Today, April Salomon, executive director of the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM), announced the November 1 reopening of award-winning Café Allegro in partnership with hospitality management company Guest Services, Inc. (GSI). Executive Chef James Moran will introduce an inspired new menu of seasonal dishes and drinks to mark the reopening. The reimagined menu will offer guests a range of rotating selections that celebrate culinary influences from around the globe, many prepared with local flavors and ingredients. The inaugural menu from GSI will include a variety of original sandwiches, salads, hearty soups, and fresh grilled entrees.
Chef Moran reopens Café Allegro with a menu that will change weekly and seasonally. Selections include a wild mushroom bisque with truffle oil and chives and an autumn chopped salad with apple, bacon, and pepitas tossed in an apple cider vinaigrette. Grill items such as a gochujang burger with pickled onions on a brioche bun reflect the museum’s global nature. A classic grilled chicken sandwich and a tepary bean veggie burger come with a choice of house-prepared sides. Plated entrees take full advantage of local ingredients and flavors, like a smothered beef burrito with salsa verde and a southwest turkey meatloaf with salsa norteña. Specials will run weekly, including Moran’s crab corn fritters with Old Bay and a vegetarian panko-crusted cauliflower parmesan. Guests can peruse the day’s full menu before their visit at MIMdining.org.
In October, MIM also began service at the adjacent Beats Coffee Bar offering specialty roasted coffee, espresso, and tea drinks, along with house-made pastries and other breakfast offerings, grab-and-go lunch options, wine, beer, and other seasonal treats.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome museum guests and the Phoenix community back to Café Allegro for a memorable in-person dining experience. Our refreshed culinary offerings are reason enough to visit MIM and will further enhance the MIM experience during our innovative exhibitions and programs,” Salomon says. “It has been a pleasure to see and taste all-new dishes as the menu has come together, and I hope our guests enjoy GSI’s creations as much as we do. The food is a delicious complement to the global collections and perspectives presented throughout our galleries.”
GSI has over 100 years of experience in the hospitality industry, managing the culinary services at a range of cultural and civic institutions and special events. MIM joins an impressive portfolio of celebrated institutions including the National Park Service, Smithsonian museums, and presidential inaugural balls.
The new partnership with GSI also expands MIM’s catering and event services. The exciting new culinary program will bring opportunities to host conferences and corporate celebrations, social gatherings, and weddings for groups of 10 to 1,000 plus. The unique settings presented by MIM’s distinctive architecture, lush desert foliage, and 40,000 square feet of versatile event spaces make the museum a premier venue for all types of memorable moments.
For more information about special event rental or catering capabilities, visit MIM.org or contact Teresa Martin at teresa.martin@MIM.org or 480.245.6972.
