Authentic Mexican cuisine with enough food & beverage industry street credibility to snag a Mobil 4-Star Rating? I thought it had be a joke, before embarking on my long-awaited journey to La Hacienda—the final installment in my tummy trilogy of restaurant reviews on the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (see the naturaltraveler.com archive for previous articles on Marquesa and The Grill).

La Hacienda offers the real gen in Mexican cooking, with flourishes that convince the palate you somehow made a wrong turn out of the Phoenix airport and ended up in a back-alley bistro in Oaxaca. Andrew McDonald, the chef de cuisine at La Hacienda, has traveled the length and breadth of Mexico to study and research all regional variations in Mexican gastronomy. McDonald’s fieldtrip into the heart of Mexico produced enough data to fill a cookbook, but suffice it to say the menu at La Hacienda radiates his ability to translate all the flavors and textures with brilliant accuracy and clarity.

STALKING THE PERFECT PULLED PIG No dish in Mexican cooking is more appealing and surreal than a spit-roasted suckling pig. There’s a method to the madness of cooking to what Salvador Dali referred to as the “Divine Hog”; the crucial element to suckling is infusing the sauce with the natural juices of the animal and in slaughtering hogs that have been raised on special diets such as acorns and other natural and healthy ingredients. The lavish attention paid to the preparation of this dish is worthy of an article of its very own (look for “Searching for the Perfect Suckling” in an upcoming installment on nt.com). For now, let’s just say that any visit to La Hacienda should begin with the Molotes de Puerco ($7.75), a generous portion of pulled suckling pig wrapped in a potato & masa and served in the traditional Oaxacan red mole—a sauce made from pressed cocoa and fresh, hot red chili. The pork is moist and tender; the mole is spicy without being too intense as to overwhelm the subtle flavors of smoke and dried fruit in the meat. The Antojitos (appetizer) Mexicanos sampler is superb ($10.25 per person for 2), with generous portions of blue corn quesadillas filled with squash blossoms, wild mushrooms and goat cheese; the Shrimp Culiacon (gulf shrimp served with smoked bacon and jack cheese); Pork Flautas; and Crabmeat enchiladas that were so good that I needed to order a third Frozen Margarita to wash it all down. If you still have room for one more Antojito, I recommend the Chile Ancho en Nogada ($9.25), a splendid wood-roasted chicken served with dried fruits and a pomegranate sauce.

BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA Okay, why the unveiled reference to a violent western from the ‘70s? No reason, other than to let you in on the things that go through your mind after a fourth Prickly Pear Margarita while gazing at the view from the patio of La Hacienda, where quail run for cover and the sky turns from deep blue to red-orange-purple at sunset. My favorite Entradas (entrée) selections include the Costillas de Cordero ($33.50), a charbroiled rack of lamb cooked in a pumpkin seed crust and tomato chile jam—more Sonoran than Oaxacan in regional emphasis; the Dorado a la Plancha ($26), a pan-seared mahi-mahi filet served with a Oaxacan Pasilla Tomatillo (little green Mexican tomatoes) sauce; Cayo de Hacha ($25.75), a generous sampling of seared sea scallops, Majito and banana relish—a Pacific-Mexican specialty for old surfers or anyone who loves to eat healthy; and the Filete a la Parilla ($33.50), a delicious grilled filet of beef in a coffee sauce (strong, smooth and dark), with a side of black bean salsa for the full delirious affect.

the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess

COFFEE GRINDERS Any meal at La Hacienda must end with the best-made coffee-dessert drinks on earth. The waiter will prepare a mix of strong coffee with several after-dinner drink options (Kahlua, Grand Marnier—which I admit to having a weakness for) and the genial server will light the entire glass in a flambé-drink optical-sensory experience that is not to be believed.

La Hacienda
Open for dinner only, Thursday-Tuesday, 6 to 10 p.m.
Phone 425-585-4848.
http://www.fairmont.com/

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