Davanti Enoteca - Peter DeRuvo's New Digs - CLOSED

[uhockey]

Purple Pig is good and the location can't be beat if you're in the touristy/shopping area (that generally lacks interesting food.) The waits are atrocious most times, though. For my money, I'd jaunt to Publican Quality Meats or Avec which, although further off the path, are outstanding and similarly priced. Purple Pig has a vaired ownership group involving some of the city's best, though. I see their dessert made the Davanti menu, as well, which is pretty cool.

That Arancini looks gigantic!

[Christina]

Purple Pig is good and the location can't be beat if you're in the touristy/shopping area (that generally lacks interesting food.) The waits are atrocious most times, though.

I think it's in walking distance of where we're staying/Miracle Mile. We were told it gets busy, so the manager visiting from Chicago gave us his number to call so we won't have to wait

On our last visit we sat the bar and had a great time. Excellent cocktails, and spent some time chatting with Trent about the cocktail menu (Bill, I told him about your bitters so mention that when you visit!). We started with the Foccacia di Recco, which Peter said we HAD to order. E's response after a bite? "I can't come here without ordering this on every visit". I agree. It's a type of Ligurian foccacia/flat bread dotted with creamy ricotta - thin, chewy, crispy, cheesy and the optional honeycomb is a must. Peter also said he had arancini, which was a winner. Though I saw today it is now offered as a different prep - a trio of black truffle arancini with wild mushrooms and parm fonduta. I guess we have to go back! I also was very happy to see the antipasti platter decorated with all those signature Peter touches (I chose 3 meats and 2 cheeses - Prosicutto di Parma, salumi di cacao, sopressata, Roaring 40s blue, and Nocetta di Capra). Pastas were excellent - uovo raviolo with truffles for me and E had the risotto carbonara. We love our rich oozy eggs. As I mentioned, some of the owners were there - very friendly and welcoming (and generous - thanks to Direction of Operations Jeff for picking up our tab!).

[cactuschowdah]

We checked this place out this weekend. The foccacia indeed is a must-get- I'm not a big honey person, but adding it definitely set off the flavors of the cheese baked inside. So insanely good. Another hit was the gnocci, in just a simple red sauce with basil and chunks of fresh mozz. Simple, delicious. They also had a scallop appetizer that was terrific (sorry no pic).

The other chef's special is what we called a "pig turducken" (no, that's not what the restaurant called it- it was called a suckling pig something or other that the lady at the table next to us kept loudly protesting that it wasn't suckling because it was too big, etc. etc. God, I hate Scottsdale sometimes). ANYWAY, it was sausage and pork wrapped up in yet more pork. It was good, not as good as it sounded when they were describing it to us. The best part was actually the beans and greens that came with it.

Not a huge dessert person, but we were feeling crazy and got the goat cheesecake. WOW. Just. Wow. Salted caramel and almonds on top. So amazing. Overall, I like the place, but I was a little disappointed that not everything blew me away like when Peter was kicking butt and taking names at Cuoco Pazzo- some things did, but not everything. We'll be back to have the foccacia again, and try some other stuff before we decide once and for all

[BillBuitenhuys]

We finally made it there this past weekend too.

Overall impression: Some very good food. Some ok food. Some very good drinks. Some ok drinks. Very LOUD

Foccacia was killer. Honey is a necessity.
Crispy pork belly was full of flavor but not at all crispy
Orecchetti with rabe and sausage. Pasta was beautiful but there was far too much thinly sliced garlic for me. I thought it was strips of parmigiano but no.
Salumi and coppa (from Zoe's) was super. Aged Beemster and the goat cheese was yum. Overall cheese board is always a Peter highlight, except the bread was drenched in garlic oil. Not the best for a post dinner board.
We got there too late for the pork special....boo.

Cocktails had some creativity with the best being the Americano variant. Not sure how mole bitters and cayenne-dusted choc covered cherries end up in a Milanhattan (which was a very good drink but not sure of the Milan reference).

