Cowboy Ciao!

 While looking for ideas for this Fun Frank Friday, we browsed through the internet for restaurants in Phoenix.  Cowboy Ciao's caught our eyes with wording on their menu such as this description of their dessert: "Save room to satisfy your sweet tooth with equally creative selections from Pastry Chef Country Velador, who contributes housemade breads, ice creams, sorbets, you name it – take the Cobbler on Quack, which features duck fat ice cream (you heard me, duck fat ice cream – like I could make that up)"  and their description of the Black Tiger shrimp with "habanero chile/apricot glazed, grilled, served atop “I'm gonna get you, sucka-tash”
(roast corn, snap peas, bacon, red onion)".    When Patti also saw that the top of the dinner menu started with desserts rather than appetizers she said "this is my kind of place!" and since I haven't tried duck-fat ice cream, I had to try it now making this "my kind of place" too.

Shortly after we sat down, I was craving something a little different than just a Coke.  So I decided on a Sioux City Sasparilla.  Patti was able to get her favorite, Cherry Diet Coke.  After our waiter brought our drinks, we started in on the third degree questions about the different appetizers.  The main one that sparked my interest was the Wild Boar Meatballs.  Before I mentioned that I was thinking about it, the server indicated that was one of his favorites and he couldn't understand why it wasn't served as a full entree.  He also recommended the Buffalo Carpaccio and he did say that Ahi Tuna Tartare was made with fresh tuna.  Our choices ended up being the Wild Boar Meatballs and a for a contrast the Ahi Tuna Tartare.  The first to arrive at our table was the meatballs.  Wild Boar Meatballs are ground wild boar with salsify, charred broccolini, chanterelles, cream, truffle oil, shaved Montasio cheese.  The meatballs were seasoned perfectly to match the wild boar flavor.  They were well cooked on the outside but juicy and moist on the inside.  They were covered with bold cream sauce and served with vegetables and the entire thing topped with cheese.  These rich flavors on the appetizer were so incredible that I agreed with our server that it should be offered as an entire entree.

Every good meal needs a balance of powers so to speak.  For every sweet there should be a sour, for every smooth there should be a crunch, for every bold meatball there should be an Ahi tuna tartare.  The Ahi tuna tartare consists of fresh raw tuna chopped then topped with charred orange/prickly pear vinaigrette, black sesame seed kettle corn, and popcorn shoots.  As bold and rich as the Wild Boar meatballs were, this appetizer was smooth and cool with a sweet flavor and the popcorn gave a crunchy texture.  These two went together like a ying and a yang.  It was best eaten with alternating bites between the two dishes.

My entree was the first one to hit the table.  I was a little reluctant to order swordfish and as many times it is known to be dry and tough.  But I was assured by the waiter that this was not the case here at Cowboy Ciao.  The Grilled Swordfish is grilled to medium, served with green peppercorn/oyster mushroom cream saute and ‘Chef Lester-veg’ (a mélange of charred rapini, salsify, garlic, onion & speck).  So I may not know what all these terms mean but I do know that the fish was moist and flaky which surprised me because it was at least 2 1/2 inches thick.  The cream sauce was similar to that on the wild boar with a strong bold flavor.  I enjoyed this dish especially when I was able to have the flaky fish, the crunchy vegetables and the smooth cream sauce in one large bite.  My entree was so good that it reduced my dinner conversations to simple grunts of satisfaction.
Patti was intrigued with the entree called "We're Bananas for Flat-Iron".  We tested our waiter to see if we could get special orders.  They were happy to accommodate our several requests which included putting the coffee/veal demi-glace on the side.  This dish is described as a half-pound-plus flat iron steak, grilled to temperature, sliced and fanned, with fried plantains, served over shaved parsnips, and a Meyer lemon/mint/cherry tomato salad on the side. A flat iron steak comes from the shoulder muscle and in layman's terms it is generally a tough cut of meat.  Patti took one bite of the steak and said "Frank this is so tender that it rivals your filet mignon" (which she LOVES by the way).  I was skeptical so I had to try a bite, and I wasn't quite satisfied so I had to have two more and it was delicious.

By the time we finished our entrees I was feeling full, but the draw to try something on "quack" was too strong.  Patti couldn't resist the dessert that included not only her favorite flavors but also her name.  The Peppermint Patti Brownie was a rich warm brownie topped with a peppermint cream pattie which was then topped with chocolate ice cream.  The ice cream froze the peppermint cream into a crunch that was a surprise contrast to the gooey brownie center.  The ice cream also was drizzled with a light peppermint sauce and a chocolate crumb sprinkle.  It may sound rich but the contrast of the light mint kept the chocolate from becoming so overpowering that you can't take more than a single bite.
To me, my dessert was irresistible by name alone: Warm Apple Cobbler - on Quack (with brie cheese crema and duck fat ice cream).  The apple cobbler was made with fresh apples and given the same care as any grandmother would give her own recipe.  I was very curious what duck ice cream would taste like.  Duck with a strong poultry flavor is not an ingredient one would think to put in ice cream.  As I put a spoonful into my mouth, it was actually very similar to a vanilla ice cream.  The only difference being it had more of a rich creamy flavor due to the duck fat. 

Cowboy Ciao was a fun adventure, a fusion of flavors with sense of humor and great atmosphere.  And if you've never tried Cobbler on Quack...try it now.