This past weekend I went to Cowboy Ciao. Now, there is an interesting backstory here. Whenever I travel (out of Arizona), people always mention it as one of their favorite places in Phoenix. I was surprised when this happened over and over again, but it just seems as though anyone who visits Phoenix tries Cowboy Ciao (CC). Yet — and here’s where it gets interesting — no one I talked to in Phoenix really liked it that much or had been there. A couple people mentioned that it was “very creative food” when I told them I was going. Nevertheless, after checking out other restaurants’ menus online, I decided to book a reservation at CC.
The location was incredibly convenient, and the inside of the restaurant looked very much like many other nice little Old Town restaurants. It did seem to have a loyal following of large parties, and I had read a bunch about it online as well before going. Upon arriving, we were promptly seated at a 4-top on the side of the room. Usually I like to have a little smaller table, but it was actually a nice amount of space. Once seated, we were given a binder of the wine selection and menus. I had looked at the wine list before online, and knew that without someone who really knew wine to a T I would be better off looking at the “top choices” sheet I was also given. I found a wine flight that looked really interesting, and ordered that. It was a selection of red South African wines, and included a pinotage, syrah, bordeaux blend. The Bordeaux blend was my favorite out of the three, but all of them were great. That was probably one of the highlights of the meal.
I love mushrooms, so I was really excited to order their “signature dish”, the Exotic Mushroom Pan Fry. However, I also wanted to try their Stetson salad, which had rave reviews online, and their bread pudding, which is my favorite dessert item to get at any restaurant. So, I guess you can say I had pretty high expectations for this dinner. Here’s how it all went down…
After choosing my wine, I asked how big the mini mushroom panfry was, because I knew that I wanted the salad AND dessert. The waiter seemed well versed in the menu, and aptly described the dish, though, he recommended getting it as an appetizer, in addition to the salad, and getting another entree. This seemed like a lot of food to me, especially since my dining partner does not like mushrooms, but I decided that the waiter knew best. So, I did what he suggested, though I ordered an additional appetizer for my entree instead of a full entree.
The mushroom pan fry and the Stetson salad were the first to arrive. The mushroom dish was composed of cremini, button, oyster, cepe, lobster, black trumpet, shiitake, morel, yellow foot, all of which was doused in ancho cream and served with polenta, grilled portabellini, avocado, tomato, and cotija cheese. It was very creamy and was a little heavy, but it had a good flavor. All of the mushrooms were perfectly cooked, and the polenta was a nice addition to the soft mushrooms. It was a lot of the same flavor, however, so after awhile it lost some of its excitement. The Stetson salad was absolutely fantastic — it was a mixture of tomatoes, trail mix (pumpkin seeds, etc.), cheese, Israeli couscous, corn, and smoked salmon. It was a great combination of salty and sweet, with crunchy and smooth. The dressing also nicely mixed, and I enjoyed the presentation. The salad came out with each ingredient separate, and it was mixed on the spot.
If we could have stopped here and had dessert, it would have been a perfect meal. However, there was more coming, and so for the entrees, my dining partner and I had the ahi tuna dish. The tuna was in a orange/soy/chile glaze and was served with sesame smashed fingerlings, cucumber/jicamint salsa, and mixed vegetables. I didn’t taste any of this one personally, but my dining partner liked it, although they were not able to finish it all. For my entree, I had the seared scallops and beet risotto, which was also incredibly creative and full of bold flavors, though it was just hard to taste all of it because I was so full from finishing the whole mushroom pan fry and stetson salad. After eating all we could, we had to pass on dessert, which was disappointing, but I just couldn’t have eaten any more!
After pondering this dinner and figuring out how I would blog about it, I came to a conclusion that I would have liked this meal a whole lot more if I had not ordered as much. I think that if we had just had the salad as an appetizer, then gotten the tuna and the mini mushroom pan fry for entrees, and then had dessert, I would have left the restaurant full, satisfied, and happy. Instead, I was just amazed with how much food we were told we could eat, even though it wasn’t an exorbitant amount, it was still more than I could eat in one sitting. I would go back to CC to try it again, because I think that this is a place I could really like. Look for an updated review if I do end up back at CC.
The Ranking (for explanation, see “Review Key”):
Food: 3.5 Straws (The food is very creative and fun to eat).
Price: $$$$traws, Expensive (minimum $50-$60 for a two course dinner and a drink — not including dessert).
Atmosphere: Casual, but with a bustling elegance
Overall: 3.5 Straws (Food was very good, though the ambiance was very typical)
The Details:
Website: http://www.cowboyciao.com
Location: 7133 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale AZ
Phone: (480) WINE – 1111
Reservation: Required on weekends, and during peek dining hours.
Dress: Casual/Business Casual.
Hours:
Sunday through Thursday: 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5pm to 10pm
Fridays and Saturdays: 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5pm to 11pm
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