Kissing In The Kitchen: Quiessence at The Farm at South Mountain, Phoenix

The Farm at South Mountain on the southern fringes of Phoenix houses my all-time favorite restaurant (collection of three, actually). Blink and you might drive right past the entrance. A daily-evolving menu dictated by local produce, house-made pastas, and a well-edited domestic wine and cheese menu round out the experience.

This excerpt from an Eat Beats column sums it up.

Quiessence is the best restaurant in Phoenix. Those are fighting words, I know, and by them, I don’t mean any disrespect to the Valley’s acknowledged giants, such as Pizzeria

Bianco (which we all know has the best pizza in the world) or Kai at

the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort, which has a bigger budget

than a humble restaurant on The Farm at South Mountain could

ever dream of. But Chef Gregory LaPrad, who took the reins at

Quiessence, is quietly turning out food that would shine

in any restaurant market in North America. If I had to eat at one

Valley restaurant for the rest of my life, this would be it.

Quiessence is in a quirky historic farmhouse at the end of the

lane at The Farm at South Mountain, concealed behind a walled

garden and accessed by a crooked flagstone path. Seating is on a

garden patio, in a cheerful solarium, or in a cozy fireplace room (and

there’s usually a fire burning this time of year). That alone makes it

unique in Phoenix, where, if a restaurant is not in a strip mall, it’s

probably in a resort. More to the point from the kitchen’s perspective, it’s also within throwing distance of Maya’s at The Farm, a working garden that supplies much of the extraordinary produce for the

restaurant’s constantly changing menu. It is a privilege that would

turn most chefs pesto-green with envy, and LaPrad knows how to

take advantage of it.

Handcrafted American Cuisine

Tradition and seasonality inspire Quiessence’s contemporary American farm cuisine made from domestic ingredients featuring Arizona’s finest farmers, herdsmen, and artisans. Our dinner menu proudly highlights the local market’s availability, offering a true ‘daily menu’ experience. Nestled in the historic Farm at South Mountain property in Phoenix, Quiessence welcomes guests to escape the city and savor nature’s bounty with handcrafted seasonal dishes for a truly ‘soulful & satisfying’ dining experience.