Quiessence is a beautiful restaurant. A converted home with a fantastic fireplace in the yard in a secluded part of Phoenix was, not so surprisingly, idyllic and relaxing. For a moment, I forgot I was in the desert.
The artisan & farmstead fromage board's presentation was impressive. The dried fruits reminded me of an Airbnb I stayed at outside of Yosemite where the hosts served me dehydrated fruits from their backyard. The roasted beet semi salad was a piece of art. And I don't even like beets that much.
The service was kind, but misfired once or twice. Some of the servers were more familiar with the food and wine than others. I told my server that I was vegetarian, and she asked me whether or not I ate stocks made from meat. I confirmed no, and was excited by her thoroughness. But when the fettuccine came out, she mentioned that my sauce had some sort of stock in it. Maybe she was going off of what she memorized, but I wasn't about to be that guy who asked for the entree to be re-made after the table waited 40 minutes for their food.
To be fair, the pasta had robust flavor. I should have asked for veggies as a substitution for the anchovies instead of just stripping out the fish.
Ask your server about the history of the restaurant. Weather permitting, sit outside. And watch your step walking over to the bathroom - the half step between the house and its expansion got me good.