We got there around 8 just after a full house wave had cleared out. The place was about 1/2 full (which still says a lot as it can handle 240 covers). We were seated at a table in one of the dining rooms and it was super bright and very loud. L and I moved to a bar seat (bar was empty) where it was much darker but still loud. So loud that we had to lean into each other to talk and only heard half of what the bartender was saying to us.

Overall was had a good meal with good drinks and will go back as I want to have the polpo and crispy ribs.

[uhockey]

Time change: Heading there around 3:30pm for some happy hour bites and drinks. More people for plate sharing are welcome.

[Note: Copied to Events and Gatherings board... best to organize there. Thx! -Mod]

[uhockey]

Went yesterday as part of another all day dining fest and all I can say is "Wow" to the food, though the service needs a LOT of work. I'll eventually get my full thoughts together and cross-post from the blog to here (mainly because I loath the photo uploader on this site almost as much as the one on Chowhound) but really, there is a lot of talent in the kitchen at Davanti and in terms of rustic, bold flavors he is killing it.

Here is what we ordered, and aside from the gnocchi (which are one of my 'gold standard - must order' foods) being overcooked and rubbery every single dish was excellent - on par with the stuff coming out of some of the Michelin 1* Italian Spots in New York.

Chicken Liver Pate with Poached Cherries and Tuscan Toast
Focaccia di recco - ligurian style baked focaccia with fresh soft cow cheese and local honeycomb
Roasted corn + walnuts + pecorino + arugula + wild mushrooms
Truffle egg toast + fontina + asparagus
Risotto Carbonara - Italian rice + pancetta + sweet peas + parmigiano + farm egg yolk
Gnocchi di Ricotta - eggplant + roasted tomatoes + basil + mozzarella
Chef’s Whim – Confit Roasted Half Duck + Sour Cherry + Mascarpone Polenta + Candied Pecans + Radish + Endive
Chocolate Budino – Chocolate Pudding + Amaretto Cookie + Toasted Marshmallow

Of particular mention is the focaccia - it is as good as everyone suggests, and the pate - ridiculous deal at $7...but the absolute show-stopper of the afternoon was the "Chef's Whim" pictured below. Honest to goodness, it was one of the 10 best things I've eaten in 2012 - perfectly crisp skin with a ribbon of fat over intense and supple meat, the polenta nearly the texture of ice cream and when paired with the cherries absolutely lovely, and the rest of it all just serving to add balance and texture. A half duck for $20....unreal. No doubt I'll be back.

Chef’s Whim – Confit Roasted Half Duck + Sour Cherry + Mascarpone Polenta + Candied Pecans + Radish + Endive

[Christina]

So great to hear that Peter is cooking up his crispy duck with amarena cherries! Dapuma got me hooked on it when it was on the Cuoco Pazzo menu. Love that they're doing a Chef's Whim. I saw they had fresh sardines posted on Friday, but didn't have a chance to get there this weekend.

[uhockey]

My hope is that they give him more creative control over the menu as time goes on. While obviously a "concept" restaurant in that there are now three of them, the menu at the Chicago version has not changed in YEARS and as such my impetus to return to the Scottsdale location would be low if they don't allow him to start mixing it up. I also hope they train their servers better as they grow - when there are 3-4 plates on the table the last thing I want is three different people coming by at 2-5 minute intervals asking me if I'm "all finished" with a plate that clearly still has food on it. It was almost comical, actually - every time we started talking and not eating (or God Forbid one of us set our fork down) they wanted to take the plates away.

When I'm finished, the plate will be empty.

...and don't even get me started on the kid who mixed up the Risotto Carbonara before I could take a picture. The man paying the bill gets to rupture the egg yolk, not the server! Had he done it with the Egg Toast we'd have had issues.

