Noca - Phoenix, AZ - In a class of its own

Imagine this: a restaurant owned by someone who is completely in love with food and cooking. A restaurant owned by someone who is intimately familiar with an astonishing array of food and who understands what distinguishes the great stuff from the good stuff. A restaurant fueled by passion -- no, unending obsession -- with eating and with feeding others. A restaurant owned by a friend with whom you've eaten dozens of times; the kind of guy who makes you feel right at home because he routinely orders everything on a menu 'for the table.' A restaurant owned by someone who unquestionably 'gets it.'

My friend Eliot worked on opening Noca for well over 2 years. It was grueling just witnessing the process from the sidelines. I cannot fathom anyone working harder -- or smarter -- to get a restaurant off the ground. From time he spent staging in restaurants over the years (learning how the big boys do it), to building networks of contacts, suppliers and investors, to hiring a dream team of FOH and BOH personnel, to securing a prime location and so much more, he left no detail unattended in his quest to bring Noca to fruition. There was absolutely no compromise in his process.

For no other purpose than checking it out and congratulating Eliot, the family and I trekked out to Phoenix earlier this month. We spent a long weekend there, during which we ate 3 consecutive dinners at Noca. The entire experience was exceptional. Over the 3 meals, we were served nothing that was less than great and much of what we ate was exceptional. Between Eliot's dedication, chef Chris Curtiss' mastery and the cornucopia of top-shelf ingredients used at Noca -- many of which are local and organic -- we weren't exactly surprised.

Below are some pics from our meals. It was comfortably dark in the space and not everything we ate photographed successfully. Still, I was able to capture a large portion of what we had . . .


Noca is located at 3118 E Camelback Rd in Phoenix, AZ



Queen Creek Olives and Roasted Almonds
While baguette is also available, during our visit, these locally grown and cured olives were served, along with roasted almonds.



Amuse: Salad of organic, free-range eggs with crispy chorizo and garlic chives
Fantastic and rich . . . I'd like a sandwich of this, please!



Amuse: Blue cheese gougere
Another intensely-flavored palate stimulator.



Kampachi Crudo with ginger creme fraiche, avocado and smoked paprika oil
The crudos at Noca are phenomenal -- immaculate and delicious.



Big Eye Tuna Crudo with ponzu gelee, fresh wasabi, cucumber and red sichuan peppercorn
This combination was truly inspired. The fresh wasabi, grated in-house with a sharkskin grater, was a scintillating touch.



Salad of roasted baby Chiogga and Red beets with golden delicious apples, Port Reyes Blue Cheese and micro arugula
Sweet and savory brought together delectably. The cheese and apples complimented the tender beets and the mild bitterness of the arugula provided a nice point of focus.



Salad of organic heirloom tomatoes with crispy shallots, Banyuls vinaigrette and basil seed oil
These tomatoes, from farmer Bob McClendon, were phenomenal. I loved the crispy shallots, which were a cool touch.



Simple salad of organic vegetables and lettuces with brioche croutons, candied pecans, pecorino and cabernet vinaigrette
There was so much to this delicious salad, which was hardly simple at all. A fantastic combination of flavors and textures that went far beyond the sum of its parts.



Laughing Bird Shrimp raviolo with braised artichoke hearts, arugula and barigoule
Tender shrimp tucked into house-made pasta, paired with artichokes, was another winner.



Duo of Peekytoe Crab: Crab Cake with remoulade and pickled cucumbers
A great, minimal rendition, served with house-made pickles.



Duo of Peekytoe Crab: Crab Salad with avocado and orange
Fresh crab meat in a great pairing from chef Curtiss.



Dayboat Scallop with broccoli rabe, celery root, applewood-smoked bacon and shallot jus
I loved this course, where it was all about quality and execution. It's a straightforward dish in which nothing can hide. So, the ingredients have to be excellent and prepared with skill. Everything was perfect here: the scallops, the broccoli rabe and the celeriac. This was an appetizer version. The entree version is served with potato gnocchi.



Duck Confit with napa cabbage slaw, citrus-honey vinaigrette and curry oil
Excellent version with a slaw that was almost as compelling as the tender duck.



"Caviar" of organic eggplant with buckwheat blinis, pickled red onion, lemon and chive creme fraiche
A successful play on traditional caviar service, this eggplant-based version is fun and satisfying. Even the blinis were spot on. As with everything at Noca, all the accoutrements for this dish are made in-house.



