Food and Beverage — a sassy new restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale, has local foodie aficionados gossiping about the fabulous food and service. I was invited to join a group for a late meal there last night and oh, it lived up to every word of praise.
FnB is owned by Pavle and his wife Emily. They have three children, including 2 little ones. One can only imagine how they run a business with such precision and manage to have a 1 and 3 year old at home. I’d guess they don’t dream, but instead barely remember crawling into bed each night — exhausted by accomplishing their dreams, the loveliest shade of tired.
Pavle and Emily are a delight. He is unlike anyone I’ve met; he has a memory like an elephant, greeting everyone at the table by name and with their drink order from the previous visit. His accent is Montenegran-via Colombia-via Queens. Thankfully, you won’t hear a single Scottsdale influenced “totally awesome bro!” in his thoughtful, multilingual vocabulary. He was meant for this business and being in his midst — watching him work the tiny restaurant and make each person there feel like he or she is the one he really wanted to see that night — is powerful.
And Emily is just a treat. With bright lipstick and a wide smile, she is the quiet partner, but not to be discounted. It’s easy to see her hardwork and eye to detail in every meal, drink, reservation. I’d love to have a glass of wine with her sometime and hear about the fine tuned secrets she’s gathered to make this life seem gracefully effortless.
They love this work and are transcending the field. It is a delight to be near such passion.
Oh, and the food was unbelieveably good too. 5 stars, A +, 5 bananas — however you want to rate it. We had fennel salad, roasted carrots, chicken, pasta, bass with beets and black lentils, and of course — dark chocolate cake with a tiny dollop of vanilla ice cream and rhubarb for dessert. I so enjoyed the experience and it was refreshing to have such a personal and sincere meal outside of the home.
FnB has a set menu, and additional items offered at the chef’s whimzy after 10 pm. Our reservations were for 10:01. I’d highly recommend the same. Go with friends who will order a bunch of different small plates to share. It is a sweet way to spend an evening — being pampered by Pavle.
~K