Risotto Carbonara - Italian rice + pancetta + sweet peas + parmigiano + farm egg yolk

[Skillet Doux]

I'll eventually get my full thoughts together and cross-post from the blog to here (mainly because I loath the photo uploader on this site almost as much as the one on Chowhound)...

I'm not a coder, but I've managed to cobble together some fixes and improvements that folks have requested. If there's something that's bugging you, by all means, please post in the Nuts & Bolts forum and I'll see what I can do.

[uhockey]

Multi-file upload. Then I can just inline insert them quickly after tagging.

...and to avoid diverting from the topic, here is that excellent egg toast unsullied by an overzealous egg breaking waiter.

Truffle egg toast + fontina + asparagus

[Skillet Doux]

Last night mjmartinez72 and I popped in for a late dinner, and while I can't say I loved everything, we had a really nice meal, it's great to see DeRuvo back in the saddle, and I'm anxious to get back to try some more.

The house sent out a board (gratis) with a few nibbles to get us started...

Assorted Deliciousness

... and I immediately perked at the mortadella... I've had this before, back when he was at Prado, and I loved it. Though the online menu notes this as one of the Zoe's products, unless I misunderstood, what we had last night was made in-house. It didn't quite floor me like last time, but it was a lovely specimen -- tender and spongy with great flavor. Top right was a tasty little nibble of duck confit next to a tomato jam, and the two pieces of fish were smoked trout and smoked sardine, the latter of which I loved. Frankly, I could've done without the jam, mustard and creme fraiche. They seemed a little arbitrarily paired and I thought the proteins were stronger on their own. But I'd happily have all four of them again, particularly the mortadella and sardine.

Focaccia di Recco

Yeah, this is really good. Really good. My thought last night was, "It isn't focaccia, but who cares... it's delicious." Turns out I'm the one in left field. I'm a little embarrassed to admit I'd never heard of Focaccia di Recco, but apparently it's a Ligurian dish. It's quite thin, with really crispy edges, and man, it almost plays like pastry, particularly with the honey (which I agree, is a must). It's typically made with stracchino or crescenza, and Peter said he uses a mix of the latter and mascarpone, so it's creamy and has a little funky kick. It's just really damn tasty.

Next we had the saba ribs, and this one disappointed me a little, mostly because I had a similar dish back at Prado that, frankly, I thought was stronger. As a point of reference...

Ribs with Rosemary and Balsamic @ Prado

...these were the ribs from Prado...

Crispy Ribs + Saba + Crushed Hazelnuts + Roman Gorgonzola Dolce Slaw

...and these are the ribs at Davanti Enoteca. Here they're done with a sauce made with saba, and served with a really creamy, heavy (but delicious) gorgonzola slaw. I realize this isn't the same dish, but, y'know, crispy ribs and balsamic/saba... it's hard not to draw the comparison. I really, really enjoyed the Prado ribs. Killer crispy texture, nice smoky flavor, a little drizzle of balsamic and a hit of fresh rosemary... it was an excellent dish and one of the ones that's stuck in my head since last spring. And if Davanti's ribs could be considered the spiritual successor, I think this is a case of subtraction by addition. To me, this new version is too messy, too saucy. All of the components on their own are tasty, but together it's just too much. I think the more focused version was a better dish. That said, this was still enjoyable and I sure wouldn't mind having it again.

Clams + House Sausage + Escarole + Chiles

No reservations about this one, though! Except that we could've used more bread. Or a couple of spoons. Or sufficient lack of tact to simply drink from the bowl. Simple and tasty, a vibrant sausage and fresh clams, tender sauteed escarole and a hit of fresh chile with a buttery(?) wine sauce... less is more. A really tasty dish.

Riccio di Mare e Granchio

I'm a little on the fence when it comes to this one. It's rich. And while I don't want to discount the possibility that sea urchin can be used in so rich a context, I can't help but feel that the urchin could be utilized better. There's a LOT of butter and it kind of gets lost. But still, it's quite tasty, and the pasta had great bite, so... on the fence. I'm also not sure if this one is his or off the corporate menu.

