Four people walk through the door of newly opened Digestif, the first of four restaurants Peter Kasperski will launch this year at SouthBridge in downtown Scottsdale.

The first two appear to be a married couple in their 60s. He wears an expensive suit, she a elegant dress. The other two are young women, perhaps mid-20s. They’re dressed in casual T-shirts and faded jeans.

It’s clear the four are not together, but their reactions are similar: They stop, stare and look confused.

At the hostess station, they look over the sophisticated menu of Napa Valley Italian cuisine, then around at the beatnik basement décor — rough brick walls, black chain curtains and low concrete ceiling covered in conduit.

They consult the menu again — $24 for crispy skin duck breast in lingonberry/game jus — then watch as young servers clad in Beastie Boys and Death Cab for Cutie T-shirts hustle between tables to the beat of indie rock music.

Finally, after a few moments of discussion, they turn and leave.

It exemplifies the challenge ahead for Digestif, which attempts to meld hip hangout and haute cuisine.

Cultivated diners who enjoy Kasperski’s acclaimed restaurants just across the street — Cowboy Ciao, Sea Saw and Kazimierz World Wine Bar — likely will be drawn to Digestif chef Payton Curry’s (pictured above) refined “Cal-Ital” menu (see lunch menu pdf and dinner menu pdf).

How comfortable they’ll be with the trendy, casual-cool vibe is another matter.

On the other hand, a planned sound booth with listening stations for independent and local music will appeal to a young, hip crowd, but one as familiar with nebbiolo reductions as it is with Medicare regulations.

How many will realize “frites w/gremolata” ($4) are french fries?

And if they’re looking for pizzas, don’t bother. The closest thing are crostatas ($9), pastries filled with eggplant caponata, mushroom duxelles or house chorizo.

For those willing to give Digestif a try, though, there are rewards.

The highlight of my initial foray is meatball bruschettone ($9, pictured above), two large meatballs with stewed onions on a slice of crunchy baguette that can be shared as an appetizer or serve as a light meal.

Tajarin noodles with Kalamata olives, tomatoes and capers ($14, pictured above) is a bit too salty for my taste, even more so than I expect, but the rich egg-yolk noodles, like the other four pastas available, are made fresh daily.

Curry still is tinkering, especially with dinner entrees. Poached sablefish already has been replaced by Scottish salmon, and the pork chop’s mustard/pork jus has been lightened to a apple cider reduction.

I hope the duck breast, whose gamey flavor overwhelms the thin lingonberry sauce and too-subtle potato gratin, is next on his list.

Desserts (see dessert menu pdf) by renowned pastry chef Tracy Dempsey, predictably, are creative, delicious and big enough for two, especially Queen Creek Olive Mill olive oil and vanilla cake with roseberry sorbetto (pictured at left).

I bet all four of those people would have enjoyed it.

>> Digestif, 7114 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale, is open 11 a.m. to midnight daily. (480) 425-9463.

(First Taste reviews are based on initial visits to new East Valley restaurants. Full reviews are written after multiple visits, usually over a period of several weeks, after the restaurant has been open at least a couple months.)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 at 8:36 pm and is filed under First Taste, Menu PDF, New restaurants, Restaurants - Scottsdale. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.