I was recently in Phoenix Arizona on business and decided to check out this new restaurant called Mosaic. The name of the place intimates that the chef's goal is to create a tapestry of diverse flavors – from all over the world – woven seamlessly together. Well, I'm happy to report that I've found a major gem hidden in the hills of Scottsdale! The chef has created a truly memorable experience for her guests. Also, Mosaic is a supporter of the ideas and beliefs of the Slow Food movement (see www.slowfoodusa.org), and so I thought I'd post this review here, in the Slow Foodies tribe.
My companion for the evening was an ageless and beautiful tantric healer, an Indian woman who looks a bit like a mixture between the Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla and the spiritual teacher Gurumayi Chidvilasananda. Anyway, her palette is as well-traveled as mine, and she was equally impressed with the mastery of the chef. Incidentally, she regaled me with stories of her experiences with Carlos Castenada, which seemed oddly appropriate for an evening in the desert, and provided the perfect dinner conversation for the meal. Since we were both light drinkers, we only indulged in two glasses of wine. She had a nice Riesling, and I opted for a spectacular French rose. I have to tell you that a great rose wine is truly an underrated experience. I once spent a month in a French villa in the Loire valley - complete with swans in the pond in the backyard and a cellar of wines that the landlord encouraged me to drink from. I found this home-bottled rose that invariably led to earthshattering sex, followed by a short but intense hangover. It was amazing, and we dubbed it "happy juice"... almost like that movie, Chocolat, in which the chocolate served by this gypsy woman had magical powers. When I inquired about this rose with the landlord, he smiled and said that it was a secret formula, but hinted that it was extremely popular with his friends.
Anyway, back to the dinner. Without further delay, let me tell you about the food, which was achieved a trifecta of culinary perfection – the tastes of the varied dishes were simultaneously healthy, delicious and innovative. (Far too often, chefs will lament that you can only insure two of the three requirements for culinary perfection). We started with an appetizer of seared Canadian lobster, accompanied by a seaweed salad and pickled lobster root, and accented with a shoyu lemon beurre blanc. Then, defying gravity, we ascended to an even loftier high, by sharing another appetizer, quaintly titled "Crazy Foie You". Yes, I said "titled" and not "called", because works of art require titles. The foie gras was seared to perfection, with a nicely toasted covering, and placed on banana & brazilnut crouton. Oh, and the reduction was absolutely sinful... it must have been laced with heroin because we were both licking the plate.
We followed the appetizers with a Thai shrimp and coconut soup, with shiitake mushrooms and ripe cherry tomatoes. And after this, was the salad course... I'm addicted to heirloom tomatoes, so the heirloom tomato salad was a must have for me, but I think I would have been happier with the Green Goddess salad, which is an inventive mosaic of spinach and watercress, accented with tomatoes, crab, sweetheart potatoes with an herbed aioli.
Then we proceeded to the entree. I have to disclose that I try to watch my weight – basically a fool's errand in a place like this so we decided to split a single entree in order to sample two appetizers and two desserts. But which entree? My companion was tempted by both the Love Birds, a paring of seared duck breast and pheasant in a rosemary-truffle jus and huckleberry jelly. I was leaning toward the braised lamb with an oregano demi-glace. But we defaulted to their standby signature dish - a roasted garlic marinated prime beef tenderloin. Anyway, the pancetta-prosciutto demi-glace was rendered artistically, and the beef was both succulent and tender. The beef was so delicious that I have honestly forgotten what accompanied it. Some sort of vegetable that was lost like foreplay when you're too excited to do any.
For dessert, we cherry Coeur la crème in a wild cherry sauce, sort of a flaky cheesecake made with chevre, and the bananas foster crème brulee, a well executed cup of brulee, accented with caramelized bananas and rum crème. Both were quite tasty and provided an excellent balance for the savory tastes of the entree and appetizers.
I'd like to add that the staff was courteous but not obsequious, friendly but well, not too friendly, and definitely knowledgeable about both food and wine. Also, the staff provided service on a team basis... not a single hint of "sorry, not my table" consciousness the entire evening. My water glass was never less than half full, and when the waiter returned after serving a dish, he displayed an air of anticipation, as if he *just knew* we'd be happy, and was anxious to learn HOW happy.
One more thing I'd like to note before concluding this review. I have been hardened by the good fortune to dine at gourmet restaurants regularly – from Napa to Little Palm Island, and at a majority of the Top Twenty restaurants in the United States – and I'm normally pretty good at showing restraint.. But at Mosaic, I just couldn't help myself. I hadn't over-eaten like this since... well, eating at Paul Bocuse in Lyon, which was so good that I almost had to be wheeled out of that place.
So how good is Mosaic? I can say without reservation that the chef and owner Deborah Knight is one of the greatest chefs in the United States. Her style isn't eclectic, it's revolutionary. The complexity and ingenuity of her cooking will delight and fulfill any diner, from foodie to moody. My only regret is that I could not taste every dish on the menu that evening. Her inventive culinary creations rival those found in restaurants like Jean Georges, Chez Panisse and French Laundry. And the presentation and ambiance created by general manager Matt Rinn was equally refined. Mosaic, my friends, is truly a gem to be treasured, and one whose value will climb in the years to come.
