I was in town delivering magazines and thought I'd stop in for dinner. The tasting room is open Mon - Sat from 9:30am to 5:30pm and Sunday from 10am to 4pm. They serve lunch Thursday through Saturday from 11am to 2pm and on Friday nights for dinner starting at 5pm. They also offer a special Saturday night dinner once a month (check with them for details). And lastly, try them on Sunday for brunch from 10am to 2pm. They have a beautiful Tuscan building that houses the tasting room, the restaurant, a conference room and a retail shop. You'll forget you're in Arizona!
I was planning a simple dinner at the bar when I was invited to join managing owners Jacque and Mark Cook. They invited me to join them and their friends for dinner in the dining room. How could I turn that down. It was wonderful. We started with the nachos and the zucchini stix. The nachos were unique in that they were gourmet kettle chips with buffalo blue cheese chicken on top - this was a resounding hit with the entire table. I really enjoyed the perfectly fried panko breaded zucchini sticks. They were very fresh, cooked perfectly and had a nice light panko breading, served with ranch dressing, of course!
For dinner, Jacque and I ordered the Chardonnay Peach Quail while the rest of the table ordered the Herb Roasted Prime Rib which is cut to order - boys can order big and girls can order small. Our dinners were served with garlic parmesan roasted potatoes and broccoli. I have only had quail one other time and it was pretty good. This has made me a quail believer - I would definitely order it again! It was cooked perfectly, juicy with a nice crispy skin and the sauce was delectable. Wow! And although I didn't eat any of the prime rib, it was getting resounding ooohhhs and aaaaahhs from the entire table. I could see that it was thick cut and cooked to a perfect medium rare.
Then for dessert we had a Lemoncello Cheesecake. I didn't have any room left, but I had to have a bite and I couldn't stop at one! It was the perfect way to end the meal.
We enjoyed a bottle of the Coronado Meritage, a nice fruity yet subtly spicy red blend that paired perfectly with the poultry as well as the prime rib.
Jacque and Mark - thank you so much for a great dinner! Please be sure to visit them whenever you're in Willcox.
No comments:
Post a Comment