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Phoenix, Arizonia, USA

Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort

Norman
2004-08-11 16:20:21

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of Phoenix?

To top it off, the restaurant can boast of having one of the most creative executive chefs in Arizona, Ivan Flowers, whom you can truly call a magician. When it comes to culinary artistry, Flowers' French-Italian-Mediterranean cuisine with an Arizonian twist is difficult to outdo no matter where you hail from, including Montréal, our home town, where restaurants rate among the best in the world. Chef Flowers indicated that there was a time not too long ago when the idea of Arizonian cuisine evoked images of unimaginative dishes. His objective is to improve upon the culinary options by offering innovative choices.

After some tough decision making, we decided to fire up our taste buds and try the five course-tasting menu personally served to us by "Monsieur Le Chef" himself. What the hell, you only live once - forget about dieting! And to compliment our meal, a fruit rosé wine was suggested by sommelier Eric Spragett, who, by the way, has the distinction of being one of only two certified wine educators in the state of Arizona, as well as being certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Chef Flowers' is quite an interesting character and his animated description of each one of his magnificent servings including his personal chef experiences was a delightful show in itself. As he stated upon first visiting our table, "we are going to have some great fun tonight," and that we certainly did! It was a feast fit for royalty!

We started off with Mozzarella di Bufala, Confit and tomatoes with Prosciutto di Parma. Next was the Lobster Bisque with Black Trumpet Mushroom Infusion, followed by Potato Gnocchi with Perigord Truffle Brown Chicken Jus and six year aged Rocca Parmigiano. Onto the Baby Field Greens, Citrus Stawberry Tomato Carpaccio, Seared Main Diver Scallop with Pancetta Glazed Chilean Sea Bass, Roasted Blue Foot Mushrooms, Champagne Grapes, Smokey Lobster Butter, Garlic Basil Lamb Persillade with Bon Gusto Lacquered Osso Bucco, Creamy Belfian Salsify and Thyme Braised Artichokes, Natural Jus with Cognac Herb Demi Glace. Yes, we did relish every morsel! No wonder Chef Flowers was the lead chef instructor of Le Cordon Blue School, L'Ecole, at the highly respected Scottsdale Culinary Institute.

In the final analysis, does the Tapatio Cliffs Resort have what it takes to attract romantic-loving travelers? The answer is a resounding yes!

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