Even considering the couple of reservations I had, though, I really enjoyed this meal. I really enjoy DeRuvo's food. It's not Italian as Italians would recognize it, but again... it's tasty, so who cares? I'm considering the possibility that his dishes work better when he uses a lighter touch, but I want to go back a couple of times before I marry myself to that notion. But to be clear, everything was varying degrees of good. And the focaccia and clams were both delicious. Thumbs up here. I'm anxious to get back!

Incidentally, he mentioned that they'll soon start roasting pigs for larger parties to order. Bigger party, bigger pig. If this doesn't scream PHXfoodnerds event, I don't know what does.

[Christina]

Incidentally, he mentioned that they'll soon start roasting pigs for larger parties to order. Bigger party, bigger pig. If this doesn't scream PHXfoodnerds event, I don't know what does.

Oh, YES.

[uhockey]

...how about NOT on a Friday afternoon.

[Skillet Doux]

...how about NOT on a Friday afternoon.

Definitely NOT a Friday afternoon type of event

[uhockey]

fyi, the uni dish IS on the corporate menu. It was one of two things I tasted when I visited the Chicago location (the other being the ricotta vassi.)

[uhockey]

Interesting note on the Focaccia di Recco, "It's typically made with stracchino or crescenza, and Peter said he uses a mix of the latter and mascarpone, so it's creamy and has a little funky kick" because when I asked about this during our meal I was told it was stracchino and mascarpone. I guess I'm not quite refined enough to know the difference as I thought they were one in the same - but either way the high acid content works beautifully against the honey and is probably why most cheese boards I've seen with crescenza pair it with stone fruits or honey. Would be interested in seeing him drop it on a pizza, and definitely want to go back and see the pizza menu at some point.

[uhockey]

Pictures in the blog: http://endoedibles.com/?p=3526

The Gist: http://www.davantiscottsdale.com/

The Why: I’d always meant to visit the Davanti Enoteca in Chicago but my only visit was under somewhat strained circumstances – and when I say “strained” I mean my waistline in that I’d eaten breakfast at Bleeding Heart Bakery, Lunch at Sun-Wah BBQ, a tasting menu dinner at Chris Nugent’s last night at Les Nomades, and an impromptu 3-hour affair at Achatz and Beran’s Next – Childhood. It was only when I was walking out the door of Next that a friend texted me to ask if I wanted to meet up at Davanti – an offer I took them up on, but given the heavy day of eating and late hour a place where I only sipped on a glass of rose and tried a few bites of pasta, a spoon of polenta, and a bite of pate; I promised myself I’d someday return…at least until I found out Davanti was coming to Scottsdale where Scott Harris would tap locally respected Chef Peter DeRuvo to head up the concept.

The Reservation: Generally not a difficult reservation even in the Windy City I didn’t assume a restaurant three weeks old would be difficult to get into – especially at 3:30pm – and as it turned out I was correct. A sort of impromptu meet-up with a local who reached out to me through my blog I arrived at 3:10 and after first stopping in to check out the space I decided to wander next-door to the Scottsdale Marketplace until my new friend arrived just after 3:30; with only two couples seated we were offered any other seat in the house and I opted for #25 for no other reason than that it had the best lighting.

The Space: Taken directly from the website – “with rustic exposed brick walls, re-purposed farm wood and communal tables, Davanti Enoteca takes its cues from the small villages of Italy,” and while that may indeed be true, I get the idea that the small villages of Italy aren’t jamming 80’s cult classics overhead on an infinity loop. Generally not one to nit-pick a restaurant’s style – something that Davanti actually has plenty of from the bucolic lounge up front to the copper pots and wrought iron fixtures strategically placed throughout the room – all I can say is that during a 110 minute seating I should not hear Soft Cell’s Tainted Love three times…once would be quite enough.

