PHX Centro Paninoteca vs Bomberos

[arizonagirl]

Anyone been to either of these places recently? Looking for a place to meet a friend after work for small food and to hang out awhile. Can't decide between the two. Any other suggestions in the N. Phoenix/N Scottsdale area.

[pgerding]

Wife and I just lunched at Bombero's and wanted to report back. We went due to the Indepdendents Week (link mentioned elsewhere, I think - http://localfirstaz.com/independents-...) and had a great lunch. Started with a glass of Argentinian sparkling (brut) and an Uruguyan Tannat ... very different. We also shared a peach iced tea due to the heat. Service was nice, food was quick and the chairs mui comfortable.

We split a veggie pannini .. artichoke hearts, green olives, tomatoes and cheese and share a special of the day salad that had nice mixed greens, dried figs, gorgonzola and pecans with fig-balsamic dressing topped with a mound of sliced prosciutto. Both dishes were good - pictures attached - though the salad better than the sandwich. We wanted the brie and fig pannini, but could not do that and the salad, so the veggie was a second choice.

The place, if you haven't been, is very nice and cute. The patio is awesome, though pretty unusable today! We kept saying "this is finally what north central Phoenix as been needing!" and we'll definitely be back soon.

[drewb123]

do they have happy hr?

[pgerding]

Yes, I recall them having some specials, if not outright happy hours. We're heading back this weekend and I'll let you know.

[hohokam]

Last night, I was casting about for a casual place to get a glass of wine and a light dinner, and for some reason Bomberos (which would have been perfect) didn't come to mind. Ah well. Next time...

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Centro Paninoteca
7120 E Becker Ln, Scottsdale, AZ 85254

Bomberos
8801 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85020

[Bill Hunt]

Just did a mini-event at Bomberos. I had not heard of it, until wife pointed out a little write-up in the Republic and mentioned, "that's where we're going tomorrow afternoon." Neat little place with a comfortable courtyard. Unfortunately, this event was on one of those very hot afternoons, sandwiched in between our cool weather. It was moved inside.

The dishes served were excellent, as were the wines. I'm not sure if all that were served, were from their list, as they were being poured by a distributor, but the majority were South American wines, which is the focus of Bomberos.

For me, they are close by, and everything indicated that we needed to stop back, to experience their regular service. We were both impressed, and do plan on visiting again.

Unfortunately, I have never been to Paninoteca, so I cannot make a comparisson of the two.

Hunt

[arizonagirl]

Went to Bomberos last night and loved it. The place has a lot of character especially outside at night. the food was good. we had the bruschetta and a cheese plate. It was more food than I thought it was going to be. very good.

[Lala0310]

We are planning on going again tonight. I would love to try a cheese plate. Do they have any desserts yet? I can't recall if they added some. When they first opend they were not offering desserts. I see I should have spelled checked my prior post! LOL Delishes? LOL Oh well.

[aquablue]

Four of us went to Bomberos 2 weeks ago and we had a very nice time. We had veggi Panini, cheese plate (Manchego, Bri and Gorgonzola), meat plate and a bottle of Chile Merlot. We also had chocolate mousse cake and fruit tart for dessert. We loved the atmosphere and food was very good. The outdoor patio area makes this place stand out. We will go back soon before the weather turns permanent above 100.

[ajs228]

Actually, with tonight's cold weather, Bombero's fire pit and a glass of malbec sounds great.

[Lala0310]

Yep, was thinking the same thing!

[arizonagirl]

The cheese plate was good. rather large I think for the price. I'd be interested in knowing how large the meat plate is.

[aquablue]

The ‘Specialty Meats’ comes with Prosciutto, Spanish chorizo and Salami. All were excellent quality. It had 4 to 6 slices of each meat, olives and roasted peppers on the plate. I thought it was good value.

[Bill Hunt]

As an addendum, we had the "Specialty Meat" platter, and the Salami was the best that I have had in years - just fabulous!

Hunt

[Lala0310]

Went to Bomberos last Saturday night, the three of us sat on the patio. We loved the atmosphere and had excellent service. Two of us had beer, both styles were excellent and the other had a nice Sauvignon Blanc. Our waiter recommended all drink selections and was spot on. We order the bruschetta trio and olives. They didn't stand a chance! Everything was delishes and we all look forward to going again.

[ajs228]

I was at Bomberos last weekend, and it was very good. Interesting wine selection, and the bruschetta my friend and I split was well done.
I'd also recommend Tapino at Scottsdale and Shea.

[emmaAmethyst]

I find Bomberos to be maintaining their quality beautifully. I think they were very smart to start the menu off very simple -- much better to do a short list of things well, rather than a big list of "eh". And I've always found it to be really comfortable to hang.

[arizonagirl]

Great. Thanks

[Firenza00]

Haven't been to Centro in months. The last time we went, the owner wasn't there cooking himself and our sandwiches were pretty bad. Cold in the middle and not what they usually were on our previous visits.