Thanks to Andrea Robinson and the morning crew at Fox 10 Arizona for highlighting Quiessence Restaurant at The Farm at South Mountain in their February edition of “Taste of the Town.” After a quick tour of the Farm property, she joined Tony in the kitchen to roll fresh pasta which turned into a quick midweek dish for viewers.
In the January issue of The Wild Blue Yonder, (Frontier Airlines’ in-flight magazine,) The Farm at South Mountain was listed as a “Don’t Miss”destination in Phoenix!
“Never again to be mistaken as a desert tumbleweed town, Phoenix’s secret is out. The city that anchors the Valley of the sun—or just “the Valley”—has grown up and out, stretching across 500 square miles and clocking in as the fifth-largest city in the nation. Famous for its miles of fairways, cosmopolitan restaurants and luxury spas, Phoenix is a welcoming oasis for the weary. And, with a remarkable 334 days of sunshine a year, it’s an ideal winter escape for visitors craving a healthy dose of vitamin D.”
After a visit to the Valley, The Travel Channel featured Quiessence Restaurant on the list of “Top 5 in Phoenix.” The producer planned to spend one hour at The Farm, but immediately rescheduled her afternoon to enjoy an entire day with us.
A big thank you to Travel Channel filmmaker Allison who called Quiessence “Amazing seasonal organic cuisine.” Watch the video here.
ABC 15’s Sonoran Living viewers enjoyed a wintery treat from The Farm at South Mountain. Watch as Quiessence Chef de Cuisine Tony Andiario shares his family recipe for Minestra Soup with Poached Egg. Handmade pasta make a quick cameo, but nearly steal the show!
Minestra Soup with Poached Egg
Makes 1 Gallon
Ingredients
3 qts Meat Broth
4 oz. Pancetta (Diced)
1 Large Onion (Diced)
1 Large Carrot (Diced)
1 Large Celery (Diced)
1 Large Fennel (Diced)
6 Clove Garlic (sliced thin)
2 c. Cooked Lima Beans
2 c. White Wine
4 c. Tuscan Kale (cleaned and chopped)
1 Egg (Per Bowl of Soup you’re serving)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chopped Parsley
Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper
Procedure
In a large pot render the pancetta in 2 tsp of olive oil until pancetta is a light golden brown. Remove and reserve pancetta.
Sweat out the onion, carrot, celery, fennel, and garlic.
Season with salt & pepper. Deglaze with white wine, add the meat broth and simmer 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Add beans, pancetta, and greens.
Continue to simmer until greens are tender.
Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Remove a serving of soup to a smaller pot, poach an egg directly in the soup.
Serve with parsley and parmesan cheese.
‘Tis the season for toe shoes and tastes. For enjoying Nutcracker and noshes. For bubbly and ballerinas. So join Quiessence Restaurant before the quintessential holiday tradition, Ballet Arizona’s performance of The Nutcracker.
Ticket holders get a special treat…
Book your pre-show dinner between 5pm-5:30pm on show nights for a specially-priced, 3-course dinner, only $39!
With your Nutcracker ticket Chef LaPrad will prepare a seasonal feast including your choice of soup or salad, a pasta or entrée and a dessert for just $39.
Tickets & Schedule at: BalletAZ.org
Preshow dinner reservations at 602-276-0601
Some restrictions and exclusions may apply. Reservations required please mention Nutcracker show special when making reservation.
Recently, our very own Chef Greg LaPrad was featured in the national eco-list of “40 Chefs Under 40.” In fact, he was the only Arizona chef on the list!
MNN journalist Matt Hickman writes:
“As executive chef at Quiessence Restaurant & Wine Bar, LaPrad is committed to seasonal, local, organic produce and he enjoys changing the menu every day to reflect the freshest local produce available. And unlike many restaurants that use only a tiny handful of major food partners, LaPrad’s growing list of purveyors is currently about 80 deep. Rather than dealing with just a few major companies on a daily basis, he works with dozens of smaller, local vendors.”
Congrats to Greg and team!
Dear Friends of Quiessence:
Next week Quiessence is joining thousands of other restaurants across the country in participating in an important fundraising effort for Share Our Strength.
The Great American Dine Out will raise money to help the over 12 million American Children who are at risk of hunger. Money raised from The Great American Dine Out directly supports:
Advocacy around Child food and nutrition-related programs
To support this important cause we will be donating 50% of our proceeds from the sale of our Farmer’s Feast Tasting Menu to Share our Strength.
Please consider joining us next week, as we wine and dine for a great cause.
From the Kitchen,
Chef Greg & Chef Tony
“Welcome Back!”
“Great to see you again.”
…Both phrases that will be echoed as here at The Farm over the next couple of days as we welcome back our fellow coworkers and other businesses, but most importantly we welcome you back to The Farm at South Mountain!
We’re ready to start the season with a new energy and a reenergized purpose. Like everyone else, the strain of the economy has been felt here on the Farm too. It’s been increasingly tough to compete with the myriad of restaurants offering a growing number of deals to drive traffic through their doors.
Just how does a restaurant like Quiessence justify paying a premium for organic, range grazed, local beef from a small family when the price on commodity beef from the big meatpackers can be so much more affordable?
Simple.
At Quiessence, we’ll never compromise our cuisine. We will never put profit ahead of our principles; Sourcing the best ingredients from a fair, sustainable, local food system combined with handcrafting our cuisine in house from these ingredients.
Last week, Time Magazine’s (August 31st, 2009) Cover Story was “The Real Cost of Cheap Food.” The article began, “He’s raised on grass and hay and lives happily on a pasture by the ocean. His Meat is free of antibiotics, but can we afford to eat it? We can’t afford not to.”
Food Inc., the movie released this summer, drove home the idea that there are major problems in the American food system that we see first hand on the evening news with food recalls, e coli contamination, etc. I encourage you all to take note of these problems and to consider where/how you choose to spend your food and dining dollars.
I promise you this; at Quiessence we will continue to work hard to serve you the best meal possible. We will continue to make all of our pasta in house, all of our salumi in house, bake bread out of our hearth oven, custom butcher all our meat in house, fly-in (overnight) safe sustainable seafood, and purchase the best seasonal, local, and organic produce we can get our hands on. While this is not the “cheap” route or an “economically savy” business decision it is the choice we make for quality. We do this for us, we do this for you, and we do this for our community.
Thank you for supporting us for another season. We look forward to seeing you down at The Farm and Quiessence soon!
Salut!
Chef Greg
Did you know that 12 million American children are at risk of hunger?
Thousands of restaurants have registered for this year’s Great American Dine Out including Quiessence.
Share in the bounty of our local farms and help end childhood hunger with Quiessence during the week of September 22-26th. With your order of our signature dining experience, “The Farmer’s Feast” we will donate 50% of the proceeds to the Great American Dine Out.
Learn more about the Great American Dineout and Share Our Strength online.
Make your reservations at (602) 276-0601
Make a wish and it might just come true! This week, the globe delights in the annual Perseid meteor shower. Reserve dinner at Quiessence Restaurant & Wine Bar and you might catch a glimpse of falling stars, adding to the charm of an evening at The Farm. Call (602) 276-0601.
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