Cowboy Ciao Restaurant Review

Whimisical design details liven up this unique restaurant's dining room

Owned by the innovative restaurateur Peter Kasperski - who also owns Sea Saw and Kazimierz World Wine Bar, both right next door - this unique eatery is a lively and unpretentious place that serves gourmet, modern American food with strong cross-cultural influences.

The restaurant is located in the Brown and Stetson Business District, near downtown Scottsdale and the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall.

This area is home to a variety of trendy shops, restaurants, day spas and nightclubs. It’s also close to Old Town Scottsdale and the art gallery districts.

While this eclectic mix may sound improbable, Chef Bernie Kantak - a graduate of the Scottsdale Culinary Institute - has crafted an innovative fusion of bold flavors and ingredients into a style unlike any other.

Every dish at Cowboy Ciao showcases the creative use of concepts and ingredients, such as:

• Ahi Tuna Antipasto ($16), seared rare and served with pickled asparagus, roasted red pepper vinaigrette, arugula, olives, caperberries and a cherry tomato salad,
• Blue Corn Elk Tostada ($12) with molasses-marinated, cornmeal-dusted elk loin, white bean "hummus" and roasted corn salsa,
• Puerco Lento ($26) – pork shank slow cooked with cumin, chipotle chile, paprika and Mexican oregano and served over creamy fingerling potato casserole and topped with a cranberry-walnut chutney.

Desserts are as unique as the rest of Cowboy Ciao, thanks to the creativity of Pastry Chef Tracy Dempsey.

The entrance to Cowboy Ciao

Many are a sophisticated adult revisiting of favorite childhood flavors, such as:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Pot Pie ($9) served warm with chocolate chip-peanut butter ice cream, grape jelly sauce and root beer-glazed peanuts,
• Spiced Apple-Chile Bread Pudding ($9) with brown sugar ice cream, bourbon praline sauce and candied piñon nuts.

Cowboy Ciao’s award-winning wine program features over 2,400 - and growing - wine selections.

Their impressive collection represents 225 varietals from 40 countries, offered by the glass, bottle or as tasting flights.

Reading the annotated wine menu is as much fun as eating the food.

Written in a humorous, off-beat style, we couldn’t help but chuckle over the ongoing commentary about the wines, wineries, local chefs and the author’s own zany observations - as witty as a screwball comedy.

We found it so entertaining we considered purchasing a copy and we don't even drink wine!

The décor also blends the Italy-Southwest theme using old brick, gold leaf, wood and rusted iron to create an individual look and feel.

Colorful murals decorate the walls at Cowboy Ciao

Cowboy Ciao calls it Border Baroque though - as mentioned on their web site - one reviewer once referred to it as "Addams Family meets Old West Bordello."

The restaurant has a single dining room with an elongated C-shape.

A long, rectangular bar fills the center of the back wall.

It’s a warm space of terracotta and gold tones with a deep blue ceiling decorated with gold stars.

Old West-style chandeliers reminiscent of old saloons cast a soft glow.

The walls are decorated with an interesting mix of old cowboy photos, painted cherubs and Mardi Gras beads.

Cowboy Ciao is right across the water from Scottsdale's booming new waterfront district

Parking is on the street and was further complicated by ongoing road construction in the area.

We just managed to get the only reservation left for that night.

The restaurant was crowded with a variety of diners, from singles sipping at the bar to a happy family birthday party.

The waiting area is small with very limited seating.

Diners waiting for a table must crowd around the entrance way and are in competition with arriving and exiting customers. Luckily, our wait wasn’t too long

Paula started with the Stetson Chopped Salad ($12), a surprising blend of...

• smoked salmon,
• arugula,
• bruschetta tomatoes,
• sweet dried corn,
• pearl couscous,
• Ciao trail mix: asiago cheese, roasted pumpkin seeds, black currants

We both agreed that this was the most delicious and inventive salad we’ve ever eaten.

Each ingredient, though seeming somewhat improbable, blended so harmoniously with the others that we were tempted to cancel the rest of our order and just eat several more plates of this salad.

The server brings the Stetson Chopped Salad to the table unfinished, with the ingredients lined up next to one another on the plate, looking like a colorful striped flag.

The server then mixes the salad tableside with the dressing. It’s a suitably dramatic presentation for an excellent dish.

For the entrée, Paula chose one of Cowboy Ciao’s signature dishes - the Exotic Mushroom Pan Fry ($20).

This luscious and aromatic dish blends cremini, button and oyster mushrooms in an ancho chile cream, which is then poured over double-cooked polenta.

The dish is topped with grilled portobellini mushrooms, chopped avocado and tomato and sprinkled with cotija cheese. It was rich and satisfying, with a nice spicy bite.

Jeff had the Pistachio-Crusted Salmon ($24) with amaretto butter sauce, roasted radicchio and pan-grilled vegetables.

The salmon was perfectly prepared; a succulent and buttery filet balanced with the bitter and nutty radicchio.

Desserts at Cowboy Ciao are not to be missed.

One of our favorites is the Cuppa’ Red Hot Chocolate ($9). It's a rich, chile-spiked chocolate pot de crème topped with a thick layer of sweet chipotle chile crema.

They serve it in a huge cappuccino cup on a plate with a swath of ancho chile honey and a cayenne-spiked ginger cookie.

The marriage of chile and chocolate is an old one, dating back to the Aztec civilization.

They had the right idea as does Cowboy Ciao. This is one of the best chocolate desserts ever and was a perfect end to a sublime meal.

The service at Cowboy Ciao is good, friendly and efficient.

High Points: Excellent, creative food; good service.

Low Points: Parking is on the street and can be difficult to find on busy weekend nights.

Location: On Stetson Drive at 6th Avenue in the Brown and Stetson Shopping District in downtown Scottsdale.Address: 7133 East Stetson Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Google Map Directions: Click on "+" and "-" signs on Map Controls in upper left hand corner to zoom in and out on the location.

Phone: (480) 946-3111

Hours:
Lunch: Tuesday -Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: Nightly, 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Sunday Brunch from 10:30 a.m.

Reservations: Strongly recommended as the restaurant is often completely booked or reserved for private events.

Parking: Street parking; can be difficult on busy weekend evenings. Valet parking is offered to the rear of the building.

Credit Cards: Accepted

Dress: Casual to business casual

Vegetarian Options: Yes

Good for Families/Kids: Everyone is welcome but the cuisine and atmosphere are decidedly adult.

Wine List: Cowboy Ciao's wine list is huge and humorous with about 50 pages and over 2,400 wines from around the world. Sold by the glass, bottle or tasting flights, ranging from $5 to $4,400.

Smoking Policy: No smoking.

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