As if I needed anymore reason to rave about the Omni Resort and Spa at the Montelucia – their signature restaurant Prado wows me with every visit.
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting a few times, and I am more and more impressed each time. It’s a fine-dining establishment but not at all stuffy or pretentious; in fact it’s just the opposite — warm and inviting. My most recent visit happened to be on Father’s Day, so I chose my meal from a special occasion prix fixe menu; while my husband and Jax ordered from the regular menu. Everything was delicious.
Every meal comes with a complimentary order of Prado’s freshly-baked sourdough bread and pesto. This bread is reason enough to love Prado and keep coming back. The pesto is rich and herby, verdant with basil and piquant with garlic. The bread is served warm and soft inside with a crusty exterior. I love bread, it’s seriously my favorite food on the planet and this bread is my favorite bread on the planet. So Prado serves my most favorite thing ever to eat and it’s complimentary and unlimited! Heaven on earth for me.
Like the rest of resort property, Prado has the feel of an inviting Spanish villa and the food is influenced by the area, fragrant and spiced. They have a great tapas bar and I highly recommend a night spent at that bar grazing on small plates and sipping sangria. It’s a unique dining experience, perfect for a date night or a GNO.
But our visit was more family friendly, spent in the comfortable dining room with a lovely waitress helping us make selections. My husband is a picky eater and was a little apprehensive of the menu. Thankfully our knowledgable server described the unfamiliar ingredients to him and promised he would love anything he ordered. He decided on the Wood Grilled Half Chicken with harissa mash, asparagus and chermoula.
It was the perfect choice for him, the chicken breast jazzed up with warm spices and cooked to juicy, perfection, the chermoula (a Moroccan sauce made with garlic, cumin, coriander and olive oil) gave it exotic flare. My husband loved the harissa mashed potatoes, smooth, creamy and kissed with a tangy heat.
I ordered Blanton’s Bourbon Aged Ribeye with Valdeon bread pudding and sweet peppers from the special Father’s Day menu. The ribeye was excellent ordered medium rare; it was fork tender and luscious. The bread pudding was savory and incredible, made with Valdeon cheese, a Spanish bleu cheese.
You can order a ribeye on the regular menu but the bread pudding was a special; and I am going to beg Prado to add it as a permanent fixture. Like I said, I love bread, and when covered in cheese and herbs, I’m addicted. Please, Prado, bring that bread pudding back!
Jax thoroughly enjoyed her huge bowl of pasta tossed with butter and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Other items on the kid’s menu include a quesadilla, cheeseburger, chicken breast, flatbread pizza and more, so when dining with kids you can rest assured there is plenty for them to eat and enjoy.
Dessert is always a must! We loved the Chocolate Mousse Bomba with salted caramel and Crema Catalana. It’s rich and decadent with quality dark chocolate. A chocolate shell encases a creamy chocolate mousse interior. We fought over the last bite.
Since Prado is nestled within one of the most beautiful resort properties in all of Arizona, I recommend an after-dinner walk on the grounds. In the daytime the views of Camelback Mountain are unparalleled; while at night the property is lit up with twinkling lights with the mountain silhouette in the back. It’s lovely any time of day and worth the stroll, or even better get a room and make a night of it!
Prado is the perfect spot for date night, a girl’s night out or even a special occasion with the whole family.
Prado is located inside the Omni Resort and Spa at Montelucia is located, 4949 E. Lincoln Dr. Scottsdale, AZ 85253.
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Disclaimer: We enjoyed our meal at Prado free of charge in order to facilitate this post. All opinions are entirely my own.
