CITYSunTimes Web Exclusive April 2010
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FOOD & WINE

[Talavera, the signature restaurant of the Four Seasons Scottsdale, recently invited Jay to be part of its Wine Dinner series. Read the rest of Jay’s review in our April issue.]

The restaurant itself is warmly lit with gorgeous wood floors that compliment the vaulted ceilings, wrought ironwork and arched doorways. The best part of the ambiance is that you don’t have to be outside to enjoy the beautiful views. A huge, and I mean HUGE, glass wall allows you to take in the views, while remaining warm and cozy inside. There is an elegant fire pit surrounded by water just on the other side to enjoy as well.
One of the reasons that I was looking forward to this particular wine dinner, aside from the fact that the executive chef is extremely talented, is that you can enjoy it at your own pace and at your own table. Though sometimes I like to sit at a large community table and meet new people, my favorite setting is being able to enjoy my dinner companion’s company in an intimate setting where I’m not pressured to eat or drink at any certain pace.
The four-course dinner showcased more exotic meat dishes than other wine dinners I’ve been to. They were beautifully presented and well proportioned.
The first course was Veal Stuffed Ravioli with fennel sausage and crispy kale on top of a delicate tomato sauce. The stand-out part of this course was that I tasted the flavors in that particular order. Tasting by level rather than combined is an experience I highly recommend.
The second course was one of my favorite birds: quail, served with a mini mixed green salad, cherry vinaigrette with sprinkled Gorgonzola and walnuts. Traditionally, I enjoy my quail when I get to cut it away from the bone and sans mixed greens. For first-time quail tasters, I recommend the way Talavera prepared it.
The entrée was a Venison chop served with a cassiolet of butter beans, tinkerbell peppers and watercress. To me, venison has a “brighter” taste than beef. I found it very flavorful, lean and not gamey as I would have expected. It was served medium/medium rare with a nice peppery aftertaste. I can see why this was chosen as the entrée, as the Opus Wine 2004 blended perfectly with this course.
And finally, the dessert. Merlot Velvet Torte with port pears and an apple merlot seltzer. The name described it perfectly; it really did have velvet-like texture, but rich and smooth on the inside. The pears were an added layer of flavor and the apple merlot seltzer was a nice finish to an amazing dinner.
With so many options to choose from these days, service is the key piece in keeping diners coming back. The Four Seasons is known for extraordinary service and Talavera executes this without skipping a beat. The servers are very friendly and most importantly, will give you sincere opinion and recommendations.
Talavera has a program called “Chef de Jour” in which, for a fee, they will arrange a unique culinary adventure where you are able to not only tour the kitchens and see the back of the house operations, but create a menu from start to finish, cook it and if so desired you can join your invited guests for a celebration of your culinary talents.
My belief is that my business partner Susie needs to pony up for a birthday gift for me, this would be perfect.

FOOD & WINE Foodies Like Us Web Exclusive | CITYSunTimes April 2010