My companion for the evening was an ageless and beautiful tantric healer, an Indian woman who looks a bit like a mixture between the Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla and the spiritual teacher Gurumayi Chidvilasananda. Anyway, her palette is as well-traveled as mine, and she was equally impressed with the mastery of the chef. Incidentally, she regaled me with stories of her experiences with Carlos Castenada, which seemed oddly appropriate for an evening in the desert, and provided the perfect dinner conversation for the meal. Since we were both light drinkers, we only indulged in two glasses of wine. She had a nice Riesling, and I opted for a spectacular French rose. I have to tell you that a great rose wine is truly an underrated experience. I once spent a month in a French villa in the Loire valley - complete with swans in the pond in the backyard and a cellar of wines that the landlord encouraged me to drink from. I found this home-bottled rose that invariably led to earthshattering sex, followed by a short but intense hangover. It was amazing, and we dubbed it "happy juice"... almost like that movie, Chocolat, in which the chocolate served by this gypsy woman had magical powers. When I inquired about this rose with the landlord, he smiled and said that it was a secret formula, but hinted that it was extremely popular with his friends.
Anyway, back to the dinner. Without further delay, let me tell you about the food, which was achieved a trifecta of culinary perfection – the tastes of the varied dishes were simultaneously healthy, delicious and innovative. (Far too often, chefs will lament that you can only insure two of the three requirements for culinary perfection). We started with an appetizer of seared Canadian lobster, accompanied by a seaweed salad and pickled lobster root, and accented with a shoyu lemon beurre blanc. Then, defying gravity, we ascended to an even loftier high, by sharing another appetizer, quaintly titled "Crazy Foie You". Yes, I said "titled" and not "called", because works of art require titles. The foie gras was seared to perfection, with a nicely toasted covering, and placed on banana & brazilnut crouton. Oh, and the reduction was absolutely sinful... it must have been laced with heroin because we were both licking the plate.
We followed the appetizers with a Thai shrimp and coconut soup, with shiitake mushrooms and ripe cherry tomatoes. And after this, was the salad course... I'm addicted to heirloom tomatoes, so the heirloom tomato salad was a must have for me, but I think I would have been happier with the Green Goddess salad, which is an inventive mosaic of spinach and watercress, accented with tomatoes, crab, sweetheart potatoes with an herbed aioli.
Then we proceeded to the entree. I have to disclose that I try to watch my weight – basically a fool's errand in a place like this so we decided to split a single entree in order to sample two appetizers and two desserts. But which entree? My companion was tempted by both the Love Birds, a paring of seared duck breast and pheasant in a rosemary-truffle jus and huckleberry jelly. I was leaning toward the braised lamb with an oregano demi-glace. But we defaulted to their standby signature dish - a roasted garlic marinated prime beef tenderloin. Anyway, the pancetta-prosciutto demi-glace was rendered artistically, and the beef was both succulent and tender. The beef was so delicious that I have honestly forgotten what accompanied it. Some sort of vegetable that was lost like foreplay when you're too excited to do any.
For dessert, we cherry Coeur la crème in a wild cherry sauce, sort of a flaky cheesecake made with chevre, and the bananas foster crème brulee, a well executed cup of brulee, accented with caramelized bananas and rum crème. Both were quite tasty and provided an excellent balance for the savory tastes of the entree and appetizers.
I'd like to add that the staff was courteous but not obsequious, friendly but well, not too friendly, and definitely knowledgeable about both food and wine. Also, the staff provided service on a team basis... not a single hint of "sorry, not my table" consciousness the entire evening. My water glass was never less than half full, and when the waiter returned after serving a dish, he displayed an air of anticipation, as if he *just knew* we'd be happy, and was anxious to learn HOW happy.
One more thing I'd like to note before concluding this review. I have been hardened by the good fortune to dine at gourmet restaurants regularly – from Napa to Little Palm Island, and at a majority of the Top Twenty restaurants in the United States – and I'm normally pretty good at showing restraint.. But at Mosaic, I just couldn't help myself. I hadn't over-eaten like this since... well, eating at Paul Bocuse in Lyon, which was so good that I almost had to be wheeled out of that place.
So how good is Mosaic? I can say without reservation that the chef and owner Deborah Knight is one of the greatest chefs in the United States. Her style isn't eclectic, it's revolutionary. The complexity and ingenuity of her cooking will delight and fulfill any diner, from foodie to moody. My only regret is that I could not taste every dish on the menu that evening. Her inventive culinary creations rival those found in restaurants like Jean Georges, Chez Panisse and French Laundry. And the presentation and ambiance created by general manager Matt Rinn was equally refined. Mosaic, my friends, is truly a gem to be treasured, and one whose value will climb in the years to come.
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SF Bay Area
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