Quiessence Restaurant

I think you pay for the ambience more than the food. The atmosphere is indeed nice, I recommend sitting outside when the weather is bearable since the inside is a bit cramped. Their «wine bar» is really just a long table you sit at for a bit before your table is ready, and its a bit awkward if you are there with others, feels sort of like you just joined a dinner party with people you don’t know. The food was decent, you can tell the ingredients were fresh and definitely a lot of effort went into the preparation, but overall it just didn’t do it for me, with a lot of dishes lacking in flavor. You’ll easily pay $ 250+ for a nice memorable dinner, and it was a nice experience, but it’s a steep price to warrant a return trip for food and portions that leave a lot to be desired.

Noise level in the room for the Wine Dinner was so loud with 40 people you could not hear Period! Then to top it off the room was too hot to enjoy the dinner and we were seated by the small AC. We were packed in like sardines. If you were seated facing the outside you had a beautiful view of the property. If you were seated with your back to the outside you had a view of the wall and the LOW ceiling.
The 3 course dinner was OK. Would I do it again NO. The Vegtables were very fresh and did meet the farm to table billing. The preparation was excellent on the vegetable and fruit items first second and fourth courses. As I look back at the Pork (main entrée was too dry and lacked a lot) it just did not meet the other food prepared that evening.

From the minute I made a reservation Quiessence impressed me. They called to confirm and ask if there were any special occasion being celebrated, allergies to be aware of, first timer and if we were visiting. The staff was so friendly and extremely knowledgeable. All of the food was absolutely amazing! Since its farm to table everything is super fresh. The combinations of some of the food sounds different but they seem to fit so perfectly to make the food so unique and delicious! The ambience is gorgeous, just bring bug spray if you sit outside.

Quiessence is a beautiful restaurant. A converted home with a fantastic fireplace in the yard in a secluded part of Phoenix was, not so surprisingly, idyllic and relaxing. For a moment, I forgot I was in the desert.
The artisan & farmstead fromage board’s presentation was impressive. The dried fruits reminded me of an Airbnb I stayed at outside of Yosemite where the hosts served me dehydrated fruits from their backyard. The roasted beet semi salad was a piece of art. And I don’t even like beets that much.
The service was kind, but misfired once or twice. Some of the servers were more familiar with the food and wine than others. I told my server that I was vegetarian, and she asked me whether or not I ate stocks made from meat. I confirmed no, and was excited by her thoroughness. But when the fettuccine came out, she mentioned that my sauce had some sort of stock in it. Maybe she was going off of what she memorized, but I wasn’t about to be that guy who asked for the entrée to be re-​made after the table waited 40 minutes for their food.
To be fair, the pasta had robust flavor. I should have asked for veggies as a substitution for the anchovies instead of just stripping out the fish.
Ask your server about the history of the restaurant. Weather permitting, sit outside. And watch your step walking over to the bathroom — the half step between the house and its expansion got me good.

This place is a must visit! The estate is gorgeous & the food was delish. We had the $ 85/​person tasting menu & loved every taste. Our waitress was the greatest. Throughout the entire 3hr dining experience there, she made sure we were always pleased. I do believe her name was Renee. My taste buds long to go back & try more. We had: Artisan & Farmstead Fromage board, Charcuterie, Artichoke soup, Roasted beet semi salad, aged wagyu carpaccio, potato gnocchi, day boat Alaskan halibut, aged New York strip, green apple cannoli & warm bread pudding. My mouth is watering just typing our menu. Enjoy dining!

I’ll keep it short and sweet because I really wanted to like this place celebrating a special occasion, but in the end I just couldn’t. Just a preface, there were about 3 — 5 tables in the entire restaurant (not busy).
Pros (kinda):
Coursing menu overall was great minus the bland entrée, which included large amounts of broccoli (the only item I asked to not have). Looks like other reviews complain about similar misteps, one of which required an epipen.
Ambience is very nice.
Cons:
The coursing menu took 3 hrs 15 min and we rushed our way at the end. That’s fine if expected but insanely slow on an obviously slow night. To be honest this was the overriding factor which basically ruined the night.
Sat for 20 min until I flagged down the hostess to get a drink.
Noticeably frustrated, the staff was unapologitic. That sealed the deal to write a review.
For the price point just not worth it. For the $$$$, simply need better service.
Sorry, I rarely ever review, but maybe this critique will prepare others or get the restaraunt to speed their coursing up. There’s a lot of options in Phoenix and at this point your money is better spent at many other establishmemts.

