Radda Review in Arizona Republic
March 20th, 2007
Radda Caffe-Bar
Gwen Ashley Walters
azcentral.com
Mar. 19, 2007
If the food in the village Radda in Chianti, Italy, is anything remotely close to the food at Scottsdale’s Radda Caffe-Bar, I should catch the next plane to Tuscany.
Named after that idyllic hilltop town, Radda Caffe is the embodiment of a small, chef-driven local restaurant. The fresh, flavor-packed dishes deserve to be on every foodie’s radar. The short wine list is expertly chosen to pair with the straightforward Tuscan fare, and the ambience is casually stylish.
It is the little touches, like the sincere warm greeting from a server as soon as we enter the tiny space, a single-stem seasonal fresh flower on the table, and the slow, measured pace of the dining experience that compels us to sit back and relax. It is the food, however, that brings us back, over and over again. I’ve never been to Radda, Italy, but I’d be shocked if this restaurant didn’t stack up against theirs.
Regulars take a seat at the long granite bar or on one of the oversized, cushy red couches to the left of the door. Sturdy dark wood tables and chairs complete the intimate seating. Simple black and white photographs line the walls, and a black framed three panel mirror hides the entrance to the bathrooms. The entire room is visible from any seat, including a sliver of the kitchen through a window behind the bar.
Wines by the glass (from $6 to $12) are scribbled on a couple of small chalkboards above the bar. Wines by the bottle are available too, and there are three draft microbrew beers ($4) and an eclectic mix of bottled beers. Happy hour is Monday through Friday 4-6 p.m., offering half priced appetizers, $2 draft beer and $6 glasses of wine.
I can’t forget several of the tantalizing appetizers, especially the warm spiced Turkish figs ($7) stuffed with walnuts and gorgonzola that could also stand in for a dessert or the equally sweet and savory stuffed dates ($7) wrapped in bacon, hiding a sliver of spicy, chewy calabrese sausage.
It was tough to pick only two from a tempting list of five choices for the pair of bruschetta ($5) but we ultimately settled on the Tuscan white beans and the roasted tomato garlic, each piled high atop a thick, crusty slice of grilled Italian country bread. The grilled asparagus ($7), several spears of slightly charred, garlicky stalks, made me forget I was eating a good-for-me green vegetable.
Two salads are standouts: the Caesar ($10), a plate of whole romaine heart leaves topped with grilled croutons and shaved pecorino, lightly tossed with a lemon, garlic and anchovy dressing, and the duck salad ($16) a generous portion of seared medium-rare duck breast slices fanned over sweet, tart pear vinaigrette dressed baby greens and garnished with soft goat cheese crumbles, pine nuts, walnuts, golden raisins and dried cranberries.
Entrées are just as exciting as the appetizers, and although Radda offers a handful of pastas, the bigger plates sound more enticing.
The herbed ricotta stuffed chicken ($18) delivers palate nirvana with bacon wrapped slices of moist chicken breast encasing a splash of sundried tomato pesto and ricotta resting on top of the same herb-infused Tuscan white beans that graced the memorable bruschetta.
The Peposo ($12) is a rustic, peppery, red wine-based beef stew with tender chunks of carrots and topped with slices of grilled bread. It is quintessential comfort food. The grilled pork tenderloin medallions with a tart apple and fig chutney ($15) is equally satisfying and served with garlicky rosemary roasted red potatoes.
It is tempting to fill up on appetizers, but I could easily skip straight to dessert.
The liquor soaked tiramisu ($6), generously portioned to serve two, combines ladyfingers drenched in coffee and Amaretto, layered with Marsala-infused cream and mascarpone. It is both light and airy and deeply rich and creamy. It is the best tiramisu I have ever tasted.
Our server recommended the chocolate mousse ($7), and it was chocolaty rich, but I wouldn’t call it a mousse as the texture was dense and creamy, more like a pudding. But that is just semantics and it was worth every spoonful.
On second thought, why should I spend the money to travel to Tuscany in search of simply prepared, fresh, flavorful fare when I can just go to Radda Caffe-Bar, under the Scottsdale sun?
