129-1/2: An American Jazz GrilleGood Food & Good Music in Prescott, ArizonaIf you are anything like me you just feel more comfortable in some restaurants than others. I guess this is the result of a a variety of things like lighting, décor, whether the staff is stuffy or not – you know what I mean. Well, 129-1/2: An American Jazz Grille is one of those places where I feel right at home. Located just a block north of Gurley on the east side of Cortez, one of the main streets that border the town  square,
it’s a pleasant walk to
dinner after partaking of the activities in downtown Prescott. The narrow store front of 129-1/2 is tucked in among the many antique and art galleries. Its inconspicuous sign serves as both identification and location- for 129-1/2 E. Cortez is its address as well as its name. Take a peek inside and you will see the beginning of a most pleasant evening of dining and music. The restaurant is narrow, as are most of the old store spaces in histo  ric
Prescott, the lighting is subdued but not dark and the colors
blend well with the Jazz themed murals on the walls. About 2/3 of the way into the restaurant the space widens out to accommodate a small area for the Jazz combo or Torch singer, a bar/lounge area that accommodates the crowd for Happy Hour and a (more) private room that would be ideal for an intimate meal. We choose to sit in the front of the restaurant, far enough back so that the music didn’t interfere with our conversation but close enough to hear. The owner of this restaurant, Barry Barbe, understands that his clientele are not here for a concert, the music is pleasant but always at a volume that complements your dining experience. If 129-1/2 sounds stuffy – it’s not. It is classy, cool and a great place to have a really good time. Dancing is appreciated by the band, Happy Hour is ... Happy, lots of people having a great time! The hostess is a friendly and efficient young lady who immediately escorted us to our table. Our server greeted us and introduced himself in a timely manner and left us with the wine list and menus. The wine list covers the bases with around 40 well chosen bottles from various producers in each major category of wine. The wines are priced reasonably from $22.00 to $60.00.  You can find a bottle of wine here to pair with any menu item you choose and, for the more adventurous, you might even find something you haven't tried before. If you don't think you can polish off a full bottle, there are a generous selection of wines by the glass priced from $6.00 to $13.00. The Menu at this restaurant is interesting without venturing too far afield. There are numerous appealing appetizers, the Baked Brie, Bleu & Pear and the Fried Calamari are especially noteworthy. Salads are pretty traditional, but Barry always manages to throw in a little twist, like the addition of Smoked Paprika Almonds or Dried Fruit, that gives that traditional salad a whole new and unexpected taste. Entrees are varied, ranging from Balsamic Calves Liver to Trout Florentine and a variety of steaks with 3 delicious choices of sauce. You can find something to eat here. On this particular night we chose the Baked Brie, Bleu & Pear and the fried Calamari as appetizers. I chose the Pecan crusted Lamb Chops as my entree and my wife chose the Bad Boy - a 10oz Stuffed pork chop. The lamb chops and the Stuffed pork chop were excellent, well seasoned, tender and moist and cooked exactly as requested. We couldn't have asked for better. The side dishes consisted of seasonal veggies, which were very good, and the true star of the evening, Scalloped potatoes made with Gouda cheese. Those potatoes were killer with outstanding flavor, potatoes cooked till they were tender but not mushy. They were just great! Our server soon returned with good news and bad news. The bad news was that they were temporarily out of our selection.  The good news was that they had the organic version of the same wine and would that be acceptable? We said "yes it would be fine, is it the same price?" To which our server replied "it is normally $40.00 but since we are out of your selection this will be the same price." You can't beat that deal. The wine complemented our dishes beautifully and made an excellent meal memorable. And finally dessert! 129-1/2 serves a variety of excellent desserts, from chocolate cake to parfaits to creme brulee. The selection varies but they are all good. We topped the evening off with a cup of coffee and called it a night. We had enjoyed a fine meal, an excellent bottle of wine and good music all in a comfortable, inviting setting. What more could you want?
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