The Service: Unlike space and music, I do tend to nit-pick service and while I realize that some service issues are common at old and new places alike I’ll simply say the service at Davanti Enoteca needs a bit of work before, specifically with regard to plate presentations (lacking description,) timing (partially a kitchen problem I’m sure,) and most of all understanding the concept of being present without being a hassle. Perhaps an effect of delivering too many plates at much (the timing issue) or perhaps simply in an attempt to be attentive there were no less than five times during the course of our meal where either myself or my friend would stop to set our fork down only to have someone appear to attempt to take our plate – in one instance a dish still more than 1/3 full; to say the least it was haphazard and felt rushed…and when you pair that with the young man who took the liberty of actually breaking the yolk of an egg for us only to later actively place his hand on a plate that we were still working on it was downright annoying.

The Food: 8 plates ranging from $7 Vassi to the $20 Chef’s whim.

Chicken Liver Pate with Poached Cherries and Tuscan Toast: To anyone who knows me this was an obvious choice and served in a flip top jar for $7 along with a pile of lightly oiled toast it was every bit as good as I would have hoped. Dense and slightly rougher cut than a true mousse but rife with a mineral tinge below the liver’s characteristic sapor the cherries served as a brilliant foil to the fat and easily enough for two this would have been the deal of the menu if not for the daily special.

Focaccia di recco - ligurian style baked focaccia with fresh soft cow cheese and local honeycomb: Perhaps the most consistently raved dish from both the Chicago location and from local gourmands who’d already visited Davanti Scottsdale the first time I’d heard of this dish was actually from our server at Avec and although slightly different in texture and composition this Ligurian classic marrying crisp focaccia with a stracchino/mascarpone blend was every bit as memorable. Taking an alternate route to Avec’s density and utilizing local honeycomb (an extra $2) as opposed to savory notes to balance the soft cheese’s higher lactic acid content I’d be hard pressed to say who does it better, but at $18 I can only say this dish is worth the money even if it seems ‘simple.’

Roasted corn + walnuts + pecorino + arugula + wild mushrooms: Wanting to sample from each part of the menu this choice from the insalate was recommended by our server and although I would have preferred to taste it warm (simply too many items on the table at once, as noted above) it was quite good at room temperature as well. Essentially the results of high quality ingredients paired carefully this was a dish about texture and flavor above anything else and with the mushrooms and corn each lightly cooked there was a great interplay of natural sweetness and earth all set off by the lightly applied cheese.

Truffle egg toast + fontina + asparagus: I’ll start out by saying it wasn’t as good as the incredible famous version at ‘ino…but it was pretty damned close. Oddly a fan of eggs at all other meals despite my propensity for sweets at breakfast this “toad in a hole” style presentation featured nothing more than a dense piece of brioche topped with a thick slice of young fontina lightly kissed with truffle oil and black pepper plus julienned asparagus on the plate beneath; it was simple, it was rich, and it was the one dish I really wished would have arrived separated from the others so I could truly enjoy it as opposed gulping down my half for fear of it getting cold or soggy.

Risotto Carbonara - Italian rice + pancetta + sweet peas + parmigiano + farm egg yolk: The start of our second round of dishes would start out with our overzealous server plunging a spoon into our egg yolk at tableside after telling me the “chef would get mad” if he did not mix it. Coming from a restaurant that felt the need to explain to me what ‘small plates’ means at the start of the meal I guess Davanti is still shooting to accommodate the lowest common denominator despite the progressive menu and after getting over the annoyance of being told what to do by an 18 year old I enjoyed this dish a lot – the slightly toothsome Arborio nicely paired with saline notes of cheese and pancetta but finding a much needed vegetal sweetness in the fresh peas.

