Quiessence at The Farm at South Mountain

Really enjoyed our meal and our evening. Friends recommended Quissence and we are glad we went. Great friendly service.

A mixed review; the best part first: our server was great; friendly and professional and provided nice guidance to the menu and thoughtful suggestions. The food was unique and beautifully presented with many interesting and tasty ingredients, albeit a limited selection and high prices. The salmon was excellent, the pasta pretty good and the steak just ok - overall a bit disappointing given the hype and the price level, but certainly a memorable meal. The worst part was the table located with the entrance on one side, the host(ess) station on the other, and the galley on the third - with not much room to spare; between listening to the host negotiating reservations on the phone and the constant arrival and departure of guests through the entrance while the servers were walking past and in and out the galley - it was difficult to concentrate on the beautifully prepared food, let alone have a conversation. We probably will not come back.

Poor service. Not what I would expect from a resturaunt that acts so stuck up. I often pay more for tea than I did on my entire meal here. The price is only a problem because the service does not live up to the price. The food tastes good, the presentation is there, the service is not. Hope the server and host were both nice, they did not allow me to order the tasting menu. I was eating with a 100 pound vegan girl, and because she did not want 6 courses(it’d be near impossible for her to eat six courses) they would not allow me to get it. They said it was chefs preference, I’ve never heard such a thing and I’ve been to many Michelin starred restaurants. I’m not sure the reason for such a request, but I can think of two. ONE: To result in a larger bill or TWO: to prevent sharing. When you are eating with a vegan and the majority of the courses are not catered to them, obviously they would not share any of the food. In addition, I spent far less here because they would not allow me to order the six course tasting. Either way, I will never return and I will tell as many other people as I can how bad my experience was.

Great time however the time between courses was extremely long. We had a 5 course meal and it took almost 3 hours.

We just love this restaurant. The atmosphere is cozy and unique. The food is creatively prepared and tasty. The service was great. The ambience is wonderful. For an upscale meal, this is the best.

This place is so beautiful!! Perfect place for a date or to celebrate a special occasion. The food is great and the staff is so nice. We will definitely come back.

We were very disappointed by the restaurant.

When we arrived we were seated promptly. The server appeared to be in a hurry to get our drink and food order immediately. I said we just wanted to enjoy a drink and look at the menu.

After -15 minutes she returned and took our order. After that we never saw her again. Several others filled in for her.

The food was very average.

Not in a hurry to return.

Quiessence was amazing. My wife and I were blown away by the attention to detail on each course, and our service was fantastic. Wine pairings were spot on. Excellent meal.

Quiessence is not a cheap restaurant. I spent more money on this dinner than any other meal ever. But, this was a fantastic experience,worth every penny. Every course was amazing. The staff were very helpful at explaining what you were getting and where it came from.

My co-worker and I took a couple of close client to the Q for dinner on a Wednesday during a special wine tasting event. We had a seat in the middle of the restaurant between the front which was quiet with couples and the back patio where the wine tasting party was engaging in hearty conversations.
It was a perfect spot for our group as we were able to talk loudly or quietly.
Three of us chose the garden and soil salad and one the beef carpaccio. See photos, both were a work of art and delicious.
For the main course two of us had the steak and two had the halibut. The steak was tender and melted in your mouth. This was the quietest part of the night as we rarely stopped to speak until our entrees were finished.
We chose the one of each of the deserts. The apple sorbet and the creamy mascarpone in the cannoli were our favorites.
Dustin and Chuy came out at the end and provided some information on some of the ingredients and connected with one of our party who grew up with Ginny hens who's live on the farm and who's eggs are used in some of the recipes.
It was a great experience I will recommend again for special events with close friends.

We had the 5 coyrse option. Every course was beyond exceptional. The service was spot on and the presentations were impeccable. A delightful meal.

Haven’t been back here in about six years, and I will certainly not disappointed. Worth every penny to experience the magic the chef does with the local produce from the farm.

