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| - Update: The restaurant has undergone a complete revamping of staff and menu, so the following is a review of the old establishment. I'll try the new one soon and am
praying it's still great, but it's now related to House at Secret Garden, which has taken a serious downturn into mediocrity the last couple times I visited.
Each year I spend March in Phoenix, and I've long wanted to try Quiessence. This year I stayed at the Legacy Golf Resort just next door to the Farm . . .so I had no excuse, and I have not been disappointed.
After reading several reviews here, I decided to wait until I'd visited a few times to offer my opinions. I must say that the experience, from food to service to creativity and ambiance, have been spectacular.
I now have had four meals at Quiessence, and the staff has made me feel very much at home. Each time I've had the vegetable plate 'From the Ground,' and each time it's been a different combination of flavors and textures straight from the garden, plated beautifully to the point of taking out the IPhone for a photo before devouring. The pasta dishes are worth pointing out...they change almost daily, and they've always been creative and delicious. Also, don't shy from the duck egg preparations. Last week an egg-en-cocotte was divine, and last night's soft scrambled duck egg with black truffles was plate-lickingly good.
The staff has shockingly turned me on to Arizona wines, something I would never have ventured into blindly. The Sand Reckoner 7 was so good that I found some at a local store to take East with me to offer up as a ringer in an upcoming blind syrah tasting in New Jersey.
Call in advance to secure a table in the main room or outside...the back room is not nearly as romantic. Once I sat alone at the community table overlooking the bar, which was fine for that occasion, as I got to know another couple and we had a delightful time together.
Yes, it's expensive, and if you're looking for a slab of grilled meat or chunk of lasagna, don't waste your time or money. But if you appreciate a singularly romantic setting, perfect service, culinary creativity and fresh preparation, you won't be disappointed. Each visit has brought a smile to my face and a yearning to return.
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