Dining

Chow & Tell: Date Night Revival Squad at Cowboy Ciao

by Michael and Kristi Harris, and Mark and Barbara Harris - Jan. 21, 2008 12:00 AM
azcentral.com

Week 3: Cowboy Ciao | Slideshow
Week 2: Fuego Bistro | Slideshow
Week 1: Coup des Tartes | Slideshow

Cowboy Ciao opened its doors in 1997 and since then it’s been drawing crowds and sending them away both full and happy. Full is something you can get at any restaurant but happy is something only few restaurants can offer. Combine the two and you’ve got something special. You’ve got Cowboy Ciao.

We had made our reservation online and arrived just as our table was ready. Reservations are highly recommended no matter which night you choose. This place is popular and always crowded.

The atmosphere isn’t romantic per se, but it is fun. If you’re planning on sitting in a quiet corner and gazing into your date’s eyes as you whisper of your love, this is not the right place.

However, if you are looking for a fun place for a couple, or even group of couples, where you don’t have to be afraid to laugh out loud and use more than just your “inside voice”, you’ve come to the right place. They even have a large table to accommodate large parties if you feel so inclined.

Our waiter greeted us promptly and quickly took our drink order after listing what was available and introducing us to the wine list of more than 2,000 choices. We don’t drink but were impressed nonetheless with a number that large of any type of food or drink.

Our drinks came out right away as we all intently perused the menu. We had to ask for suggestions half way through and our server was only too happy to help. He had tried a good number of the dishes himself and he mentioned others about which he had heard a lot of positive comments. After much debating we decided that we wanted to try too many appetizers so that was all we ordered: a table full of appetizers.

We started with the Crispy Black Tiger Shrimp ($11)" lightly fried, nice, firm texture and a great flavor. The flavor of the shrimp really came through over the breading. The shrimp was served with polenta, a firm yellow cornmeal mush, and a salsa that was enjoyed almost as much as the shrimp itself.

We also opted for the Miso Spicy Squid ($10) which was a recommendation from our server. There wasn’t any real heat to it but the spices it did have worked very well. The squid wasn’t tough or chewy but cooked just right. The dish was very flavorful and a great choice for calamari fans.

The Seared Scallops and Beet Risotto ($13) consisted of three jumbo scallops as tall as they were wide. They were pan seared and super tender. They came with a dill cream sauce that one of us preferred with the scallops and the other liked them ‘as is’ with minimal sauce.

The Louisiane Gratin ($10) is a rich casserole of crayfish topped with Andouille cheese served with toasts. We could have had a little more crayfish in ours but the sausage in the casserole more than made up for it. To a couple of us the sausage was the best part of this appetizer and we all thought it had a good Cajun feel to it.

Each day there is a Quesadilla del Dia ($9) and ours was filled with pulled pork and sweet corn. It was topped by a fantastic chipotle sour cream sauce. As simple as a quesadilla sounds, this dish basically stole the show earning high marks from all four diners. All the flavors blended so well into a smoky spiciness we all really enjoyed.

One of our dishes we ordered mostly from a quote from the menu. It was the Exotic Mushroom Pan Fry and the quote was, “That mushroom dish is so good, I want to take my clothes off and roll in it!” With all the appetizers we had ordered we didn’t think we should attempt the full plate so lucky for us there is a half portion for about half of the price ($14).

After the four of us finished this dish we all agreed that none of us could have handled the whole dish alone and been as pleased with it. If you like mushrooms, you just hit the jackpot! Three different kinds of mushrooms swimming in a rich ancho cream sauce. This, like the Tiger Shrimp, is served with polenta but this time it was seasoned to more of a savory flavor that went well with the sauce.

This was all topped with yet another kind or mushroom along with avocado, tomato and cotija cheese. This was an amazingly flavorful and rich dish and we definitely recommend ordering this but please share. You can easily over-do a dish like this and the experience will result in a less than desirable outcome. Trust us on this one.

It’s not often you see desserts listed first on a menu but Cowboy Ciao proves, in yet another way, that it strays from the mainstream. The desserts are listed proudly at the top of the menu, daring you to spoil your dinner. Be strong and overt your eyes from this temptation until you’ve dabbled, at least a little bit, in the “real food” section. Dessert will still be there when you’re done and it is worth the wait.

When we asked about the Housemade Ice Cream and Cookies ($7) we were impressed to hear that the ice cream is made daily and even more astounded by the long list of flavors available. We were told they change daily, so be ready for a surprise.

The ice cream we selected for this dish was white chocolate with strawberries. It came in a chilled bowl served with two soft sugar cookies. Garnished with fresh raspberries and blackberries, this dish was very simple but delicious. The fact that you have roughly 10 different ice cream choices means you can leave this dish simple or as make it as unusual as any of the daily flavors.

If you want to try a piece of Cowboy Ciao history, order the Bread Pudding ($9). This is the same recipe as when the restaurant opened in 1997. It’s the signature dessert. It was served with an orange ice cream that paired very well with the pudding itself. The texture was nice and firm, not too mushy. There were also nuts and fruit in it, which added a nice blend but didn’t over crowd the dish and it was all topped with a caramel syrup.

In the interest of trying something a little different we ordered Lemon Chiffon Cheesecake ($9). The name doesn’t exactly spark any thought of craziness but this cheesecake had an extra ingredient that made us raise an eyebrow: basil.

It’s not your typical dessert ingredient. When the plate arrived it looked like a normal piece of cheesecake except for a few visible flecks of green that was the basil. At first taste you think it’s normal but slowly your brain tells you something is off. (Hint: it’s the basil)

Odd as it may seem the herb worked fairly well in the dessert. It was also served with a lemon basil ice cream. The lemon with the basil added a strange freshness to the dessert. Just don’t expect a normal piece of cheesecake.

Another dessert off the beaten path is the Cuppa’ Red Hot Chocolate ($9). Please do not be afraid of this dish when reading the menu. There’s talk of peppers in this dessert but there is no heat to this rich cup of chocolate. It’s served in a cup but it’s not something you can drink. It roughly has the consistency of fudge but slightly more creamy. This was my favorite dessert and if you need a chocolate fix, grab a spoon and saddle up to this.

If you’ve had Mexican hot chocolate, you know the flavor – rich with hints of cinnamon. It has a great sauce on top that’s more liquid and has a bit more spice than the thicker chocolate underneath. It’s a great dessert that’s unique.

The crowning event of the night was a complimentary cookie from our server. This was a cookie unlike any other we had eaten before. This was a bacon cookie ($1.50). Yes, bacon in a cookie. It seemed more of a gimmick than anything and our server confessed that most people get them just to see what it’s like.

It’s a regular chocolate chip cookie with little bits of bacon baked into it. You can’t make this stuff up. It was a good cookie but something else was there. I couldn’t tell if I was actually tasting bacon or if it was just my brain yelling at me for eating a cookie with pork in it. Either way, we all survived and now we can say we tried it.

We all had a great time at Cowboy Ciao. The atmosphere was excellent, the food was delicious and inventive and the service was great. As far as date restaurants go, this is a fun date place. Lighting was not too dim or too bright, noise level was moderate and the décor is unique: all the right ingredients to make it a great night with whomever you decide to take.