First Taste: Digestif exudes rare blend of hipness, sophistication
March 12th, 2008, 8:36 pm · 3 Comments · posted by Jess Harter
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.)
March 18th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I saw people protesting this restaurant today. Some kind of labor dispute.
May 29th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
To reply to this labor dispute issue, I can explain because I work there. Actually, what is going on is that the company that does all the construction (or most of it at least) on Stetson Dr. fired a bunch of carpenters, and it is actually that company’s workers proesting, not Digestif’s.
Digestif, among other restaurants, chose to fire that construction company and switch to another due to the issues.
The problem is that since no average joe knows the name of this company that fired these guys, they write on their signs “Shame on (insert restaurant name)” rather than “Shame on (construction company name)” because nobody knows the name of the construction company, whereas lots of people know “Estate House” and “Digestif” for example.
Just wanted to clarify your mistake– which is not a labor dispute of Digestif’s.
May 29th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
I understand the concept of this restaurant, and in fact, I appreciate what they are doing.
Do people really need their servers to be in all black collared shirts and dresses and act “high class” in order to enjoy a well-worth it Duck or Strip Steak?
I guess it really depends on the crowd. Some people are offended by the fact that the servers are allowed to be comfortable and express their favorite bands on their shirts, while others see it as artist expression, and that is allows for a more “casual upscale” restaurant– which is by the way the category of Digestif.