We had dinner there on a weeknight for the first time. As we drove through the farm property, it was not very well signed or lit. It almost looked as though they were not open. We parked and walked over to where we saw a little activity and that was the place. There were only 3 other tables occupied so very slow. We thought at first it was going to be a bad experience. It took them about 5 minutes to recognize us and seat us. After we were seated, it was lovely, the service was great, as each person explained the history of the property and where all of their ingredients are sourced from. We had the pork belly as an appetizer and it was excellent. Overall wonderful food, and service, but a little deceiving as you approach the restaurant.

The atmosphere was beautiful and once we got the food it was delicious however when I made my reservation and they asked me about food allergies I let them know that I was allergic to Mint. I ordered a vegetable salad and the minute I took a bite of one of the vegetables my tongue and mouth started to burn. I then asked if there was mint in it and found out that there was. They admitted that they had my food allergies on file but just didn’t look. If I had continued to eat it I would have gone into full anaphylactic shock luckily I had my EpiPen and I spit it out before I swallowed so it just caused burning of my mouth. The main course was delicious but overall the wait was way too long it took us 2 hours to get our food. While I enjoyed the company two hours for food when we were already hungry is a bit much.

Overall a very nice experience, with a couple of missteps.
I was treated by my fiancée to the Brick Oven Dinner to celebrate my birthday. The location is great. Close enough to the freeway to make it an easy trip from downtown Phoenix, but definitely in the country.
Blink and you might miss the sign to the farm, but follow the track to the very end and you will find many choices. Quiessence is one of the choices (on the left)
The table for the Brick Oven Dinner is very cute. Set apart from the rest of the tables under a canopy and of course the oven, with heaters on either side, which we needed later on. You really feel like a VIP sitting there.
Our server was very knowledgeable of the menu, but at times a little robotic. Another server who would pop by from time to time was a little more authentic. She engaged in conversation with us and added more logs to the fire where needed.
The meal got off to a bit of a rocky start when she got my drink wrong. I ordered a Gibson, she brought a Gimlet. No big deal, she’ll switch it out. But then she comes back and says she doesn’t have any cocktail onions, so I settle for a regular martini instead.
The premise of the Brick Oven menu is that it’s Chef’s Choice. He’ll work around your allergies, restrictions and preferences to create a customized menu just for you. Sounds great! One vegetarian, one meat eater, no allergies please!
I realized while researching the writing of this review that what I received was almost exactly the same as Unilocaler Dave G. received. So I will defer to his review for most of the descriptions (plus photos for every course).
Here’s what we got —
Amuse Bouche — little shooter of chilled apple soup. mine had an oyster, her’s didn’t.
1. Charcuterie & Cheese. Nicely separated with the meat on my side and the cheese on hers. This course took FOREVER to come out. We would have been there for 8 hours if the pacing for each subsequent course had been the same as this one
2. Parsnip Soup — mine had bacon, her’s didn’t
3. Beet Salad & Seasonal Vegetables
4. I received the Wagyu Capaccio. This was my favourite dish of the night. She received the himachi crudo minus the himachi. The server said this dish was her favourite, but she had never seen it without the fish. Looked a little sad
5. Potato Gnocchi. Mine came with hen, her’s didn’t. Light and excellent. Highly recommend
6. For the entrée I received chicken scallopini. I was a little disappointed with this course. Reading Rob’s review (which had been identical up until this point) this was a letdown. She got a plate of vegetables.
7 & 8 — Not sure if they were getting tired of us, or if they wanted to go home, but courses 7 and 8 came at the same time. Panna Cotta with a blackberry soup; apple marscapone cannoli (excellent!) and dulce de leche bread pudding (very good)
We ordered coffees, one regular and one decaf and they were both cold. As we were literally the last people in the joint, we didn’t ask for a replacement, plus she had already dropped the check right after the desserts, so the message was clear.
So, overall a 4-​star experience. For the most part excellent food although I felt they took some lazy short cuts with the vegetarian options and I really don’t know why the charcuterie board took close to an hour to arrive! Service was mostly good, although I felt rushed at the end which shouldn’t be the case when you are paying $ 120 per head plus drinks.

