Rancho Pinot is a dinner only restaurant that’s located in a shopping center right on Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale Arizona. This restaurant has been in business for twenty five years now. You might be wondering what kind of restaurant is this…..The answer might be a mix of global American that slants Italian. On the menu the night I was there they offered Kabocha Squash with Tahini Sauce and Dukka, to Gnocchi with Lamb Bolognese. The menu changes often from what I was told but some menu items stay the same like the long time specialty of the house The Nonni’s Chicken that has been on the menu for twenty five years.

The atmosphere is mostly Western and sort of Kitsch.

From my seat I wasn’t able to photo all I wanted but I did get in the saguaro skeleton that’s in the middle of the dining room. The chairs are very rustic and somewhat uncomfortable. On the walls are cow head skeletons and a few stuffed animals such as jack-o-lopes. Lots of cowboy related pictures grace the walls and there is a curio cabinet with all kinds of strange things.

We were greeted by several workers that were very friendly. One worker told us that they work as a team so anyone could help or serve us. Our main server took our order and seemed very knowledgeable about the menu and the food served. We order and soon very fresh soft bread arrives.

We started out by sharing the Asian Pear, Fennel and Pomegranate Salad.

Everything was very fresh and everything did taste great together. The salad contains crunchy Asian Pears, shaved fennel, sharp greens, hazelnuts, pomegranate and creamy feta cheese.

For my main I went with the specialty…The Nonni’s Chicken.

Two generously sized braised chicken thighs with mushrooms, herbs and stock-ee white wine sauce served with crispy polenta and topped with a sprinkling of Italian Cheese.

WOW! I have to say that this is the moistest chicken I’ve ever had! You Forking don’t need teeth to eat this chicken! This is even more moist than from a Sous Vide! The polenta is prepared perfect. It’s nice and creamy inside. If I had a bigger appetite I would have dunked my bread in the sauce….On this dish the meat portion is about double of what I usually eat. It worked out well because the dish my husband ordered was smaller so he finished my dish.

He ordered a brand new dish to the menu and had the Fettuccine with Duck Confit, Winter Squash, and Braised Greens.

This was a more flavorful dish that was also prepared to perfection.

We were told that it was a big deal that they were offering Pecan Bars tonight because they haven’t had them on the menu for a year and a half so we ordered one.

The Pecan bar was very chewy….sensibly sized and wasn’t too sweet. We both liked the house made vanilla ice cream on top.

That was my trip to Rancho Pinot in Scottsdale AZ.

www.RanchoPinot.com

Everything is subject to change and your experience may or may not differ.