Gnocchi di Ricotta - eggplant + roasted tomatoes + basil + mozzarella: Detailed as gnocchi on the menu this was the low point of Davanti’s offerings for both myself and my friend and given my love for these pillows of pasta under most circumstances I was quite unhappy to find these fork-formed dumplings far less soft than anticipated – some of them almost rubbery and if I’m not mistaken tinged with semolina making them more a pasta gnochetti than the true potato/cheese dumplings annotated. Decent but decidedly not what I’d anticipated the ragu of roasted tomatoes, fibrous eggplant, and fresh basil definitely helped but compared to the gnocchi at Pomo earlier in the day this was quite disheartening.

Chef’s Whim – Confit Roasted Half Duck + Sour Cherry + Mascarpone Polenta + Candied Pecans + Radish + Endive: I’d wanted to try a pizza, but when our server told us the Saturday “Chef’s whim” (announced at 4:00 on Saturdays) I fortunately changed my mind – and I say thankfully not only because duck is my favorite protein, but because this was one of the best duck preparations I have ever tasted. Priced at a bargain $20 and featuring a half-duck split down the center served over a bed of mascarpone polenta and Amarena cherries whose texture would rival the finest gelato this was the sort of rustic preparation I’d hoped for walking in the door. Intense and meaty with crispy skin giving way to tender flesh each bite of this dish was savored as much as the last and with sweetness from the cherries and pecans met by the bitters of the radish and endive the dish never felt ‘heavy’ at all. Honest to God, ff this is on the menu it is a must order – I’ve paid twice as much for far less impressive fowl at any number of ‘top tier’ restaurants.

Chocolate Budino – Chocolate Pudding + Amaretto Cookie + Toasted Marshmallow: Un-wowed by the standard dessert menu and myself with dinner plans three hours later we’d originally considered skipping dessert until our server told us the “Chef’s Whim” dessert of the day was a budino – on par with bread pudding for ‘must order’ status for myself – and with a dense pudding of semi-sweet chocolate at its base subsequently topped with a warm amaretto cookie plus light meringue quickly toasted under the salamander this dish also wowed. Thankfully small in portion but huge in flavor I’d place this dish alongside the focaccia, egg toast, and duck as must orders – next time with coffee.

The Verdict: Service and music issues aside, Davanti Enoteca is a great addition to the local dining scene and although much of the menu is cribbed directly from West Taylor St. the dishes where DeRuvo was allowed to flex his muscles were without a doubt the strongest of the afternoon. Perhaps the gnocchi did not live up to expectations and would have been better sold as a gnochetti and maybe some would argue that the focaccia is a bit overpriced priced at $18 (ingredient-wise maybe, but taste-wise it is worth every penny) but all things being equal my friend and I walked out the door for $60/pp after tax and a more than generous tip for a meal featuring 7 good-to-great dishes, particularly a duck dish I’d put on the same level with versions at Gagnaire, Eleven Madison Park, and L’Arpege that cost nearly as much as (or more than) our whole meal. If anyone from Davanti is reading – put the duck on the permanent menu, add a few songs to your Ipod playlist, fix up the service, and I’m pretty sure you’ll have a hit…though I’m pretty sure I’ll be back either way.

[uhockey]

Interesting - Scott Harris e-mailed me through the blog today thanking me for the feedback...clearly he is paying attention to the chatter and keeping an eye on things. Very reassuring, imo.

[Lunchbox]

Interesting - Scott Harris e-mailed me through the blog today thanking me for the feedback...clearly he is paying attention to the chatter and keeping an eye on things. Very reassuring, imo.

This article is about a year old but it's interesting nonetheless...

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-2011/Scott-Harris-the-Most-Underrated-Restaurateur-in-the-Country/

[ericeatsout]

I haven't yet gotten around to writing up our dinner there a couple weeks ago but we left very, very impressed. Still some operational/service issues to solve, but that didn't get in the way of a great dinner. I'd say we easily tried half the menu and loved about 75% of it. Will write more at length shortly but if you haven't yet been, put Davanti into your rotation.

I'm also interested in trying their brunch. I'm always on the lookout for new/great breakfast/brunch places.

All in all, looks like DeRuvo has found a good spot and is knocking-out some good food.