Sometimes it's hard to go to a restaurant that is chef driven with a unique menu and wind up having a burger, not to mention a coastal Italian inspired menu. Compare it to going to a steakhouse and ordering chicken for dinner. That was my dilemma when I popped into Taggia, http://www.taggiascottsdale.com restaurant inside the Firesky Resort and Spa at Scottsdale Road and Chaparral in Scottsdale, for lunch recently. Fortunately I've been there a couple of times for dinner so I know what executive chef Massimo De Francesca can do, therefore I set the bar high for the burger, possibly a bit too high.
Served only during lunch, the burger ($13) comes served on Brioche bun and comes topped with a slice of melted smoked mozzarella cheese with Bibb lettuce, red onion and tomato as a garnish along with a pickle spear. A side of golden brown French fries accompanies the burger as well. The burger was cooked to my expectations and tasted the way it should, like a burger. I was just hoping there was more of the Italian flair I tasted during dinner that I had become familiar with. No doubt most chef driven restaurants put their best foot forward on the dinner menu especially in a resort when your lunch crowd is usually out of town conference attendees who just want to eat and continue as if they never stopped meetings to take a lunch break. That's probably the same reason the burger is even on the menu.
After I finished and pondered what I'd write for this review I realized it was better than several burgers I'd had and now I can return to Taggia and not wonder about the burger but to have more of what chef Massimo does best, coastal Italian cuisine.
Taggia serves daily from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and Firesky Resort is located at 4925 N. Scottsdale Rd. Scottsdale 85251. (480)424-6095
