First, NOCA is located in the strip mall from heaven. In addition to the glorious stuff being served at NOCA, the divine burgers from Delux are being served a few doors down. For me, that is the best burger place and perhaps the best place to eat in PHX right next door to each other.\n\nI have been to NOCA twice now and its been just about perfect both times. They change the menu very regularly (maybe even daily) and every time I've been I wanted to order everything on it. I don't quite remember what I had the first time I was here as it was a while ago, so I'll give the run down from my last outing a few nights ago...\n\nStarted off with the chilled sweet corn soup which was served with avocado and chorizo. I'm a huge corn fan and this did not disappoint. Next was the lobster gnocchi and duck confit. The gnocchi was pretty al dente, which was an interesting surprise in a good way. Duck confit was awesome...really tender and juicy. Next we had a pasta dish...I forget the exact name of the pasta...it was circular and had a dimple in it. Anyways it was served al dente as well with a pork sauage and tomato based sauce. For the main course I had the duo of berkshire pork...a bit of pork loin wrapped in bacon and a piece of pork belly. This was a lot of pork, but sooo phenom. The tenderloin was indeed extremely tender and a great mix with the bacon. Pork belly is one of my favorites and this simple preparation hit the spot. The piece was full of that fatty pork belly goodness. Next they brought out their cotton candy...it was green apple flavored and a great transition into dessert. I tried two of the desserts...the deconstructed cheesecake and the milk and cookies. The presentation of the deconstructed cheesecake was really creative with a small ball of cheesecake, a lime jelly, a little strawberry sauce, and a sweet/bitter sauce. All of it eaten together was pretty good, but the creative is what made this dish. The milk and cookies were like your traditional milk and cookies but on HGH. The cookies were as thick as two cookies and the milk was a vanilla malt that could have been a dessert by itself. When the warm cookies were dipped in the milk....mother of god was it good.\n\nI know that was long, but I could talk about NOCA for hours. The service was spot on both times I was here and I couldnt have asked for anything more. However, what really makes me like this place is the owner came over to our table both times I was there and asked how everything was going, how the food was, etc. It just kinda rounds out the experience knowing that the owner cares that the customers are satisfied.\n\nFinally, yes NOCA is a little pricey, but it's definitely worth it. However, a little warning...once you try this place once, you'll always want to go back.
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