Deseo Restaurant

Instead, Deseo is a showcase for the dynamic Nuevo Latino cuisine of Chef Douglas Rodriguez – often called the granddaddy of Nuevo Latino cooking.

Rodriguez’s food takes ingredients and influences from Latin America and blends them into unique spins on typical Latin dishes.

The results are lively and delicious.

Deseo translates as “desire” in Spanish.

And with just one taste of the food, we knew why Rodriguez chose the name.

Deseo Restaurant offers the kind of dishes that foodies will travel miles to eat such as inventive ceviches, unique vegetarian dishes and succulent entrees of seafood, beef and pork.

There's not a hint of typical Mexican food here.

Dark wood furniture and red accents are features of the dining room at Deseo Restaurant in Scottsdale

This James Beard Award-winning chef jumpstarted the Nuevo Latino food craze back in the 1990s.

Traditional dishes such as ceviche, tamales and empanadas and ingredients such as yuca root (also known as cassava), plantains and potatoes are hallmarks of Latin American cooking.

Nuevo Latino cuisine takes these vivid flavors from South America and the Caribbean and updates them into new, vibrant dishes that are lighter, mixing them with ingredients from around the world.

Deseo Restaurant’s menu is rich with numerous small plates, ranging in price from $5 - $13.

Ceviches are the star at Deseo Restaurant and diners can have them in a variety of creative mixtures such as the salmon with cucumbers, grapefruit, pink peppercorns, Thai basil and aji amarillo ($11).

Other small plates such as:

• crab empanadas with lemon, saffron and yogurt ($11)
• white salad of frisée, white grapes, feta cheese and sherry vinaigrette ($6)
• bacon-wrapped dates with almond and cabrales ($7)

Vegetarians will be happy to see the wide range of creative vegetable dishes.

Quinoa – the hardy, cold-adapted grain of the Incas – is paired with 16 seasonal vegetables ($8).

A Peruvian blue potato mash with potato chips ($6) and arroz verde with rice, fava beans, peas and pistachios ($6) are twists on classic home style dishes.

Just outside the restaurant is the Muddle Bar.

Deseo Restaurant’s drinks menu is just as creative. There’s a whole list of mojitos as well as caipirinha and pisco sour.

Tall windows look out to the golf course at Deseo Restaurant

The dining room is simple with dark, two-toned tables and dark wood columns.

Square electric chandeliers with red lamps hang from the ceiling. At night, the room has a dramatic red glow.

The focal point of the room is the exhibition ceviche bar, set at the restaurant’s entrance.

Here guests can watch the chefs whip up their marvelous creations up close.

Not to worry if there’s no room at the bar, however. Diners can see the chefs in action no matter where they sit.

These plump, heavenly breads are made of yuca flour – from the starchy root vegetable common to Latin America – and queso fresco, a soft white Mexican cheese.

The rolls were chewy and light and we could’ve eaten a dozen of them.

The entrance to Deseo Restaurant

The Ecuadorian ceviche ($12) was a tantalizing blend of shrimp, red onion, scallions, cilantro, avocado and tomato sofrito.

The flavors melded perfectly into a vibrant, succulent dish.

Gloria’s black bean soup ($5), topped with a dollop of crème fraîche, is one of Rodriguez’s mother’s recipes.

This simple, smooth purée was a rich and satisfying concoction that let the earthiness of the beans shine through.

Empanadas are crispy fried turnovers and a popular street snack food throughout Latin America. Deseo Restaurant has several unique versions.

Deseo’s goat cheese empanadas ($9) with a black peppercorn crust and chamomile vinaigrette were to die for. The inside was creamy and the outside perfectly crisp with just a slight peppercorn bite.

Accompanying the empanadas was a yam sorbet topped with shaved almonds that was a revelation. Who knew that yams could make such a delicious sorbet?

Next came our entrées. The Cuban enchilado shrimp ($27) were juicy and meaty from being simmered in a deliciously spicy tomato, white wine and chile sauce.

The pollo criollo ($21) was a boneless half chicken in an oregano mojo – a tangy sauce of citrus juices, garlic and herbs.

All too often, restaurants treat chicken dishes like an afterthought, preferring to put all their star power into beef, pork and game.

This chicken was different. It was perfectly cooked and complimented by the piquant sauce bursting with a fresh herbal-citrusy flavor.

One of our favorites of the evening was the giant Peruvian corn trio ($5), asimple vegetable dish that was an outstanding blend of hominy and sweet corn in a corn broth.

Deseo Restaurant's papacriollola ($5) was little ovals of perfectly cooked yellow new potatoes glistening with a luscious truffle butter.

A monsoon cloud rises above the Westin Kierland Resort

During our last visit, Deseo Restaurant did not have a dessert menu.

Instead, diners were automatically brought a dulce de leche fondue with cubes of pound cake and fresh fruit.

This was a pleasant finish to our meal even though it wasn’t in keeping with the Nuevo Latino theme.

Still, we would have liked a real dessert menu. Apparently, we weren't the only ones.

Deseo has now added desserts such as the dulce de leche flan ($7) and a mango creme brulee ($8).

We look forward to trying them on our next visit. But even if they hadn't added dessert, we'd have gone back.

High Points: Delicious dishes and inventive use of ingredients; intriguing small plate selections.

Low Points: None.

Location: North Scottsdale

Address: 6902 East Greenway Parkway, Scottsdale, AZ 85254

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

Phone: Direct line: (480) 624-1030 or
toll-free: (800) 354-5892

Hours: Monday – Sunday 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Reservations: Accepted and strongly recommended.

Dress: Resort casual

Vegetarian Options: Yes, Deseo offers a great selection.

Good for Families/Kids: Not really. This is an adult menu and atmosphere.

Wine List: A small selection of mostly Latin-produced wines.

Smoking Policy: No smoking

Parking: Yes. There is ample free parking as well as valet service.

Credit Cards: Accepted

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