SCOTTSDALE

THE MISSION

SIMMER DOWN NOW, TABLESIDE SHOWS ARE A TREAT - CAREY SWEET, THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC

08/04/2008 - I didn't think anything of it when I wrote the following statement about the Mission, the Latin-flavored restaurant taking over the former Union Wine Bar & Grill space in Old Town Scottsdale this fall:

"While the menu is still a gleam in chef Matt Carter's eye, one signature item will be guacamole, prepared tableside."

Yet apparently, it hit a nerve with some readers, prompting one to post a comment on The Republic's online forum: "Wow, did Carter think of that all by himself?" Another reader responded, "You took the guacamole right out my mouth!"

Then, Scott Rogers of Scottsdale wrote to me directly, putting his thoughts a bit more eloquently:
"Why does anyone care about having something 'prepared tableside?' It just always seems odd to me - either the diners go right ahead talking and ignore the preparer, or everything stops dead for something that is overhyped."

Let's talk about guac

First, let me just say . . . people, people, it's only guacamole. Don't we have more important things to worry about? (Such as, why do some servers carry their check wallets stuck down the back of their pants, essentially whipping it out of their underwear to present to us at the end of our meal? But I digress.)

Besides, the answer seems obvious. Personally, I love the stuff done before my eyes; it seems much fresher than scooped from a vat in the back. And it allows me to guide my server - light on the onions, please, and extra lime.

Yet, in the interest of ombudsmanship, I decided to check with the avocado artists themselves, asking local chefs known for their tableside guacamole displays, "Why the spectacle?"
Chef Carter was busy in the kitchen of his other restaurant, Zinc Bistro at Kierland Commons, but his Mission partner, Brian Raab, spoke up.

"I personally love the idea of tableside guacamole," he defended. "Apart from the obvious, which is you get an opportunity to temper the ingredients we use, it adds a wonderful entertainment value to the meal without being too invasive. It provides a small interactive quality, which is key, in my opinion, to casual dining. Meals are a shared event in one form or another. You share food, stories, time with your friends."

I was with him, until he spouted this bit of excitement: "A little tableside guac never hurt anybody. Who knows, if done right, it could even save a few people."

OK, well . . .

Tableside experience is fun

Shannon Huddy, media relations coordinator for the Phoenician, rang in a bit more clearly as she
spoke on behalf of the resort's Windows on the Green chef Robert Sanchez. Sanchez is celebrated for his tableside guacamole, prepared with seven secret spices from his Mexican-heritage family recipe.

"It's the most frequently requested appetizer on the menu, so we must be doing something right!" she said.

She also feels the theater is a creative way for guests to get involved in the dining experience, allowing them to talk to the staff and ask questions about the menu.

"Most people have no idea how many people it takes behind the scenes to make their meal a memorable experience. Some staff members are more noticeable than others, like the hostess and waiter, but people forget often about the chef de cuisine, the sous chef, the line cooks.
"Bringing one more person from the background into the foreground can really make a diner appreciate their dining experience."

At Barrio Café in Phoenix, one of the Valley's pioneers of tableside guacamole, chef Silvana Salcido Esparza thinks personal preparation is simply more exciting.

"Food is food, and what I do with it makes it mine," he said. "Tableside anything has always been a special and fun touch to food. I remember being a kid and my mother making a big deal out of bananas Foster."

"Wow, I think that the fact that some guy in a monkey suit made it in front of me made it taste all that better."

Don't miss the show

So to Rogers and his fellow musers, I'd offer this: As simple as guacamole is, if you're not paying attention to your server's tableside show, you're missing a treat.

And to the online poster who wondered about the uniqueness of Carter's invention, hey, don't dismiss it until you see or taste it.

Raab, after all, is the mastermind behind Phoenix's legendary Merc Bar. Remember when flair cocktails were all the rage? The Mission will have a Latin hip-hop theme, and Raab promises a dramatic experience.

Is anyone else thinking what I am - flair guacamole?