Scottsdale, AZ: Digestif

If you're looking for farm-fresh, creative cuisine in Scottsdale, you MUST try Digestif. I noticed a mention in the Wall Street Journal and did some fast and loose research on Chowhound...that's all it took for me to pick up the phone and make a reservation. Okay, if I'm being completely honest just the word "charcuterie" had me sold!

On July 4, our dining extravaganza began with an introduction from our t-shirt wearing server Joshua (former semi-pro snowboarder, current interior designer, clearly a member of the food & drink obsessed). He explained that 80% of the food at Digestif is organic, bio-dynamic or macrobiotic. Plus, most of the food is sourced within a 20 mile radius. They salt, smoke and cure their own meat; hence the chalkboard offerings of prosciutto, soppressata and terrine. According to Joshua, the lamb chops and the beef rib-eye (from California's famous Niman Ranch) are "ridiculous". Oh, did I mention that they have a person on staff who makes fresh pasta 40 hours per week? So, what did we order?

Pork, soppressata and preserved lemon terrine

In-house prosciutto and soppressata

(the pickled veggies include sunchokes, how cool is that?)

DIY garlic bread

"Farm to table" zucchini carpaccio with preserved lemon, ricotta, pinenuts and parsley

Sicilian Caesar: flash-grilled romaine, tonnato dressing (made with ahi tuna), fried capers Pappardelle with house sausage, fava beans and blistered tomatoes

Famous spaghetti and meatballs

(it's smokier than you're expecting, then again you're in the southwest) Raviolo topped with two of the world's yummiest, freshest, most perfectly cooked Digby scallops Rib-eye from local ranch

(two guys at our table split this 20 oz hunk of goodness, the chef was able to cook hubby's medium rare and the other guy's half was cooked well-done + they plated the dishes separately, which is worth noting) Table salt included kosher, pink Hawaiian and house-smoked in the middle...yum!

Oddly enough I haven't mentioned drinks yet. As you can imagine, a placed named Digestif should have spectacular drinks. Well, it did. Hubby started with a blood orange cosmopolitan (Charbay blood orange vodka, Aperol, cranberry, fresh lime, served up). The rest of us weren't up for cocktails but did enjoy a variety of wines. It was the last night of our trip and I didn't feel like thinking so I let server Joshua pick my vino. With the charcuterie plates, I had a Pinot Noir from Oregon and with my sausage pappardelle a glass of Californian Zinfandel. I wish I could remember the vineyards because both glasses were outstanding.

We didn't order dessert but it was tempting. There was a strawberry-tarragon sorbet and a chocolate pot de creme calling my name. However, willpower won over and we saved dessert for the Sweet Republic.

The meal ended with our bill in a mason jar. Appropriate for canning season, I suppose.

Check out Digetif's menus @ http://www.digestifscottsdale.com/menu.php