Fantastic meal. Fantastic experience.
I am a vegetarian. I cook a lot and am very conscious of food preparation, starting with sourcing. I don't just patronize Farmers Markets, I patronize CERTAIN Farmers Markets....that sort of thing. Long story short, if I am going to dine out, I want something very special. VERY special.
Quiessence exceeded my expectations at almost every turn. I dined there with my son and daughter-in-law...both truly expert cooks...more knowledgeable than I.
All of us were BLOWN AWAY by our meal. We got the Farmers Feast without the wine pairings so we could choose our own wine. I got the vegetarian...they got the carnivore (or ominvore or whatever they call it!). Truthfully, labels are irrelevant. It's all in the taste...and the tastes are sublime!
I was impressed by how much variety was in each plate. Theirs were similar but each a little different. More importantly, there was a marvelous progression of very carefully crafted flavors.
The most impressive thing: The chef clearly wanted to offer his own interpretations . That he did so while letting the fabulous ingredients speak for themselves is truly remarkable.
The setting is beautiful. The servers are unpretentiously proud of their community and the work they are doing and seemed to enjoy our enjoyment as well.
Our only criticism (and it is minor) is that although the desserts were beautifully crafted, we felt that they did not reflect the intentions of local sustainability. There is so much wonderful local fruit (used in other courses, I might add!)...perhaps adding some to the desserts would carry out the theme more completely...I'm sure the chefs' creativity can conjure more ideas than I!
That said, I will return! As often as possible! Quiessence and the Farm at South Mountain are an unparalleled resource for the Phoenix community...easy to get to from any part of the Valley...no excuses, folks!...Go!