Cheuvront.... a Downtown Phoenix hot spot

We went to Cheuvront (www.cheuvronts.com) last night for dinner.  Cheuvront is located at 1326 N. Central Avenue (just south of McDowell and across the street from the Phoenix Public Library).  It is on the main floor of a building that has condos (one of those new urban living spaces that have popped up downtown over the last several years). This restaurant is a modern looking place with a nice bar and a wall length wine rack. It is also fun to watch the light rail go zipping down Central. 

On this evening, we were on our way to see Actor's Theater's play Shipwrecked and chose Cheuvront for its close proximity to the theater.  Unfortunately, we forgot it was also First Friday, so the restaurant was busy.  We wound up sitting at the bar for dinner, which is always a good spot for people watching.  They have one of our favorite wines there, Byron Pinot Noir, so we both had a glass.  They have a nice wine menu and there are also wine recommendations on the menu paired with the different entrees. 

We have been to Cheuvront several times and the food has always been very good.  We ordered the salmon dish and the chicken and both of us were well pleased with our selections.  They have several entree dishes, salads, pasta and other selections. Bruce's son Liam, also loves their macaroni and cheese and we agree! In addition they have a full cheese menu and that gives this restaurant a unique niche in the downtown restaurant arena.  You can choose from many different cheeses to create a cheese plate.  We haven't had this, but I might have to try it someday.

We have always enjoyed out visits to Cheuvront, but we were a little surprised this time with the service.  The restaurant was busy, and there was a wait for the table (understandable since it was First Friday).  A space opened up at the bar and so we decided to eat at the bar instead.  However, we were told that we would still have to wait 20 minutes before we could order any food, even if we sat at the bar.  It seems that maybe the kitchen was backed up and that was their way of not making it worse.  It just came across as offering poor service.  Knowing that it is First Friday, and the restaurant would be busy, it just seemed like they should have been better prepared to handle the rush.  We got our food timely so it all seemed to work out okay, but it was all kind of strange.  On our previous visits to Cheuvront we have also experienced slow service, and the place was almost empty!

Overall, we like Cheuvront.  It is in a great location, the atmosphere is trendy and nice and the food is very good.  If they could speed up the kitchen a bit, it would go a long way.  Cheuvront is definitely worth trying when you are in the area.