Bourbon Steak Scottsdale is a Michael Mina restaurant located at the Fairmount Princess Resort in North Scottsdale. The resort is rated Five Diamond and the restaurant is located on property.
The restaurant itself is very attractive. It has an upscale trendy feel that fits the motif of the surrounding resort.
Despite the attractive design, the table settings are on par with the most basic diner. Now keep in mind that this is a AAA Four Diamond rated restaurant. The table is bare
wood. There is no tablecloth. There is just a napkin, folded into a square and an empty water cup upside down on that napkin. The table presentation clearly is not a factor for the Four Diamond accolade.
I should add the tap water here tastes awful, so I promptly ordered bottled water.
Once food is ordered french fries are sent out from the kitchen. Three cups of french fries accompanied by three metal ramekins of forgettable dipping sauces. A stingy portion of sauces to boot. So far, nothing out of the ordinary for any standard burger bar or gastropub. If the kitchen is going to “phone in” their starter with french fries then at least add some variety. Maybe battered
and fried vegetable spears or asparagus spears…or something. I mean, there are THREE cups of fries is this FOUR diamond restaurant.
The first course we ordered was a wedge salad and the pork agnolotti, a stuffed pasta similar to ravioli. The drab table setting and fast-food approved starter were quickly forgiven once we tasted the food. The wedge salad was a round shape which allowed the ingredients to rest nicely on top of the head of lettuce. The flavors delivered, and it was crisp, wonderful first course.
The agnolotti pasta had a savory filling with bursts of random other flavors, like fennel to tease your palette. The portion was small enough to satisfy, but not big enough to sabotage the main course.
We both ordered the filet mignon as our next course. The steak comes a la carte. So you have meat decorated with just microgreens and a colorful accent of some sauce on the plate. The other guest at my table ordered an add-on of three sauces. For $10 extra, you can get a selection au poivre (pepper), béarnaise, and chimichurri sauces. It was luck that these sauces were ordered. Had they not been, my steak would have been plain. The filet really should have come with a little bit of some sauce, even on the side. It needed a little help. The au poivre and béarnaise were delicious, the chimichurri did not taste like chimichurri. It was very bland and useless.
Four sides came with the steak. They come separately on a plate with spoons to be shared “family style.”
There is a truffle macaroni and cheese which was excellent. There are mashed potatoes with gravy on top a-la-KFC. In all sincerity, the potatoes were very good too. Then there was a a vegetable medley, largely of string beans. Lastly, mushrooms garnished with sesame seeds. I asked the food runner what type of mushrooms they were. He responded “regular mushrooms.” Thinking I misheard, I asked a second time. To which I received the same answer. I’m can’t be too hard on the staff, the service was good. They worked hard and efficiently. They did a fine job.
Dessert was type of chocolate cake that incorporated components of pretzel and peanut butter. I would categorize it as a gourmet spin on the Reeses peanut butter cup.
In summary, despite the lazy table and shared food presentations, the flavorful dishes compensate. As a frequent diner of the now defunct Stonehill Tavern, I know Mina can deliver exquisite food. Make no mistake, however, this is not fine dining. Not even close. This upscale casual at best – with fine dining prices. But, after all, that’s to be expected when you are dining at a well-known chef’s restaurant at the Fairmont Princess Resort.
