Thompson 105, North Scottsdale, Arizona

Sunday was Kit’s birthday, and she chose Thompson 105 for our dinner. It’s located at 10401 E McDowell Mountain Ranch Road. The restaurant boasts a wide patio with a fire pit facing McDowell Mountain, and she and Gary often sat to watch the sunset glow on the mountains during the golden hour.

This, alas, was not sit outside weather. The weather was unseasonably cool, and temperatures in the dry West plunge after the sun goes down. I recall a work trip to Gallup, New Mexico, when the day reached the 70s. When we exited a restaurant after a long … working dinner, the temperature was 18. The green chiles had left a warm glow, however, and it wasn’t too bad.

Back to the subject. We arrived at 6:00 pm and were greeted at the entrance by the sight of whole chickens cooking over wood coals. Talk about the golden hour. It was captivating, and I would have photographed it had not two attractive young ladies been standing in front of it. Photographing attractive young ladies is fraught for old men, not least for those who are married.

We were seated and the usual preliminaries were completed promptly. The view that Sunday was not of the mountains, but the alternative held the crowd of diners rapt.

The restaurant’s pleasant noise level varied considerably during the meal. It spiked at times, and the television network graciously replayed each event that had caused the excitement — at least if it had been caused by events on the field rather than in the owner’s suite.

Our server was friendly, chatty, and attentive, although there was a bit of a lapse during the half time show. We looked over the menu, which leans toward meat and Italian dishes, and in many cases offers half orders.

To start, Kit ordered what was, I think, a special — a combination sort of caprese with roasted butternut squash.

The mozzarella looked very fresh indeed, fresh and milky, and it brought to mind a field trip to a bufala dairy during our cooking school in Castro dei Volschi years ago the I mentioned here. I hadn’t seen the butternut addition to the familiar caprese before, but Kit liked it, and gave me piece of the squash. It had indeed picked up some of the other flavors for a pleasing blend.

For her main, Kit chose a half order of the cannelloni.

That’s pretty, isn’t it? The pasta tube, described as a crêpe (gluten free) on the menu, was stuffed with that alluring wood-cooked chicken, along with spinach and ricotta. A parmesan cream held the ingredients together, and the whole rested in a pool of marinara and pesto. I don’t think this was Kit’s first rodeo with the dish, and she seemed very pleased with it.

I ordered a half portion of their Caesar salad to start.

It includes radishes and crushed focaccia croutons in addition to the usual ingredients. Crushing the croutons seems to be a trend, one about which I have no strong feelings. The radishes added some texture and flavor. The anchovies, available on request, were the mild white variety, and may have been the kind used in the dressing, which also was understated.

For my main, I chose a half order of radiatore with Italian sausage and broccoli rabe, one of my favorite combinations. Here the dish was graced with garlic, parmesan, and a sauce of chicken stock (apparently replacing the pasta water for additional flavor), white wine, and shallots, topped with pecorino and some bread crumbs.

The pasta itself was properly cooked, and the sausage and young rapini were flavorful. The richness of the sausage and the bitterness of the rapini balance beautifully. My one hesitation about the dish is that the sauce and, notably, its garlicky flavor, didn’t cling to the pasta. Normally the wine and pasta water, which has some thickening qualities, are reduced significantly so that the sauce adheres to the pasta. Here the chicken broth was not reduced, and the sauce remained thin, as you can see. In all, the dish had a mild flavor.

Nancy skipped a starter and ordered the half chicken, that I would have ordered had she not. Actually, we should have split an order. Nancy avoids dark meat, which is the meat I prefer, so we get along very well with chickens.

That was a big chicken, and it picked up a smoke flavor from the wood fire. The breast meat was tender and juicy, and the dark meat was still delicious the next day. The chicken comes with polenta, which Nancy declined, and Italian green beans, which I take to mean beans with Italian seasoning, and pan juices. You can see a lot of pretty onions there, along with a tomato or two. I’d be interested in knowing whether Thompson 105 includes those routinely or added them as a substitute for the polenta.

You know that Taylor’s boyfriend’s team, as my granddaughters call the Chiefs, prevailed, to the delight of most of the patrons. It was a. fun evening, and I can see why Kit chose Thompson 105. I can see so many reasons why others choose it as well, not least that great chicken. I’d love to go back to explore the menu further and have a cocktail on that patio during the golden hour.

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