FnB’s Charleen Badman and Pavle Milic

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: luxury baby boomer travelers are foodies at heart and absolutely love to enjoy an evening of fine dining with a delicious bottle of vino and explore the world’s trendiest eateries.

gaga –

• adjective informal
• overexcited or irrational, typically as a result of infatuation or excessive enthusiasm

I don’t know why it took us so long, but we finally had the opportunity to dine at Scottsdale’s FnB Restaurant, and well … we’re gaga about the place.

FnB is restaurant lingo for food and beverage, and me thinks the name, while likely hip and trendy, is far too pedestrian.  Seriously, I’m thinking something along the lines of cuisine that is made in heaven and transported to earth by pudgy little angels.

FnB is owned by Chef Charleen Badman and her front-of-the-house partner Pavle Milic.

Within the confines of their intimate American bistro, they offer up craft cocktails, a predominantly Arizona-exclusive wine list and deliciously uncomplicated, seasonal dishes, built around local ingredients.

Food-lovers have made the tiny place their clubhouse, bellying up to the center-stage bar for Charleen’s crispy rock shrimp, braised leeks with melted, house-made mozzarella, Jidori chicken, inspired vegetable dishes and life-changing butterscotch pudding.

Food so good, you’ll be tempted to stand upon your table and break into an operatic aria!

We were fortunate to have reserved seats at the bar which surrounds the open-air kitchen and put us front in center of all the action.

Chef Badman and her team were expertly moving about the kitchen like choreographed ballet dancers, while the ever-so-charming Pavle remarkably kept the whole restaurant informed of the night’s performance, kept us all entertained, and made us all feel as though we had a new best friend.

While their menu is in constant flux with the availability of seasonal, local ingredients, we just put ourselves in Pavle’s capable hands and said, “feed us”!

Out came a seasonal salad of cucumbers, green beans, and goat cheese.  We’d heard that Chef Charleen was a master of vegetables, and she showed her prowess as we continued with the most amazing chilled beat soup, followed by socca, sun-gold tomatoes, baba ganoush, and hummus.  Wow!

Our main entrées included Dave’s Roast Chicken (jidori chicken / sherry vinegar, coriander, jasmine rice, and cucumber), and Wild King Salmon (corn, peach, almond, basil salsa verde).

I suppose some might say, “who would order chicken at a gourmet restaurant?”   My answer?  Someone who has sampled a good jidori chicken.  Out of this world!  And, I can’t begin to tell you how great the salmon was with the peaches.  Simply outstanding!

In between all of our samplings, Pavle was interspersing fantastic Arizona wines complete with a little background information that kept our inner-oenophile informed.

Last of all, make certain that you leave a little room for dessert.  Our eyes rolled back in our heads when we first tasted their Pana Cotta from Heaven.  See, I told you there’d be angels involved!

And, while we didn’t have room, we’re told that their butterscotch pudding will change your life.  Really?  Wow.  We’ve gotta go back!

As a seasoned entrepreneur, I learned a long time ago that wildly successful businesses understand that you must masterfully blend experience with your product.  And let me just say that these two have indeed accomplished this with absolute mastery.

Fantastic food combined with a fabulous experience.  Bravo!

I can certainly promise you this, when our foodie friends come to town, you’ll find us all bellied up to the FnB bar.

Oh, lest I forget, the FnB restaurant is located in Old Town Scottsdale.  Outside the door you will find art galleries, boutique shopping, chic nightclubs, and all kinds of fun things to do.

Disclosure: our outstanding dining experience was provided by FnB restaurant.  Thanks!  We’ll be back!

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