Savannah'sThe concierge at the Southwest Inn recommended this steak and seafood restaurant as one of their top 3 in Sedona. It’s just a couple of minutes down Hwy 89A from the Inn. When we walked in to the lobby, we were concerned about our casual attire. Despite white tablecloths and wine glasses at each table our hostess assured us that every restaurant in Sedona is casual and we were quite presentable.
The restaurant has a cozy feel, with 3 separate dining areas, 2 indoor, 1 outdoor, each with about 15 tables. Service is impeccable and the food is amazing. Décor is distinctly southwest, with walls of salmon, gold, bronze and olive and arched windows boasting a view of the red rocks. Original wall art and sculptures for all tastes are scattered throughout the dining room.
The menu boasts an extensive wine list, appetizers, salads, pastas and entrees featuring beef, chicken and seafood. It’s a kind of a "create-your-own" menu, with the entrees allowing 1 topping on your choice of meat, and 2 sides. Toppings include sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, Gorgonzola cheese, béarnaise sauces and more. The sides include a house or Caesar salad, mixed vegetables, and garlic mashed potatoes, among others. Slices of fresh cibatta bread with an oil and balsamic vinegar dipping sauce get you started while you ponder your choices.
We both began our meal with a house salad of mixed greens, shredded carrots and red onion with soy dijon vinaigrette. A delicious salad, especially with the unexpected soy flavor of the dressing. After our salad plates were removed, a palette cleanser of strawberry-raspberry-lemon-mint sorbet was brought.
My husband ordered one of the specials, an 8-oz, herb-encrusted filet mignon with gorgonzola and a citrus-maple balsamic glaze served with garlic mashed potatoes ($34). Oh my goodness, what a treat! All steak is USDA Prime, fresh. The filet was very tender and the toppings were an outstanding combination. The garlic mashed potatoes were the best I’d had in a long while. I ordered the sliced flat iron steak with the chipotle béarnaise topping ($28). I had caramelized onions on the side. My steak was cooked to perfection and very flavorful with the chipotle béarnaise sauce.
We had mentioned before we ordered that we were interested in saving room for dessert. Our server suggested the chocolate soufflé, which takes 35 minutes to prepare and so should be ordered at the same time as our meal. We jumped on that idea! The soufflé arrived extremely hot out of the oven. Our server poured a vanilla crème glaze over the top and we watched it boil, sizzle and caramelize. Surprisingly, we were a little disappointed in this dessert. It was delicious, no doubt, but we were both expecting chocolate "lava" in the middle and there was none. Big enough for 2, even 3 or 4 people, this dessert was $9.