A little disappointed. We did the 5 course meal with the wine pairing. Two of the five wines were poorly paired. Service was less than expectations. We ordered cocktails to start, but it was 30 minutes after we were seated before we received them. Then I asked that the food service not start until we were finished with our cocktails, but instead we got the first course 5 minutes later. Dessert took forever--we waited 30 minutes after finishing our entrees before the dessert came out.

My husband and I discovered this wonderful restaurant 4 years ago. We celebrate our wedding anniversary every year there, as the service and quality of the food is outstanding. The beautiful setting just adds to the ambiance as the garden is always in bloom.

The hostess was very thoughtful in acknowledging our wedding anniversary. She also brought us two glasses of champagne. Food was wonderful.

Very diverse, multi course weekend dining with enough options to please all. Each course was unique with a wonderful variety of flavors. Service, as usual, is phenomenal and our server has an excellent knowledge of the food and the paired wine.

My only complaint is that the pairing pours are way to small to enjoy with the complete course and not a good value.

Always can count on this restaurant for special occasion and never disappointed.

This gem is AMAZING. We went to Cress on Oak Creek at L'Auberge de Sedona,
301 L'Auberge Lane
Sedona, AZ last year for our 2nd anniversary and it was superb, I now consider Quiessence at the Farm in the same category as them. We’re really getting some priceless gems under our belt, and this one is a little closer to us, we will definitely keep going back and recommending.

We had a wonderful evening - excellent food & service and the setting was very romantic!

My cousins and I went here to celebrate their birthdays! We had an amazing time. I've read some reviews where people aren't thrilled with the "farm decor", but we thought it was charming. Plus, IT IS AT A FARM - that's made very clear ;-) The food was incredible. Very small portions. The ambiance is definitely more geared towards romantic dates, but in our opinion, this is definitely a place better spent with girlfriends because I think we appreciate it more. If I would have taken my husband here, he would have been hungry afterward! ;-) Anyway, the prices, of course, are incredibly high. I definitely see the value in the food, the way it's prepared, the unique combinations of flavors, and the yummy drinks, but I do agree with most in that the pricing is a little higher than it should be. Overall, it's a great experience and we were able to walk around the grounds - it's beautiful! I wouldn't come here often because of the prices, but maybe a yearly thing with girlfriends! Also, our service was great - everybody was very friendly.

What an amazing experience! Everything was perfect, it will definitely be a night to remember.

Quiessence is a wonderful, wonderful place to dine. Each course was phenomenal and had complex flavors. The staff were knowledgeable and friendly, and the ambiance was warm, friendly, and elegant. We would definitely recommend to everyone!!

My girlfriend and I visited for our anniversary and the experience was truly incredible. They paid special attention to our OpenTable notes and made our night absolutely perfect. We still can't stop talking about it. The food was amazing, every dish and wine pairing remarkable. I can't recommend this place highly enough for a special meal.

We are out of towners in for a relaxing weekend. Searched a number of sites and settled on this well rated farm to Table. Looked at the sample weekend prixe fix menu and decided to give it a go.
First off the surroundings.. It was a cool night for Phoenix, so the majority of diners chose to eat outside. We made reservations inside, anticipating a too warm outside and a cooler inside. Big mistake. Outside was definitely cooler, but given that it is truly on the farm, the scent of farm animals permeated the outside. Inside, there was no hint of air conditioning, and I immediately ditched the jacket and rued the fact I had put on a long sleeve shirt. The overhead fan did nothing. So a bad start. For those that mention this place is romantic, we obviously have a difference of opinion. Now the nightly menu. Neither entree floated my boat.. Wild Salmon (in Phoenix at farm to table ?) and Poussin (chicken - really closer in size to cornish hen or parakeet) .. So we went with the 5 course with wine pairing ( five sips of wine that were supposed to be 3 ounces, but definitely a short pour). The breads to start (foccacia (sp) and zucchini bread) were excellent, as was the amuse bouche. That really raised our hopes. Then came the gazpacho, which was simply outstanding. I then had the tacos, again outstanding, and she the pork belly ..meh.. We had reached the top of the roller coaster. Fettucine carbonara was played up as outstanding.. While seemingly fresh made pasta, it tasted liked pasta in olive oil with an overabundance of reggiano parmesan. The Dolcetto that accompanied it really did nothing for it. Now for the entrees ... My poussin was a few bits of chicken, laid atop some grits with turnips. Her salmon equally unremarkable. The dessert wine was a Madiera, sweet and strong, The cake was dry, and unusual ice cream nothing to write home about. The wines not mentioned were equally unremarkable, with the possible exception of a New mexico Sauvignon Blanc. Can't recommend.

