By Molly Cerreta Smith, Guest Blogger, Foodies Like Us

A note to all my favorite restaurants: There’s a new sheriff in town. Her name is Quiessence. It’s hard not to love a restaurant nestled on the Farm at South Mountain, a veritable sustainable eco-system set smack in the middle of south Phoenix.

History hangs in the air on the Farm, which at one time belonged to Dwight Heard. Quiessence actually occupies the original farmhouse, and it still looks very much like someone’s very cozy living room. The wine bar stands where the original kitchen once did, a private dining area can accommodate parties of and the patio seating is some of the most enviable al fresco dining in town.

Cozy and charming, Quiessence is a diamond in the rough

Quiessence is unique in that each day necessitates culinary creation by Owner and Executive Chef Greg LaPrad along with Chef de Cuisine Anthony Andiario – the menu is solely based on the fresh, organic produce that comes from Maya’s Farm along with other local purveyors (McClendon’s anyone?), ensuring the absolute freshest ingredients are used in each dish.

LaPrad in the kitchen

To fully experience the culinary wizardry that is being performed in the kitchen of Quiessence, I highly recommend the Farmer’s Feast which includes six courses created by the chef and can be customized for vegetarians, pescetarians, vegans… and picky eaters like me.

Check out the private dining room--al fresco!

Our first course offered a delectable array of smoked in-house meats and salumis as well as some incredible cheeses. Salty and smoky… need I say more? This platter was the ideal way to whet our appetites for what lay ahead.

Meat: it does a body good.

For those of you who know me or have followed my food writing, you know that the one cheese that brings me to my knees is burrata. When I saw this on the menu, I knew I had to have it. (Luckily, our server Nicole was very accommodating to my aforementioned pickiness and allowed me to point out a few favorites on the menu before leaving the rest up to the chef’s whimsy.)

The fresh burrata and spring snap pea salad exemplified how truly amazing fresh-from-the-garden food can be. Served with maybe the most scrumptiously salty grilled bread I’ve ever had, the burrata melted in our mouths. The spring snap peas, so crisp and light, were heightened with hints of mint and lemon. We also tried the sunchoke apple salad which was sprinkled with yulu seeds – like a mix between a popcorn kernel and a pumpkin seed – that are only cultivated in a small community in Mexico. The combination of crunch from the sunchokes and apples with the bite of the blue cheese vinaigrette was delightful.

Burrata: My life's weakness.

You’ll have to forgive me for these next few pictures. My husband and I were so excited about the next course that we dug in before snapping some pictures. We tried to recreate the original presentation, but failed miserably. Our entrees for the pasta course included spaghetti with pancetta, and the white truffle beef short rib tortelli. The latter was nothing short of mind-blowing. I would have gladly traded all my other courses (save the burrata!) for a bowl full of these knots of deliciousness.

Oops we inhaled it before we could take the pic...

The seafood course came next. I enjoyed Hawaiian mahi mahi with spaghetti squash and cauliflower. Would you believe me if I told you this is my first experience with spaghetti squash? While for me it could never replace pasta altogether, it was a refreshing substitute. My husband was presented with a seared ahi atop the smoothest cauliflower puree I have ever tasted. It was like silk! Shrimp and scallops surrounded the plate in a traditional Sicilian tomato sauce.

My first experience with spaghetti squash indeed!

Onto the meat course (yippee!): My husband, a member of the competitive barbeque circuit, requested the smoked pork belly, and the presentation here was very cool. It was delivered to our table on a wood plank and in a small cast iron skillet atop another cast iron skillet filled with hot coals, which was promptly removed before we ate. The pork was tender and sweet, and served with braised farm greens – the perfect light accompaniment. I was presented with the pan roasted veal loin and whipped potatoes, which were light, creamy. The veal was perfectly cooked and oh-so-tender. Mmmmm… meat.

Pork Belly Heaven.

To satisfy our sweet tooth, we enjoyed a light-as-air carrot cake with rum raisins and candied carrots, and a lemon meringue atop pear puree that was amplified with mint and crystallized lemon.

Our sweet teeth thanked us.

Quiessence, tucked among the pecan groves and gardens of The Farm at South Mountain, is a treasure in the Valley. I will return again and again in hopes that the burrata and spring snap pea salad – along with those to-die-for white truffle beef short rib tortellis – will return to the menu. Meanwhile, I’ll be seeing them in my dreams.