The words «Farm to Table Dining», get thrown around too much, as every gastropub loves to use them. But if you really want to enjoy a true farm to table experience then Quiessence is your restaurant. Why? Because it’s actually on a farm. Most likely your server will be able to tell you and point to exactly where each fruit and vegetable was picked.
For our last night in Phoenix, we wanted to do something special, and The Brick Oven Table at Quiessence seemed unique. This is a two person table that’s off to the side of the restaurant, in front of a brick oven fireplace, with an 8 course tasting menu. You will be asked if you have any dislikes or food allergies. Past that, you are in the chef’s hands for the evening. If you are a picky eater, then this isn’t for you. But I’ve learned that if you trust a great chef with great ingredients, you will have an amazing meal. Not all of our courses were the same, which is great for tasting lots of different things, if you don’t mind sharing. We actually had 13 different dishes when it was all said and done.
Amuse Bouche — soup of apple, goat cheese, mint, cherry balsamic, and croutons. I knew from the first sip, we were about to enjoy a wonderful meal.
Course 1 — Charcuterie & Fromage. This was huge for a 1^st course, shared or not. The attention to detail was impressive. Homemade jams and mustards were the perfect compliments to the various cheeses, cured meats, pates, nuts, dried fruit, pickled beets and veggies.
Course 2 — Parsnip Soup — Mangalitsa Bacon, Crispy I’itoi Onion, Opal Apples, Parsnip Chips. This was poured at the table, which allowed the parsnip chips to keep their crunch, and for the delicate apple slices to not get soggy.
Course 3 A — Roasted Beet Semi Salad — Smokey Blue Cheese Dressing, Golden & Red Beets, Sunchoke Chips, Arugula, Apple, Hazelnuts. I don’t normally like beets too much, but loved these.
Course 3 B — Maya’s Foraged Garden of Seasonal Vegetables. You are on a farm, so whatever looks good and ready to be picked will end up on this plate.
Course 4 A — Aged Wagyu Carpaccio — Golden Greens, Parmesan, Blue Cheese Aioli, Tempura Herbs, Pickled Ramps, Bread Spoons. Beautiful presentation and my wife’s favorite dish all evening.
Course 4 B — Hamachi Crudo — Citrus Salsa Verde, Citrus Caviar, Micro Cilantro, Garlic Chips. This was impressively served on a Himalayan Salt Rock, thus lightly picking up the salt flavor to match against the sweet and acidic citrus. The Hamachi was my favorite dish of the night.
Course 5 — Potato Gnocchi — Guinea Hen Confit, Mascarpone, Rainbow Chard, Portablla, tomato, Fried Sage. This course let me down a bit. The gnocchi were pretty mushy, which was hard to ignore. I did love the flash fried sage for some crunch.
Course 6 A — Wild Black Cod — Sweet Potato Fumet, Eggplant Chips, Poached Tomatoes, Chive Crème Fraiche, Braised Greens, Baby Beet Tops. Perfectly cooked fish and every ingredient worked in perfect harmony. I loved how they just barely braised the greens, slightly wilted but still full of flavor.
Course 6 B — Mangalitsa Pulled Pork — Crimon Lentils, Roasted Apples, Arugula/​Radish/​Walnut Salad, Roasted Turnips. This was for you to pull it, it was a solid piece of tender pork, slowly cooked so it pulled apart like a pot roast. Another winner.
And the desserts were just as good…
Course 7 — Honey Panna Cotta — Blackberry Broth, Blood Orange/​Blackberry sorbet, Candied Citrus, Nasturtium Petals, Blackberries, Blood Orange, and Grapes.
Course 8 — Apple Mascarpone Cannoli — Toasted Hazelnuts, Dulce de Leche, Green Apple Sorbet, Apple Chips, Candy Apple Dust.
Course 9 — Dulce de Leche Bread Pudding with house made vanilla Ice Cream.
We had an amazing meal with fantastic service by Narah B.

The food was very good, but unfortunately, we only made it through three of five courses. The waitstaff (who were all very friendly) had a very busy night. We arrived at 7 pm and finished 3 of 5 courses at 9:30 pm.

