My husband and I went to The Estate House on Saturday evening to celebrate his graduation from ASU. I had been to the Upstairs lounge twice previously with friends, but had never ate there. We thought a graduation celebration was a good excuse to try the food.
Our reservation was at 7:30 pm, and when we arrived, perhaps half the restaurant was full. The space is cozy and warm feeling. The wine list is long and varied - it was nice to see they offered so many wine by the glass choices as sometimes I feel like this is lacking at a lot of restaurants. However, my husband and I decided to share a bottle of sauvignon blanc (it's their only bottle from New Zealand - the exact name escapes me) which was delicious and a great compliment to our meals.
The amuse bouche (halibut ceviche on a dried pear slice) was very enjoyable and light. The complimentary bread was so soft with a crisp edge which is exactly how I like my bread. We skipped salads and appetizers, but I'm kicking myself now for not getting the heirloom tomatoes with burrata because the table next to us got that and it looked fresh, delicious and beautiful. For dinner, I had the fettucine with herb crema, mushrooms, and truffle oil - the portion size was perfect and the pasta was cooked perfectly. My husband had the halibut entree and he let me sneak a bite - the fish was very well cooked which was good because we've had some rather disappointing fish dishes other places in the Valley. We also got a side of the grilled garlic potatoes, which are basically oversized steak fries. I never got the garlic taste, so I feel like calling them grilled garlic potatoes was a bit of a misnomer. However, they were good, although if you are sharing this side, I would recommend getting two because you only get four potatoes with a side. Since when I made our reservation, I said we would be celebrating Chris' graduation, we received a complimentary bread pudding dessert - we devoured it within minutes so I think that speaks to how amazing it was. After tax and tip our bill was $122 which we thought was very reasonable given what we ordered and the solidness of all the dishes we ordered.
After dinner, we went up to the Upstairs lounge for a post-dinner drink. (Note: If you dine downstairs, they will take your drinks upstairs for you after you are done with your meal if you want them to.) From my three visits now to the Upstairs lounge, I would really recommend sitting outside. While the inside is cozy, I think the outdoor patio is the real highlight of the space. The live band I have seen twice on Saturday nights there is really good and entertaining. I have tried the rose mojito which while a touch on the gimmicky side is actually really good.
The Estate House was a great choice for our date night. The Upstairs lounge is a nice place to have drinks at the beginning of the evening before going out to other places in Scottsdale or as a destination if you just want a relaxing evening with a few people. I enjoy having this more sophisticated option in Old Town.