Discerning palate gets pleasant ‘surprise’ at Vogue Bistro

As a travel blogger and food critic, I’m always on a quest to discover locally run eateries that will surprise my discerning palate.  Located at the northwestern edge of the Phoenix Metro area in a nondescript part of Surprise, Arizona, I found Vogue Bistro.  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.

Vogue Bistro has an open layout, yet segmented into three areas…a bar/lounge, the main dining area, and the patio.  My friend and guest for the evening  (Susan from Chicago) sat on the patio near the fireplace, even though it was a chilly winter evening, the flexible walls, heat lamps and fireplace provided enough heat to make the space very cozy for the perfect dining experience.

Visitors and residents alike have come to expect a plethora of outstanding restaurants in the Phoenix Metro and Scottsdale areas, but in the far west valley of Surprise, the culinary options are mainly limited to large chain establishments catering to retirees and cluster communities—to find such a quality restaurant as Vogue Bistro was a wonderful “surprise.”

The menu is an interesting mix of traditional French foods (inspired by its French chef, Aurore de Beauduy) and American dishes, some fused together for something truly unique. It was my friend Susan’s birthday, so we used this as an excuse to indulge a number of dishes we’d probably not typically go out of our way for.

• 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.

• Next up was the most unique and delectable plate of bruschetta I’ve ever had…toppings included a zucchini pesto, roasted yellow tomatoes, petite greens with sherry vinaigrette.
• 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.

After a bit of digestion, our entrees arrived, both were from the daily specials menu:

• Hawaiian Snapper with roasted fennel, Minnesota wild rice medley in a lemon-caper sauce.
• New York strip steak with fingerling potatoes, caramelized chippolini onions & chives, eggplant, chili pesto in a Malbec red wine sauce.
• Of course we could not leave without a palate cleanse, so we tried one of my favorite desserts… Crème Brûlé with thin wafer cookie, blackberries and a strawberry—a dessert that will answer aficionados’ prayers.

Vogue Bistro is run by the husband and wife team of Roman and Aurore.  Roman is a graduate of the Thunderbird School of International Management and knows how to handle the business side of the restaurant, while Aurore is a scholastically trained chef taking care of the back of the house. 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.

I’ve been to an array of amazing top-notch restaurants, casual to fine dining…I can say without question that Vogue Bistro stands with the best of them. I would also add that given the quality of this restaurant, and the ingredients they use, the prices are extremely reasonable. If you find yourself in Surprise, Arizona, do your palate a favor and stop by Vogue Bistro for a menu selection and dining experience that will be sure to impress.

Vogue Bistro Contact information:

Address: 15411 West Waddell Road, Suite 108
Surprise, AZ 85379
Map: Google Map
Website: VogueBistro.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 623-544-9109