What a pleasure — reaching back to Phoenix’s agricultural pass. Many of the vegetables are grown on site so if you want freshness this is the place to be!

I cannot express how amazing your experience will be if you ask for Rene! She is friendly and makes amazing recommendations. It’s been six months and she even recognized us.
Plus, the food is fantastic. The current crudo is packed with tons of flavor, and the gnocchi is like biting into a cloud. My steak was done expertly and all the veggies on the plate made it easy for the partner (who hates veggies) fall in love with their flavor.
We opted to eat inside this time and it was almost as intimate as eating at the brick oven.
I rarely like desserts but it’s hard to pass up the superb combo of fresh apples, hazelnuts and creamy cannoli. This is definitely a place you don’t want to pass at satisfying your sweet tooth.

I had no expectations about this restaurant even though I read the menu and reviews. Never been in Arizona before, I didn’t know what to expect. I made reservations for my boyfriend’s birthday dinner. We are from Seattle so we are very spoiled foodies. We were created and sited at this old building that looked like my grandma’s ranch house. Came to find out this was the original farm house. How cool is that!
Our server Polly was great. We chose the chef’s tasting menu and were amazed. The different courses were unique and very delicious. The fresh produce and greens from Chef’s garden was a special touch. This is one of the best dinners I’ve had and was very happy to share it with the birthday man. He had great experience and was happy, as I was.
And I do not think the $$$$ is accurate. The price was nothing compare to the experience
Loved it! Loved it! Definitely going back next time I’m in Phoenix

We are on course #3 of 8 as I write this but I had to let all of Phoenix and the metropolitan area know what a wonderful restaurant this is. We are doing the romantic dinner in front of the fireplace and it is just magical! The food is fresh, it is prepared with love and is an honor to eat. Quiessence is a gem!

Quiessence Pros: Amazing and inventive food. Fresh flavors from a combination of unique and everyday ingredients. Portion sizes are perfect and food was served at the absolutely correct temperature. Highly recommend the Chef’s Tasting Menu. Wine list heavily features local/​Arizona wines. Servers are very well versed in their menus and friendly. Interestingly, men and women are served some different food/​wine during the tasting. Take advantage of your server’s knowledge and communicate any likes/​dislikes regarding food/​flavors.
Cons: Pacing is ridiculously slow. Plodding even. Our six course tasting took just over 3 ½ hours. After the plates from our 4^th course (an amazing pasta!) were cleared, our server brought out the wine pairings for the 5^th course, then 45 minutes later the fifth course arrived. Needless to say, the wine was gone. That said, even with the extremely slow pacing, the food was worth the visit and we will come again. I am hoping that our slow service was an anomaly since the table across from us sat down ½ an hour later, ordered the same tasting menu, and finished 30 minutes before us. With the faster pacing, the tasting menu takes a more reasonable 2 ½ hours.
Bottom line — the food is excellent but, be prepared to make an event of the night. Do not make plans that can’t be broken to be anywhere after dinner.

I had such an amazing time here. The atmosphere and food was so good. Although, it is very pricey I think it is absolutely worth it for the experience. My waitress was navarah and she was so nice! I highly recommend this place.

Enjoyed one of the best meals in this life. I visited The Farm while being here on business. It was a last minute decision our group of 18 made to try out this rustic farm to table experience. We called ahead to confirm our larger party would not be an issue. Not only were they able to fit us in, our group also selected to participate in the 6 course chef’s tasting menu. I highly recommend experiencing Quiescence alone, on a date, with family, friends and when absolutely necessary co-​workers.

The food and atmosphere at Quiessence are fantastic. The tasting menu is particularly great and perfect for sharing. The very best thing of all is Renée, one of the most knowledgeable and charming servers in any restaurant anywhere.

Romantic atmosphere, stupendous food and amazing service!
This restaurant is located at the back of the Farm at South Mountain. They only do night service but it is perfect. There is a special table set over to the side for special occasions. It has a wood burning oven decorated with beautiful lights. Perfect for a romantic dinner that feels secluded.
Every night the menu changes depending on what the chef prepares. The food is all locally grown whether on their farm or local farms. The food is fresh and you can taste it.
We decided to start our meal off with the cheese board. The cheese ranged from a local goat cheese to a delicious feta. They had a delicious sweet zucchini bread that was to die for.
For my meal I had a delicious pasta that consisted of roasted tomatoes and fresh cheese. It was superb. Renee was our server and she was perfect.
Take a stroll at night under the lights. It is one of the most romantic dates you’ll have around phoenix.