The hostess was very accommodating,. The food was good but duck was very dry and tasteless although chicken was good. There is 30 minute wait between courses, the dinner dragged endlessly.

A wonderful evening and the food was amazing! The restaurant is on a lovely piece of land, with a beautiful farm and trees, you would never know you are in a major city. Worth the drive, worth the money!

Very high standard cuisine. We enjoyed our 5 courses menu at Quiessence, it was definitely up to our expectations. We dined outside, the atmosphere was very nice and quiet.

Very disappointed with this dinner even though the food was excellent. We visited while on vacation and had dined there before. On this occasion they canceled my confirmed reservation due to an ‘event’. But they did provide a $50 gift certificate for my troubles. Fair enough. After we arrived for the rescheduled dinner a large party (25 or so) was seated. They were given precedence the entire evening. It took 1.25 hours after sitting down until our first course was on the table. And the check was wrong when it came - I informed them that they forgot to charge me for a bottle of wine. They were very disorganized. And while they did apologize, it would have been appropriate for them to comp the wine or provide an after dinner drink or something along those lines. All in all, it was a very expensive mistake which I won’t make again.

It was a lovely experience! Food was delicious, service was excellent and the ambience beautiful. We will be back.

Everything wonderful. Will return soon

Exceeded my expectations in all categories except for one, reserved for outdoor seating and we ended up inside
However we loved the entire experience, staff was great entire time and the food was exemplary in both taste and presentation. The trees lit up at night was so romantic neither one if us wanted to leave and we walked the driveway back before our uber arrived
Amazing night overall and so glad we found this for our night out while in Phoenix

We enjoyed a delicious and garden fresh meal that was clearly prepared just before or as it was being served. The drinks were fantastic, as was the service and environment. We made a point to order different items and try each other’s dishes, and all of it was fantastic.
Expect to take your time for dinner (and why wouldn’t you want to do that with great food and friends), and budget ahead for a pricey meal (the prices are on the website and in our opinion were steep but worth it when we considered the prep work and low table turnover rate). Our meal was right at two hours, and I wish it had been three or four, I wasn’t ready for it to end...

Essentially, you come to Quiessence to eat like Henry the VIII across a half-dozen fixed courses. Or you go ala carte across but a half dozen true choices. Come hungry, because you are going to be eating a "compromise" meal either way.

It is that lack of choice, wherein the biggest problem with Q lies. An eclectic chef's board to begin, does not a great meal make.

I would also add a mixed message question to my thoughts about Quiessence - as in what about the Steelhead Trout or Sturgeon? How is that farm to table; how could it be? You are located in the Salt river basin in AZ! Felt weird.

But, perhaps it is just that my tastes are past the F to T stage. Could be my bad; as the setting, service, and everything but the food and its selection were excellent.

Regards,
matt k

Have been here many times it’s in my neighborhood

food is always very unique and the atmosphere is wonderful

this past time however both meals were undercooked which took away from an otherwise enjoyable evening

Rather boring meal that we were rushed through. It is a very pretty spot though. I’d go for the lovely location but not the 🥘

The food, especially the cucumber soup, was absolutely divine! The service and wine pairings were perfect.

The five course tasting menu was outstanding. Each course had distinct flavors that complimented and melded with the other courses. The wine pairing was perfect. Service was excellent. This is truly a very special place.

My second time there... Food is great..Service was ok the waitress hardly came by and dropped the desert on me. Instead of getting me a new dish just cleaned my plate and gave it back to me..

Service was wonderful. Food was delicious. Well presented! ...... Damn good!

Such a great intimate experience! Can’t wait to go back in fall for the beautiful outdoor seating!