Barbecue glazed salmon over mixed greens at Cuvée.

Chris Richards / Arizona Daily Star

More Photos (1):

Other articles by Kathleen Allen:

Talent doesn't save 'Bingo' Fun, famed, feline fantasy Gail McDonald is winner of 'The Big Book of Chocolate' Eat cheap 'Humble' a comedy, plain and simple Vintabla chef Yim creates flavorful dish of pork loin Log on to our food blog, send a recipe and win 'The Big Book of Chocolate' Blog readers post recipes for salads; next is BBQShish Kebab House has rich, fresh, tasty dishesUApresents announces 2008-09 season

Restaurants and Clubs
Zinburger
All Positions Driver/Transportation
Pioneer Landscaping
Drivers/End-Dumps Trades/Construction
arizona portland cement
maintenance electrician Education
Indian Oasis Baboquivari Unified School District
Teachers / Principals General
Trades/Construction
Paragon Electric
Electricians Dental
Dr. John Carson, DDS, PC
Dental Asst/Treatment Coordinator

"Oh, I love Mondays," gushed the waiter at Cuvée World Bistro. "The customers are so nice."

Not long after, she spilled her drinks over herself and us. We were nice.

Then she forgot an item. We were still nice.

Then she neglected to put in a dessert order. We were nice again, but not happy.

Still, her smile was wide, and the rain was coming down harder than our drinks. We wanted to hang around the cozy restaurant with colorful fabric art on the walls, comfortable chairs, a come-hither bar and an ambience that says "We're hip, we're good, stick around a while."

Cuvée's owner/chef Mitch Levy has been splitting his time between his Tucson restaurant and his new Colorado one (same name, in Basalt, near Aspen).

The division of time takes its toll on Cuvée here.

On one visit, we sampled four dinners — two specials, two off the menu. While the menu items pleased, the "road trip" specials, which should have been a chance for the restaurant to strut its stuff, disappointed.

The restaurant takes road trips during the summer, dishing up cuisine from different countries.

On this first visit, Spain and France were highlighted. We dug into a Bistec Adobado ($20). The New York strip steak was overdone and dry. The adobado marinade usually features dried red chiles, garlic, spices and vinegar. The flavorful dish was remarkably bland at Cuvée.

And the paella ($18), which featured salmon, a half-dozen mussels, two shrimp and lots of saffron rice, was ho-hum. Even the chorizo sausage thrown into the mix had no bite. Paella should be sweet with fresh tomatoes, assertive with garlic and onion and resplendent with fish. Most of the fish in this traditional stew spent way too long cooking.

Ah, but the menu items. Impressive. The duck ($18), which has been offered since the restaurant opened four years ago, is a succulent masterpiece.

The tender slices of duck, topped with a not-too-sweet sauce of port wine and cherry, had a crispy skin and meat so tender and juicy it nearly evaporated in your mouth. The creamy mashed new potatoes were spiked with fresh basil, adding an extra dimension to the whole dish.

And the salmon ($17) was cooked to moist perfection and topped with a thin, crispy potato crust. It floated in a butter sauce generously spritzed with lemon. Simple, eloquent and quickly devoured.

On a return visit, the specials had Italian and French accents. We decided to give them another chance.

Wise move. The Shrimp alla Griglia ($20) had a half-dozen finely-cooked jumbo shrimp taking a dip in a shallow pool of garlic butter. A hefty helping of creamy polenta with swirls of a mascarpone pesto sent heavenly shivers down the spine.

And the stuffed shells ($18) were a joyful dance of spicy Italian sausage, crunchy pine nuts and fresh mozzarella scooped into three small-cup-size pasta shells and lightly drizzled with a quiet cream sauce made with ricotta cheese. Yum.

The appetizers at Cuvée are so delectable we would have no qualms about making a dinner of them. Especially the Queso Fundido ($9). Think of it as a cheese casserole, with buttery Chihuahua cheese. That's topped with sweet, skinned roasted tomatoes and roasted poblano chiles that tasted a little smokey, a little spicy. Dip into the cheese and pile it onto the small flour tortilla and bite, chew, swoon.

We had the same reaction to Cuvée's Black Pepper Bumbleberries ($8.50). Sweet strawberries, raspberries and blackberries mixed with just a shake of black pepper to provide a sublime contrast. The berries were moist with a balsamic glaze and sat in a crunchy, cinnamon-sprinkled tortilla. Melting over this is a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. This demands to be eaten slowly.

It was so good, in fact, that when the waiter brought the check long after she should have, we were nice, really nice.