Sunday, November 30, 2003
The Pause That Refreshes by Karyn Zoldan
New to the Williams Centre area is Intermezzo owned by Daniel Scordato of Vivace fame. Quite frankly it’s a welcome respite in a sea of chains like Olive Garden, TGIFriday, and Baja Fresh; and the down-home Jerry Bob’s Southern-style cooking with freshly baked white bread and bad coffee.
Intermezzo means pause or refresh in Italian. Every culture except the US seems to have a civilized idea for siesta or taking a break from the busy day. Perhaps ours is the happy hour, then to stumble home, eat dinner and sit in front of the multi-channeled idiot box all night long. At Intermezzo, a soothing palette of colors greets you and you’ll feel transported away from the bumbling traffic on Broadway.
My friend and I and her young daughter met there recently for breakfast. Intermezzo is just another façade for regularly priced, upscale fast food, of sorts. You know the kind where you order at the counter, help yourself to beverages, and then the food gets delivered to the table. Should you want more coffee, you must get up to request a refill.
Since very few people were in there at 9 a.m. we chose a big table so her daughter could spread out with crayons and toys. I ordered a large Italian roast coffee ($2) and bruschetta with poached eggs ($5.95). My food came but the coffee did not. The cashier said he screwed up and was supposed to direct us to our own beverages. An honest mistake. Sally ordered the continental breakfast for her daughter. At $3.95 it was a carbohydrate feast of croissant and two coveted pieces of LaBrea Bakery’s chocolate cherry bread. Think dessert. Think 100 times better than white bread. With enough cholesterol to gag a horse, generous scoops of whipped butter and whipped cream cheese came along for the ride on the plate.
Sally ordered the ham and Asiago cheese frittata which took a little extra (as noted on the menu) to prepare. This vast plate arrived along with bread and toast and fruit garnish ($5.95). Next time I’m going to order a frittata. My poached eggs were done to perfection and the asparagus, Provolone cheese, and Prosciutto di Parma ham all blended nicely together on the toasted bread. As soon as someone finished their plate was whisked away. My friend Barbara hates that; she sees it as rude if other people are eating. I, on the hand, want my plate to leave when I’m finished so I can do the uncouth thing and put my elbows on the table.
Choices are limited to a few breakfast items, sandwiches accompanied by pasta salad or mixed greens, two panini sandwiches, soups and salads, and some desserts and many coffee and espresso drinks. Open Mon-Sat from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Intermezzo
5350 East Broadway - next to the Good (sic) Egg
Tucson
(520) 748-8100
Hungry? Try some delicious copy2go
New to the Williams Centre area is Intermezzo owned by Daniel Scordato of Vivace fame. Quite frankly it’s a welcome respite in a sea of chains like Olive Garden, TGIFriday, and Baja Fresh; and the down-home Jerry Bob’s Southern-style cooking with freshly baked white bread and bad coffee.
Intermezzo means pause or refresh in Italian. Every culture except the US seems to have a civilized idea for siesta or taking a break from the busy day. Perhaps ours is the happy hour, then to stumble home, eat dinner and sit in front of the multi-channeled idiot box all night long. At Intermezzo, a soothing palette of colors greets you and you’ll feel transported away from the bumbling traffic on Broadway.
My friend and I and her young daughter met there recently for breakfast. Intermezzo is just another façade for regularly priced, upscale fast food, of sorts. You know the kind where you order at the counter, help yourself to beverages, and then the food gets delivered to the table. Should you want more coffee, you must get up to request a refill.
Since very few people were in there at 9 a.m. we chose a big table so her daughter could spread out with crayons and toys. I ordered a large Italian roast coffee ($2) and bruschetta with poached eggs ($5.95). My food came but the coffee did not. The cashier said he screwed up and was supposed to direct us to our own beverages. An honest mistake. Sally ordered the continental breakfast for her daughter. At $3.95 it was a carbohydrate feast of croissant and two coveted pieces of LaBrea Bakery’s chocolate cherry bread. Think dessert. Think 100 times better than white bread. With enough cholesterol to gag a horse, generous scoops of whipped butter and whipped cream cheese came along for the ride on the plate.
Sally ordered the ham and Asiago cheese frittata which took a little extra (as noted on the menu) to prepare. This vast plate arrived along with bread and toast and fruit garnish ($5.95). Next time I’m going to order a frittata. My poached eggs were done to perfection and the asparagus, Provolone cheese, and Prosciutto di Parma ham all blended nicely together on the toasted bread. As soon as someone finished their plate was whisked away. My friend Barbara hates that; she sees it as rude if other people are eating. I, on the hand, want my plate to leave when I’m finished so I can do the uncouth thing and put my elbows on the table.
Choices are limited to a few breakfast items, sandwiches accompanied by pasta salad or mixed greens, two panini sandwiches, soups and salads, and some desserts and many coffee and espresso drinks. Open Mon-Sat from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Intermezzo
5350 East Broadway - next to the Good (sic) Egg
Tucson
(520) 748-8100
Hungry? Try some delicious copy2go
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