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| - I had not previously been to the Fairmont Princess for lodging or dining, although I have been a guest and a big fan of three Fairmont properties in Alberta, Canada. Located just off the Scottsdale Road & 101 exit the property was easy to find. I reserved the Valentine's Dinner based on the menu I saw online. The menu showed a four-course meal of Lobster and Cauliflower Bisque & Scallops, Wild Striped Bass with English Pea Ravioli, Bone-In Cowboy Steak with Maine Lobster Mac & Cheese and a Brussels Sprouts, Bacon Marmalade, then finally Raspberry Lemongrass Cheesecake for $85 per person.
The server was friendly and informative. We began with complimentary chips & salsa and each ordered a margarita (she the Organic Agave Nectar margarita and me the El Pina Diablo, a pineapple~serrano chile infused tequila). The server brought out the first course, which the menu on the table showed as Sopa de Calabaza. It was a roasted butternut squash soup with crispy pork belly, chipotle yogurt crema and a Granny Smith apple. There was a drizzle of chili oil on top. It was good, although I was a little puzzled it was not the lobster bisque. The granny smith apples were small strips at the bottom of the soup and I could not determine what they were - so I had to ask.
The second course arrived and again I had to ask what it was because it wasn't the wild bass and ravioli I was thinking it would be. Instead it was Empanadas de Langosta y Camaron; a pair of small lobster and shrimp empanadas with a black bean puree, chile arbol and a watercress with an oil and vinegar dressing. By this time I was already feeling the food wall fast approaching and realized we had the main course and dessert yet to come. I was glad that being a guy it didn't take long to get ready so I was able to run a couple of miles before preparing for the evening.
Course three prompted the server to ask how we liked our filet cooked. So this must be the bone-in cowboy steak with mac & cheese...no, it was Filete a la Parilla - grilled filet mignon, sweet corn and rajas tamal, crab fondue, roasted mushrooms and an Oaxacan chile demi. Again, another excellent dish, but not what I originally expected. By this time we were both so full that we barely ate this course. We each made a weak attempt at starting on the filete, but neither came close to finishing, and we both left the tamale. We brought them home in a nice looking take-out bag.
Even though we couldn't eat course 3 that was no excuse not to push on to course 4. It was not the raspberry lemongrass cheesecake, but instead an Almond Leche Flan de Fresas, which was an almond custard with caramelized strawberries and a few strawberries & black berries on the size with a strawberry drizzle. As a gift my girlfriend received a complimentary red rose.
The meal was excellent and my girlfriend said it was the best meal she ever had. She loved the rose, the atmosphere of the restaurant and courtyard. It was chilly so the fireplaces were nice and inviting. The price was a little better than shown on the web site; $75 instead of $85. In researching the Valentine's Day menu it was surprising to see that the menu and cost described in the opening paragraph is what was shown on the restaurant's website
(http://www.scottsdaleprincess.com/var/cdev_base/storage/original/application/bd42c11d30ed3a90e0baaf090772bb6f.pdf), while the $75 and menu that was actually what we received was shown on a different party's web site (http://intheknowhotels.com/valentines-day-ideas-the-fairmont-scottsdale-princess-resort-packages). Typically I would expect the hotel and its restaurant to be a more reliable source. Despite the differences, the meal was perfect, my girlfriend had an excellent time, and we enjoyed our first official Valentine's Day together. I would definitely go back and try some of the other items. They have a good happy hour menu where the El Pine Diablo is $5 rather than the $11.50 tonight, and there is a $10 heirloom tomato salad that caught my eye.
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