not be returning or recommend it. which is super upsetting. It is beautiful to look at.

I like any restaurant with two bars I mean come on! Restaurant is definitely trendy cute with a nice private room in back. And, its clientele was very diverse. The back bar had some live music happenin… but service was NOT GREAT. They are not smooth we had not one but two cracked glasses. The menu is eclectic, the wine list limited. For appetizers we had beef carpaccio which was good (with olives and I am not a fan of olives), fried goat cheese which was excellent, and my friend had vegetable tempura. For dinner, free form lobster lasagna which was good not great, if there is a next time I think I might try the chicken. Also at the table the lamb chops and the filet, which were both said to be good. No room for dessert. It would be difficult for me to go back and pay theses prices for the overall experience. So we arrive at the three stars.

I highly, and I mean HIGHLY recommend the Ribeye dinner they have on their menu. It is so huge, much bigger than I thought it would be. Reasonable pricing too. The service really was some of the best service that I have ever had while eating out. Everything on the menu looks great and I just wish I lived closer to Scottsdale so I could try more on the menu. I guess it will just have to come with time and when I have more meetings in that area! Everybody loved what they had (we had a decent sized group) and I heard amazing comments with zero complaints! I highly recommend this place and can’t wait to go back, but seriously — TRY THE RIBEYE here! so freaking yummy

Came in here Friday night with a friend just to check the place out and I was impressed. It feels warm and comfortable inside, like you wanna get the gang together and stay awhile.
The girls at the front were super helpful in finding us a seat, although we ended up at the bar in the back. We ordered some edamame, steamed mussels and tempura shrimp. All three were great, but the dipping sauce for the shrimp was too sweet. We used the same sauce that came with the edamame for the shrimp. We met Frank, one of the owners who was a complete gentleman, and some of his friends also seated at the bar. Nice people, no wonder they are involved in this place.
Like most places in this area, you see all kinds of people there and all kinds of outfits! People watching alone is worth a visit. But I will also go back for some of the dishes I saw being served. Everything looked great!

I’ve been her twice now in the last week. The first visit was for lunch. It was ok but nothing special. The oven roasted chicken with potatoes and broccolini was satisfactory. I’d like to see more sandwiches on the lunch menu as an option.
Thursday night after 9 PM at the back bar was great. The space is not too large, not too small and a cool place to hang out and meet new people.
I’d give them three stars for lunch and four stars for the back bar area at night.

Food was amazing! The grilled beef tenderloin was cooked perfectly rare for me. I especially loved the bleu cheese sauce. The black truffle hummus is delicious. But what I most loved was the Fromage — the crispy goat cheese was amazing. Crispy on the outside, warm on the inside. Perfection with the tomato marmalade.
Staff is incredibly friendly and happy. They all seem to genuinely enjoy working there. This type of service makes me want to come back. I appreciate that above all.
The décor is stunning — very mod. I love the entire concept — from the branding to the interior design. It all meshes very well. I was digging the DJ too. Great mix of music. I have high hopes for Scottsdale Quarter’s latest addition.
Be sure to try the Lola Martini. Delicious.