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| - Had a fabulous time here with my husband celebrating my birthday last weekend. We both got "The Farmer's Feast" and it was truly amazing. I was not expecting that we would each get unique dishes so that let us sample even more of the food (though the hubby didn't really share too much). I highly recommend this option for anyone dining here.
The antipasti was a great selection of cured meats and local cheeses. Next, I had a wonderful salad that was a great combination of sharp peppery flavors mixed with sweet. Strawberries, arugula, radishes, yum! For pasta course I got gnocchi with a rich and tasty cream sauce and my husband got ravioli stuffed with yam. His dish was amazing, I had to fight for a couple bites. For the fish course I had poached halibut that was served with some kind of really flavorful sauce and a vegetable puree so that whole thing was extremely delicious. The hubby got a very lightly seared tuna fillet. I was very surprised that he enjoyed it so much since he is usually not a raw fish kind of guy. For our main course I got a pork tenderloin and the hubby got braised beef... just lucky we each got our favorite meats. Each came with other vegetables and starches on the plate so they would have been an ample meal in and of themselves. For dessert, I got a goat cheese cheesecake that was truly amazing. One of the best deserts I have ever eaten. Very rich but the pieces were small enough so that it was not heavy. The dessert did not have too much sweetness so it went well with the ice wine it was served with which tasted like pure honey. Just fantastic. The hubby got bread pudding which we didn't much care for and it came with a sorbet that I didn't try. I got the wine pairings with the meal and every wine just complimented the dish it was served with so beautifully that I was really glad I added that option. Also, it ended up that you got a half glass (at least) with each course so I think it is a good value (the wine pairing was an extra $45.)
I do agree with a couple of the reviewers who mentioned salt. There were a couple of dishes that had just a tad too much. However, I think that was not due to a mistake of the chef, I believe it is just because they use cured meats in a lot of their dishes. Another reviewer mentioned bad service but we did not experience that at all. Our server was extremely warm and friendly. She was very knowledgeable on the food and could answer any questions we had for her. She also took the time for each course to explain each dish and in my case the wine and why they went together. Only one time did my wine not come out at the same time with the food course and in that case our server apologized immediately. I do agree with some of the reviewers that the service is very slow... however, I believe that this is intentional. They have created a very cozy and comfortable environment and they want you to linger and enjoy yourself. With the Farmer's Feast in particular it took us almost 3 hours start to finish but I enjoyed every minute of it. It was nice to have time in between courses to sit and talk and relax. The spacing also kept us from feeling too full by the end (it is six courses after all!) or from letting the flavors from one dish influence the next. I was able to enjoy each course separately and independently with its own unique wine. It was pure food heaven. This is not the type of place where you would stop in for a meal before a show or event; when you come here, this should be your only destination for the night and it is such a great experience that it will be enough! We truly had fantastic night here.
One warning I will say is for ladies, you need to be prepared for the rural atmosphere and the walk from the car to the restaurant would be challenging in heels (I had been warned so had wedges). In fact the dress code overall was a bit more casual than I was expecting. Kai at Wildhorse Pass resort is my absolute favorite "special occasion" restaurant and so we were making a lot of comparisons between the two. My husband made the comment that when we were at Kai we spoke in library whispers the whole time and felt a little awkward at times (you know the type of place where you feel like if you use the wrong fork you may end up getting kicked out) but at Quiessence we were chatting away the whole time and completely at ease. It is definitely a much more comfortable and relaxed environment then any other I have experienced at a restaurant of this caliber.
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