SAVOUR SCOTTSDALE
Dine under the stars and soar through the sky
Scottsdale is known for its excellent restaurant scene but on a recent press visit, our host suggests something a little different — dinner in the desert.
So at 4 p.m. on a warm day, about eight colleagues and I pile into two shiny black SUVs for a trek in the Sonoran Desert to dine on gourmet goodies under the stars.
After leaving the main road, we pass the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy — some 12,140 hectares of pristine, protected desert land and mountains that fall within Scottsdale’s borders. The largest urban land preserve in the United States, it has 320 kilometres of well-maintained trails that can be explored on foot, bike or horseback.
But we turn onto a road less travelled and continue driving until the asphalt ends, the road narrows and the gravel gives way to dirt. Soon we arrive at a clearing, where we’re greeted by Matt Cooley and Olivia Laux, the recently married couple behind Cloth & Flame.
Along with a crew of two, Cooley and Laux are hauling coolers, and setting up tables, chairs, lights and barbecues for our desert dining experience.
Cloth & Flame specializes in creating culinary “experiences” in unconventional places. These can be community or corporate events, private dinners like this one, or weddings. Cooley and Laux have a passion for the wilderness, and have hosted events in “wild landscapes everywhere from the Grand Canyon to an Alaska mountainside,” Cooley says.
Their work has a conservancy aspect, too.
They lease the land where events are held, providing income to landowners who might otherwise sell to developers. And they donate 10 per cent of dinner proceeds to groups that protect wild places and wildlife, he adds.
This dinner is taking place on part of the Quarter Circle U Ranch in the storied Superstition Mountains.
While the crew prepares hors d’oeuvres, we sip margaritas as we amble among the scrub brush and take photos of teddy bear cholla, saguaro and other cacti, palo verde and mesquite trees, and mountain peaks in the distance.
Cooley, who is a fount of knowledge, answers questions about desert geography, geology, flora and fauna. He also warns us to watch out for holes in the soft dirt as these may be the homes of various small animals or snakes. Fortunately for our group, we don’t disturb — or even see — any snakes!
While noshing on our starter — fig and brie crostini with sunflower sprouts — we watch the setting sun cast long shadows over the landscape and eventually sink behind a mountain and disappear.
As if on cue, millions of stars appear — spectacularly bright in the crystal clear midnight blue sky. Soon it’s time to gather ’round the table.
Our feast includes delicious meat and vegetarian dishes — melon and cabbage-sprout salad with rosemary-shallot vinaigrette; smoked salmon tartare with farm greens; roasted beet tartare; grilled filet mignon with roasted potato; green beans and charred pumpkin in red wine sauce; and a quinoa, roasted potato, green bean and pumpkin casserole. Each course is super-delish and paired with a different wine.
Cooley joins our table after dessert — warm apple tart tatin — and spins some lively yarns about the Superstition Mountains, including the legend of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine, which people still search for today.
Relaxed, happy and savouring the good food, good wine and good company, it’s the perfect end to our perfect dinner in the desert.
DESERT DETAILS
Private dinners with Cloth & Flame must be booked well in advance. Diners should wear sturdy, closed-in shoes and bring a sweater or light jacket as the temperature dips after sunset. Events are held near places with access to washrooms, or Cloth & Flame sets up portable toilets on site.
Cooley and Laux are also building some wilderness camping resorts. They aim to have one open in October. For information, see clothandflame.com.
For more on the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, see mcdowellsonoran.org.
MORE DESERT EXPOSURE
Dining in the desert is not the only way to see the spectacular landscapes of the Sonoran. Visitors who don’t mind heights can get a thrilling bird’s-eye view from a hot-air balloon.
Our group took a sunrise ride with Hot Air Expeditions, who picked us up from our hotel and drove us out to their launch site.