High Street (formerly known as CityNorth) is one of those developments from Phoenix's glory days that has always seemingly been on the brink of explosive growth while also on the brink of eminent closure. The complex is a mix of retail, office, and residential spaces (many of which have been vacant since day one) as well as a massive swath of dirt that is still as yet undeveloped. The area has potential, but it also has the potential to go under. Amongst the instability, La Bocca's newest location is probably the signature restaurant of this fledgling complex. Tonight I was invited here for a little holiday season get together with some friends.\n\nFor the record I have not yet been to La Bocca's original location Tempe so I can't compare this location with the original. But the menu and atmosphere at least appears to emulate the original location as an urban themed pizzeria and wine bar. A somewhat similar setup to Postino's but with more of an emphasis on the Italian main courses. The location is fairly small, but has ample seating inside and out with a mix of bar seating and couches throughout. We opted for high table seating in the middle of the restaurant this go around.\n\nWe all started with a round of drinks. The wine selection is pretty respectable and they've got a full bar if you're in the mood for something else. They also have bruschetta plates (again, similar to Postino's), but I went straight for a main course this time. I went with the Rustic Marinara pasta (more or less their take on a spaghetti and meatballs). The meatballs were a super tasty mix of beef and pork. The thick cut noodles were also quite good. The sauce was fairly average and the garlic bread was pretty forgettable, but overall it was a decent dish. For dessert, I went with their cast iron chocolate brownie with ice cream. Effectively their own miniature version of Oregano's Pizzookie. It was adequate, but yeah Oregano's does it way better.\n\nTotal tab for my glass of wine, pasta, brownie, tax and tip came to about $40. No complaints about the service as our waiter was hamming it up with our whole group and was very attentive and timely in getting us our food and drinks. And as a place to get drinks with a group, La Bocca is a pretty cool hangout spot. But the main dishes just didn't impress me that much (certainly not for the price I paid). I'd happily recommend folks try this place for a happy hour group outing. But purely as a sit down restaurant, La Bocca's High Street location could use some work. Eventually I'll try their original location in Tempe. Hopefully that location has mastered both the food and drink elements of a great wine bar, the way Postino's has.
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