By Susie Timm, Head Cheese
Many years ago I first found Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn. Tucked away down a residential street in Paradise Valley lies a true desert paradise.
This boutique hotel offers only 34 guest casitas but each is beautifully decorated and all have been recently renovated.
Lon’s has been a staple of fine dining in Phoenix for many years. Lon’s comfortable environment features an elegant dining room with wood-beamed ceilings, vintage Western artifacts and beehive fireplaces that accent the meandering dining space. The charming setting includes the artworks of the historic inn’s original owner, cowboy artist Lon Megargee.
I found the wine cellar and chef’s table particularly unique as Executive Chef Jeremy Pacheco offers a Tuesday night “Chef’s Choice” dinner to diners who are willing to put their food fate in his hands for the evening.
Lon’s invited us to sample some of Pacheco’s culinary gifts last week as they hosted my husband and I for dinner.
We too put our dining fate in Pacheco’s hands for the evening. He joined the Lon’s family as Executive Chef last year after 5 years in Las Vegas working for Steve Wynn’s Encore and Wynn properties at various restaurants.
The evening air was beautiful with just a slight bit of crisp breeze so we were seated comfortably on the outside patio near the wood-burning fireplace.
We began our feast out tasting several starter courses including one of the most amazing pieces of hamachi I have ever tasted, seared ahi on a hot salt stone and Lon’s caprese salad.
The freshness of the fish was almost unparalleled. I cannot recall tasting raw fish of that quality in Arizona ever before.
For the main courses we shared Loup de Mer with roasted autumn squash, mussels, cranberry beans and kale and roasted duck breast with maple and a duck confit canneloni.
Again the fish was delectable as were the mussels. I enjoyed how the flavor profiles combined on my tongue. The duck breast was a tad tough for my taste even though it was seared medium rare. The duck confit canneloni however, was a little roll of ducky love. Salty and crunchy, I could have eaten 3 more and made a meal of it!
Pacheco joined us at each course to explain where he sourced the vegetables and meat (mostly local and from the on-property garden).
I found Pacheco humble and charming and easy to talk to.
For dessert we had a berry cobbler and a candy bar with ice cream. Both were sweet and a lovely finish to our dinner.
Overall our experience at Lon’s was outstanding. I cannot say enough good things about the service or ambiance. I will say–if Lon’s is not on your radar as a restaurant to circulate in your regular line-up, it needs to be. It’s romantic, intimate and truly delicious.
Pacheco is not as well known yet as some other Valley chefs, but his talents surpass many of the more “famous” chefs–bar none.
Lon’s at The Hermosa is located at 5532 N. Palo Cristi Road in Paradise Valley, Ariz. For more information phone Lon’s at 602-955-7878 or visit www.lons.com and www.hermosainn.com.
