La Encantada has always been a hot spot in the Foothills for trendy restaurants and fine dining. Recently, a new restaurant has been added to the mix: Armitage Wine Lounge and Café. A friend of mine recommended me to try it and raved of their happy hour specials. Armitage has happy hour every day from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and then from 10 p.m. to close. I don’t know about you, but happy hour definitely puts me in a good mood.
But of course, leave it to me; I managed to arrive during those 3 hours in between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. That means I missed $5 appetizer selections and $5 glasses of wine. Nothing makes a college student on a budget more annoyed than missing a great deal, but at least I know now!
Walking into Armitage, you are overcome with a romantic vibe. 90 percent of the lighting comes from an array of candles placed on every table and overhead. Leather couches create a conversational eating area that would be great for sharing an appetizer or sipping wine. Speaking of wine, the wine cellar is located on an upper level and is visible to the entire dining area. For those who aren’t crazy about wine, don’t worry! There is also a fully stocked bar for whatever you may desire. But I’ll put this out there- this is definitely not a bar to throw back shots.
Now for the food! First, my date and I started with an appetizer. It took us 10 minutes to decide between the Warm Spinach Dip and the Margherita Flatbread, but after asking the waitress for her opinion, we went with the Warm Spinach Dip. It was different than other spinach dips I’ve tasted, which usually have chunks of artichoke mixed in. This one wasn’t chunky, but I could really taste the cheese in it, which I loved!
For our main course, we split the Rosemary Foccacia Panini and the Armitage Cobb Salad. The Rosemary Foccacia Panini was filled with chicken, zucchini, artichoke hearts, spinach, melted havarti and roasted red pepper aioli. This Panini wasn’t your typical buttery and melted Panini, but rather a toasted sandwich. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed it and was left perfectly satisfied. You know it’s a good meal when you leave the restaurant feeling full and just as skinny as you felt walking in.
I didn’t want turn from feeling skinny to completely bloated, so I skipped on dessert- but it wasn’t easy, especially after I saw that they have a baked cookie. My ultimate weakness!
Lastly, I don’t recommend this restaurant for first time daters, unless you want to be in a romantic setting right off the bat. Everywhere you looked, couples of all ages were holding each other’s hands, gazing into each other’s eyes, and doing that I’m-tipsy-on-wine cheesy giggle. So if you plan on going with a guy who you aren’t so sure about, I suggest you save Armitage for the third date.
Armitage is located at La Encantada and offers incredible weekly specials: “Half Price Mondays” from 7 to 10 p.m., complimentary wine tastings with any $10 food purchase on Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m., half price bottles of wine all day on Wednesdays, Ladies’ Night on Thursdays from 7 p.m. to close, and Weekend Brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Happy eating!
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Arizona chapter.