We went to Quiessence at the Farm for a birthday celebration and were lucky enough to be seated at the brick oven table. Travis, the manager and Allison, our server could not have been nicer. They made the whole evening special and the food was AMAZING. Beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. We can’t wait to return!

Perfect for special occasions! It’s quite pricey but worth the foodie experience. Quiescence was this month’s foodie adventure for our group of 11 people. I believe all of us ended up getting the Tasting Menu (at $ 85 each) as they were not intended to share and we didn’t want to miss out on the experience. IMHO, the many small portions were perfect in size but too much in total quantity for one person. Each dish was created and balanced to perfection, revealing a new discovery of flavors and textures. Will def come back again for special occasions! And perhaps share a Tasting Menu so I don’t feel bad in the end about the expense. Maybe it was just because it was a monthly fun event not a special one-​time or annual occasion. Nonetheless, we loved the moment!

From the start to the finish what a great experience We would recommend the chef’s tasting also the wine paring was great. Sit back and enjoy. The service matched the food. Thank you Renee!

I was looking for a really special restaurant near Tempe to take our recent college-​grad to celebrate the occasion.
I found this restaurant when I searched for the $$$$ price range (yes on purpose… I have learned that searching for a 4 or 5 star restaurant in the Phoenix area results in lots of mediocre cheap food. I think cheap is the driving factor in college students’ ratings, so my theory is that Unilocal ratings in this region are more about what’s cheap than what’s actually good.)
Even with the $$$$ price range, Quiessence Restaurant & Wine Bar appeared #2 after Domino’s Pizza. What a crazy region!
Anyway, these words jumped out, and were the reason we went: «Historic home» «warm country feel» «local, sustainable»… well, I was SOLD.
The reviews that pick apart things about the food are a little intense in my opinion… my feeling is the food is wonderful, the relaxed farm atmosphere would keep us going back, and those kinds of comments by professional-​sounding reviewers would be better said in a private email or note to the restaurant.
Tip: When you’re on S. 32^nd Street, look for the sign that says «The Farm at South Mountain,» and drive through the twinkly lights towards the back of the property.
This restaurant really pleased us, and if we lived in the area, I know it would become a regular favorite. We let the chef decide our dinners by selecting the Seasonal Tasting Menu. One of our servers also recommended to us that we should definitely try the pastas next time we dine. Our main server knew every detail about each dish he set in front of us, which amazed us because we were presented with many many different things and unique ingredients… my favorite ingredient-​name was called «fiddlehead fern.» :)
Feeling blessed to be able to treat our daughter to such a nice experience.

I had the pleasure of dining here last night, it was recommended by a friend and she was spot on! A nice leisurely dinner after a hectic week was exactly what was needed. My beet salad was amazing, when a place has the ability to grow their own ingredients the difference is obvious, super fresh and a nice mélange of flavors. The beef carpaccio was sensational– tender, juicy and again divinely fresh!
Narah was my server, and she was just the right level of attentive, let us relax and never hovered excessively, that’s one of my pet peeves. Unlike one of the other reviewers, I can pour my own wine and it doesn’t interrupt my enjoyment of the experience. The ambiance was delightful, the food sublime and the nice manager who came to see if we were enjoying ourselves was a delight. He was also from Chicago and it was another experience of midwestern friendliness making me feel welcome so far from home.
Bravo Quiessence! I promise to come back as often as possible.

This place is about the experience, meaning you sit down and enjoy a long dinner with someone. The portions are small but tasty. The server was really friendly, and I love the location! They turned a run-​down area into something trendy. However, a few things distracted from the experience…
First, the person up front ask about our reservations and had to check if our table was ready. Five minutes later, we were still standing there. A manager finally got us our seats. I liked the view of of the front yard, but the windows were dirty. There’s dirty as in a few spots and then there’s dirty as in hasn’t been cleaned in a year. These windows looked as if they hadn’t been cleaned in a good year or so. The final thing that got me was the flies. Yes, it’s an old farm area, but when you have multiple flies constantly landing on your food, body, and drinks, it gets annoying! The dining experience was about 2.5 hours, and I was annoyed by flies for nearly the whole time.
I’m not sure if I would go back. If there are flies and dirty windows, I’m afraid to see what the kitchen looks like or how my food was handled…

Best food I have eaten in DECADES!!!

