By Patty Talahongva

    Stepping into The Café at the Heard Museum offers a dining experience that will not only please your taste buds, it will give you a little a preview of the art you’ll see when you visit the world-famous museum at 2301 N. Central Ave.

    “We took it from a snack café to a really well-rounded restaurant,” says food and beverage director John Bulla. “Our goal was to double the menu.”

    “We wanted to bring in native ingredients,” adds café manager Irene Rutigliano, and they’ve accomplished both goals. The menu has gone from 11 items to offering more than 27 starters, salads, specialties, wraps, sandwiches and desserts.

 

“We get a lot of ‘oohs and aahs’ in the summer,” laughs Bulla about the gazpacho the cafe serves. A year-round favorite is the tepary bean hummus. The beans are indigenous to Arizona and are a staple food for many tribes in the state.

    Unique to the café is a salad named after the American Indian Dreamcatcher, served on a plate and laid out like like its namesake. Another favorite is the fry bread dessert. You also can get one made into a sundae.

    Rutigliano says they make everything fresh, including all of their dressings and salsa. She credits kitchen manager Michelle Herrell for helping to visualize the new menu at the café. “It’s important for us to do a good job because we want to reflect the Heard,” says Rutigliano.

    As the number of items on the menu increased, careful consideration was given to pricing as well. “We wanted to keep the price range the same as the former menu,” says Bulla, so there are more value-priced items than before. For example, if you just want a snack try the Southwest seasoned popcorn. It seasoned with spices from Mexico and popped in rosemary-infused olive oil.

    Starters are priced from $2 to $12. Salads average $11 and if you want to add some meat it’s two to three dollars extra. The most expensive items on the menu are $13. Bulla estimates lunch will run about $12 per person.

    Drinks range from iced tea (China Mist) and coffee (locally roasted with the Heard’s own special blend) to soda and lemonade. You also can order a glass of wine. What’s not on the menu is a delicate and delicious prickly pear margarita. You just have to know to order one.

    And since it is a café in a museum, the art that decorates the café includes photos of pieces currently on display in the museum. The Navajo folk art centerpieces on the tables also are for sale. Bulla says they make a great souvenir and range from $15 to $35 each.

    Since the café is located in midtown Phoenix, it’s a great place for a nice business lunch. To help build business, the café offers “Twitter Tuesday.” When you sign up to follow the museum on Twitter you’ll get a password on Tuesday that’s good for a 10-percent discount on the food.

    “The best part of the job, I would have to say, is making people happy with the food,” says Rutigliano. “Our feedback is so positive!”

    Reservations are not required. The café is open seven days a week from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. You can get coffee and drinks starting at 9 a.m. Plus the third Friday of every month the café is open late (8 p.m.) for dinner during special art events at the museum. The café also caters special events held at the museum for parties from 10 to 100. For more information, visit www.heard.org.