Digestif (sorry, they don’t have a website yet)
April 16, 2008

Pronounced Dee-jest-EEF according to the menu.

We were originally going to go to Stax, but ended up parking under South Bridge instead of near the Fashion Square. We were wandering around, considering See Saw (which we were horribly under-dressed for), and The Food Bar (which was empty except for some guy mopping the floors). We noticed this place over in the corner called Digestif, which seemed to be relatively casual and as we wandered around outside, the door opened and the host invited us in.

Service: 4.75/5
Our wait staff was excellent in most areas. Always around when we had questions or needed refills of beverages.

Ambiance: 4/5
The place was a bit loud and could have definitely used some sound absorption methods. The layout was open and our table was in a spot we could see all of the restaurant. There was a full bar behind us and in front was part of the kitchen where the chefs were working on their craft. The kitchen reminded me of L’atelier De Joel Rubuchon in Las Vegas, minus the feeling of paying the chef directly out of our wallet.

Appetizers: 5/5
Buratta Bruschetta: This was a knife-and-fork bruschetta with buratta (a soft cheese made form mozzarella) covered with roasted peppers. The mixture of tastes was amazing and was one of the best appetizers we have ever had.

Entree: 4/5
Gordon: Canneloni, which contained pork and was covered with Kale (which is not seaweed) on a non-spicy horseradish sauce with pine nuts.
Cindie: Sea scallops with multi-colored cauliflower, golden raisins and pine nuts.

Dessert: 3.5/5
Gordon: Tiramisu, which was part cheesecake. Very interesting, but not impressive on the taste.
Cindie: Lemon Crostata (tart), with gelato and elderberry sauce. The tart’s crust was a bit chewy, and was covered with a crunchy meringue which had to be attacked with a spoon.

Digestif: 3/5
When ordering these, we had no idea what most of them were, and our waiter was unfortunately less than knowledgeable about the concoctions.
Gordon: Lucid Absinthe; Of course, not real absinthe since that would be slightly illegal (I think), but still interesting to watch being made. The creation involved flame and a sugar cube, which is always fun. The smell and taste was a mixture of mostly licorice and Robitussin. A nice taste, but could definitely tell it was alcoholic…an aftertaste almost like vodka (with licorice).
Cindie: Nardini Amaro: Italian digestif with overtones of chocolate and mint. Smelled of windex and would probably remove the paint from your car…and then go on to remove your car as well. (can you tell we don’t drink much?)

Prices: 4/5
Appetizers: 8-15
Entrees: 15-25
Dessert: 8-10
Digestif: 3-10
We ended up with a bill around $90

Overall: 4/5
Definitely a fun experience if you’re out with friends.

We’ve decided to start writing dining reviews of new places we go (since we do so every once in a while). Just so you know, we have no experience or qualifications (other than the ability to eat and criticize).

Ratings are out of 5, 5 being best, 0 being holy-crap-this-is-awful-get-out-before-we-die.

That being said, on with our first review…

Finally got some pictures of the front yard done.
Click Here.

Went to Vegas over the weekend to see a Gin Blossoms concert. It was fun, and Cindie has a contact at work who has connections, so we got to hang out with the band after the show. Favorite quote from the night, by Robin: “Hey, spot light guy? Just a rule, don’t spot a guy when he’s tuning.”
After that, we went to some crazy bar and saw a pretty good rock band. The name escapes me at the moment, but they were definitely trying to bring back the hair, and had a good sound for their own stuff.
Of course, we forgot to bring a camera, so no pics this time. Since Gin Blossoms is a local band though (out of Tempe), don’t be surprised if you see some pics from a concert in the near future.

Part 1:

Cindie and I were 3rd & 4th in line. I tried to chop most of the rest out. There were actually 14 lines to cross. Total length of lines: over 1.5 miles. (If I remember right)

If you ever get a chance to try it, do it.

Images are uploaded (finally).
Mexico Vacation

I’m working on the videos.