Méthode Bistro (Scottsdale)

[EHPete]

Wow, I really need to eat here more often. This is a place that absolutely is not afraid of unusual menu items and parts that might scare people. The appetizer list includes frog legs, lamb tounge, sweetbreads, and mallard hearts among somewhat more conventional items. Nothing here is common though. My biggest problem is narrowing it down - the whole menu sounds sooooo good.

Last time I had the frogs legs, and they were fantastic, so it was hard not to get that again, but this time I started with the lavendar fois gras topped with pink peppercorns with deep fried hazelnut crusted chocolate truffles. This was the thickest piece of seared fois gras I've ever had - at least 1.5" thick, which allowed for a wider range of texture than you normally get. It was big, incredibly rich, and really excellent, Not just a weird combination of ingredients, it really worked well together. This is a fois gras that really needs the sauterne with it. It was cooked perfectly, with just the right amount of salt on the crust. Having survived that, my entree was even more rich. I had the risotto royale, which was risotto with yet another honking hunk of fois gras, lobster, and plenty of black truffle. I also got a bite of roast sturgeon with morel tea, which was quite excellent as well. Somehow having survived that I foolishly ordered dessert - chocolate croissant pudding, a bread pudding made from a croissant. Yet another tremendously rich dish - buttery flaky and richly chocolate. This place keeps getting better, and with so many other menu items that I'm dying to try I'll be going back again and again.

Located where Restaurant Hapa used to be, it looks like we have a restaurant that not only takes it's place, but measures up to its past.