I’ve probably gained twenty pounds in the past week.  Hmmm, maybe it was more like in the past 48 hours…  Too many meals, too little time.  Tonight’s meal was exceptional.  Sure, it’s Christmas Day, so most kitchens are doing prix fixe in one form or another, but our experience at elements at The Sanctuary Resort & Spa was the perfect dining choice for such a special day.  Yeah, who knew?!  A rave and not a rant – I didn’t think I had it in me…

We arrived just before the sun sank behind Camelback Mountain and were treated to all sorts of shadows and coppery-colored tones on Mummy Mountain as we settled in at our table.  First order of business, the wine.  I’d been eyeing the 2013 Pillsbury Viognier for a while now and thought it would be nice to try another Arizona white from Cochise County. I chose a super-safe red in the form of a 2012 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir.  With the bottles being fetched from the Wall of Wonder^TM, (you’ll know it when you see it), we turned our attention to the wide-ranging menu and made our selections.

1st course – carpaccio and lobster bisque. 2nd course – poached pear salad, grilled vegetable and farro salad. 3rd course – encrusted sea bass and Moroccan-spiced lamb shank. 4th course – poached pears and egg nog-infused cheesecake.  It’s a guess, but I’m betting this was one of those 3,500 calorie meals.  I mean 3,500 calories per course!

OK, OK, on to the critique…  Given the nature of a holiday dinner – you know, a limited menu, stick with fan favorites, bang ’em out and turn those tables – we expected at least something that made it’s way from the kitchen and on to the table wouldn’t be just, well, um, uh, just right.  …we were wrong.  Every bite, every sip, the pacing, the attentiveness of the staff – it was all just letter-perfect.

No wonder Chef Beau is the beloved figure he is in this town.  Oh, and just to be clear, if you do take a gander at their website, we are not – let me repeat, not – those sexy beasts in the photographs.  We’re the graying couple, sitting at the corner table, obsessing over every little detail of our fabulous meal…  Merry Christmas!