Quiessence at The Farm at South Mountain

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!

While the food was good, the service was terrible! Another table left after only 3 courses because they couldn’t stand the slowness. We have done many coursed dinners and we were very excited to dine here but the experience made us never want to come back.

The food and drinks were amazing. The property was lit with white lights and beautiful views of the original old pecan groves. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone, even for those who have food allergies, as the staff and chef pay careful attention and consideration to these issues.

Great tasting menu and wine pairing. We both had a great time.

Was really disappointed as we had very high expectations going in especially when it says farm to table. Food was ok. Not worth the price. Soup and dessert were the highlights.
Ambiance is good but I would not call this fine dining.

The food is amazing. I would avoid buying the wine pairing with the tasting menu. All of the wines are AZ based so the quality doesn’t hold up to the food. Not worth the $50+ per person upcharge.

Celebrated an anniversary and they always make it special. Weekends are only pre fixe menus so basically just chose the number of courses you want. The atmosphere is always so relaxing but this time there was a large party in the main room that was so loud it made having a conversation hard & we asked to be moved. The food will never disappoint though!!

Wonderful!

The ambiance was lovely and the food was fantastic. My party enjoyed the tasting menu, but I felt the portions were somewhat small for the price. Also what was expected to be a 2 hour experience became 3 hours. That did not bother me other then the actual chairs at the tables were uncomfortable to be sitting in for the extent of the time of the meal. That aside I would recommend this restaurant for a special event because the flavors and quality were awesome.

A 3 course pre-fix meal was the best for the value. Excellent food pairings with wine. Farm fresh vegetables were outstanding! The staff were professional & friendly. I would highly recommend this restaurant for something different!

We went for an anniversary dinner and the staff went above and beyond to make it a special evening. Our weekend tasting was an experience to remember and we'll definitely be going back!

It was more than I expected. The pasmeggian soup and the Cannoli were extraordinary. Service was attentive. Wish I could go back soon with a romantic date (I went alone).

Quiessence is AMAZING. I planned a date for my fiancé and was so happy with the way everything turned out. Robby helped via phone with all the coordination and the whole staff was very attentive during our visit as well. The food was impeccable. The atmosphere was quiet and romantic. It was exactly what I was hoping for and more!

The environment is great. The main course is a little bit salty. Felt thirsty after having it.

Have a wonderful and romantic ambiance. Overall, the food is disappointing. A couple of the dishes in the 4-course prefix menu were good (e.g., the food was well-seasoned and the fish was seared properly). The choice of wine pairing was mixed. However, the serving size of each dish and the serving size of the wine was too small. It's overpriced for that reason. Will only come back again if they improve their food service.

Was simply superb.

Our anniversary dinner the other night at Quiessence was so good, so beautiful, so full of flavor. We're definitely coming back for other celebrations and anniversaries. Such a quiet, romantic location right in the heart of Phoenix. They serve a different menu every night, straight from their farm to your plate. The presentation was a treat for the eyes almost as much as the food was a treat for our tastebuds. The Parmesan Soup, and the Panna Cotta were my faves tonight. Janet loved the Fried Squash Blossom semi salad and the Amuse Bouche. Honestly, there wasn't anything we had tonight that didn't impress us - the chef presented some interesting flavor combinations that we really enjoyed, too. Who knew a tomato sorbet would blend so well with the sweet flavors of our dessert? The wait staff was on top of it, refilling our water every time we got low, bringing the courses out in a timely manner without rushing us, and even taught us a bit about the history of the farm and restaurant itself. We had the four course tasting menu, since it was our first visit and we wanted to try it before going all in. We left satisfied, a bit full but not uncomfortably so, but I admit I was disappointed that we didn't go with the extra courses. Overall, a perfect anniversary dinner. We'll be back for the full experience soon!

Was a great meal and setting... just make sure you have atleast 2.5hrs

We visited Quiessence at 8pm on a Wednesday for our anniversary, which, being on a weekday this year, meant that we had the options of choosing between - la-carte selections and their tasting menu. Our server was OBVIOUSLY disappointed when we chose to go a-la-carte, and became immediately pushy when we demurred after our initial appetizer order. Yes, we know that you'd like to course out our experience, and we are conscientious and informed diners, but we're going to order 4-5 courses, at an enjoyable, leisurely, celebratory pace, while consuming 2-3 bottles of wine, thank you very much.

The food, markedly the gnocchi, was exceptionally well prepared and stylistically presented, especially for Phoenix. Our only note of issue was the overcooked pork belly. The winelist was impressively curated, with plenty of indulgent and esoteric options. The somme (manager?) seemed slightly insecure in his knowledge when talking to a fellow spirits professional, but the selection, again, was excellent.

All in all, we had a great time celebrating, and it was nice to experience true contemporary fine dining in Phoenix. The food was mostly delicious, and the wine plentiful. A bit more refinement toward achieving service concurrent with a $400 dinner, and this will be a MUST on any PHX list.

our second time here and love it just as much as the first. Fabulour setting, amazing service and attention to detail. A long drive and worth it. Great for a special occasion or romantic evening with someone you love:)

Take your time and enjoy the experience!! Worth every minute. I will definitely visit again.