I’ve been to the restaurant prior to and after the new owners had taken over. Honestly, I wasn’t impressed with the re-​imagining of the restaurant. The artesan bread and fromage plate was good but the main course (duck breast) left little to be desired. Frankly, it was overdone and the flavor was dull. The waiter who served my husband and I talked our ears off through much of our meal, which made the atmosphere seem more casual than before. Also, the waiter didn’t seem very knowledgeable on the wine selection, which was also lacking in comparison to pre– chef Dustin.
That being said, I can still appreciate the atmosphere and would like to try some of the other dishes but I miss the delicate flavors and quiet ambience from before. Will definielty go back but it’s definitely not the same restaurant.

We did the Chef’s tasting menu — some items were outstanding, some were good but nothing special. The service was great and the sommelier is extremely knowledgable but it did take us almost an hour to go from sitting at our table to getting the first cheese course. I’d probably come back here, but I wasn’t blown away to say I need to come back.

Our third time to Quiessence and first since a change in Executive Chefs. This place has always had a fairly high standard for cuisine and presentation and we were pleasantly surprised the quality has not wavered. That being said, bear in mind Quiessence is quite pricey, particularly when you opt for the Chef’s tasting menu and pair wine with your meal. But we knew that going in and if you’re in for the whole culinary experience, you won’t be disappointed.
Renèe, our server, greeted us and thoroughly explained the menu options. We opted for the tasting menu and wine pairing for the evening. The couses were as follows:
1. Charcuterie board — a delicious spread of tasty nougats including figs, beautifully prepared beets, duck liver pâté, pickled watermelon rind and a half dozen other delicious items.
2. Her: Maya’s Foraged Garden — an excellent plate of fresh veggies from, well, Maya’s garden. Me: Foie Gras — Wow.
3. Pistachio soup — Quite tasty, I especially liked how the sweetness of the pistachio and tart goat cheese blended with a sweet/​savory combo. However, it could have been the lighting but the color of the soup could have been more appetizing.
4. Crispy Potato Gnocchi — I’m a lover of Gnocchi, period. But how many ways can you make it? Well, we learned about one more. This dish was terrific.
5. Main Course — Her: Dayboat Diver Scallops — Very well prepared and perfectly cooked. Me: Aged NY Strip — tasty and perfectly cooked to Medium Rare with very nice squash & baby bok choy.
Dessert — Sweet Polenta cake with persimmons and the house bread pudding. Both well made, but we were stuffed by then. Should have had it first.
The only area in which I think the restaurant could improve would be their wine list and pairings. None of the wine pairings really blew us away. They were all good, just not great. However, they definitely have the cuisine down, so the wine pairing should be remedied with a little tinkering.
All in all, a great dining experience. We’ll go back, again.

I went here with my parents to celebrate my and my mom’s birthdays. My parents are foodies and I have the palette of a five year-​old so picking restaurants is challenging at times. We’d never been there before and navigating the farm in the dark was a bit of an adventure.
The food, the service, and the ambiance of this restaurant are top notch. The food was good but a little too foo-​foo for me. My parents loved it.

Beautiful setting– on a farm and the property itself is very nice. Service was pleasant but a bit slow. The food was good, but very pricey and the wine list was Arizona-​centric with very few from other wine regions of the world. I’ve noticed that in the few upscale Arizona restaurants I have been to, they really emphasize local wines, while being from NY– I hardly see NY wines on NY/​NYC restaurant wine lists… hmmmm, interesting.
Anyway, my beef tartare was very good, though it was served with pickled veggies and two small cubes of (blue?) cheese which I felt were unnecessary and didn’t belong… yet I hardly got any toast to put my tartare on, only two small pieces. My enree of bone-​in pork belly was interesting and tasty, but way too fatty even for pork belly. Again, very pricey here– entrees average upper $ 30’s/ low $ 40’s…and I feel it is worth it as a one-​time thing for a special occasion, but not a standout experience.