Spaghetti Chitarra with spicy San-Marzano tomato sauce and fresh oregano
This dish is served with a fresh tomato sauce in-season and San Marzano tomatoes when fresh are not in season. The choice to use fresh oregano was inspired. The noodles were cooked to a perfect al dente. As was alluded to above, all pastas are made in-house at Noca.



Spinach Mezzaluna filled with ricotta, mascarpone and pecorino, drizzled with a balsamic glaze
The filling in these little half-moons was sublime. It was creamy and rich, and the lingering aromatic tang of the pecorino was immensely satisfying.



Pappardelle with braised lamb ragout
The third of Noca's 3 pasta offerings, this one may have been my favorite. Both the pasta and the ragout were easily good enough to be eaten alone.



Seared Duck Breast with Alsatian tart, sauteed arugula, pickled huckleberries and duck jus
Perfectly seared duck, accompanied by the wonderful tart that was filled with caramelized onions and gruyere cheese. I loved the huckleberries, too, which were a great accent.



Wild Alaskan Halibut with braised escarole, potato pave, glazed pearl onions and onion jam
I thought that across the board, chef Curtiss' skills with fish and seafood were exceptional. Here, the fish is cooked to perfection and the other components, which were all fantastic, highlighted the halibut without obscuring it. This touch was evident throughout our 3 meals. I'm usually not a fish fan but I've been thinking about it constantly since our time at Noca.



Kampachi with grilled peach, micro arugula and balsamic glaze
This combination surprised and impressed me. The fish was, again, cooked perfectly and the peach and arugula provided interesting counterpoints -- both sweet and bitter -- to its fattiness.



Lobster Roll
This is the Wednesday special at Noca and it's simply awesome. The lobster is sourced from the same supplier to The French Laundry. Here, it's served on a toasted brioche roll, along with duck-fat fries, house-made pickles and an addictive smoked paprika aioli that was a perfectly rendered condiment.



Duo of Pork: Kurobuta Pork Belly with french green beans
Tender meat and sticky fat, with deep flavor. Awesome!



Duo of Pork: Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin with coriander spaetzle, golden delicious apples and sweet & sour demi
Masterful use of the circulator transformed this often avoidable cut into something moist, delicious and truly memorable.



Prime Beef Ribeye with olive oil-poached fingerling potatoes, thumbelina carrots, baby turnips and bordelaise
Another straightforward and delicious dish, distinguished by the kitchen's attention to detail. It could have been ordinary. Instead, it was anything but.



Seared Big Eye Tuna with braised beet greens, roasted heirloom beets and beet vinaigrette
It was fun tasting the Big Eye tuna 2 ways. This seared version -- which was served with a small portion of the aforementioned crudo -- was delicious, and the pairing with the beets-3-ways was completely inspired, and new to me.



Atlantic Skate and red wine-braised Short Rib Raviolo, with cranberry bean puree, sauteed spinach, royal trumpet mushrooms and ruby port reduction
Unspeakably delicious. This was perfect. I couldn't believe the combination of flavors and textures here. The rich skate was tender and silky and the raviolo (house-made pasta, again) was fantastic.



Steak Frites: Skirt steak with melted leeks, Tuscan fries and red wine sauce
This is not something I would ordinarily order but we wanted to try as many of chef Curtiss' dishes as possible. As it turns out, not surprisingly, it was a fantastic rendition that indicated a rarely-encountered level of execution.



Wild Striped Bass with pearl onions, pearl onion jam and shallot jus
The skin on this moist piece of fish was as crispy -- and tasty -- as a potato chip. Pairing it with the onion and shallot components was a great idea because the flavors really sang together.



Dessert amuse of cotton candy
After dinner is over, each table is served a complimentary tower of cotton candy, which is a nice bridge to dessert. On this night it was strawberry. The blueberry version looks just like Marge Simpson's hair.


The dessert menu at Noca was conceived, in part, by noted pastry chef Kriss Harvey, who has worked with some of the world's top chefs, including Joël Robuchon.



Warm Doughnut Holes with dulce de leche jam, raspberry jelly and dark chocolate sauce
Fantastic, fresh donuts that were just about the best I've had. They were slightly dense with a certain lightness and a subtle tanginess. The dipping sauces were fantastic, too, especially the DdL.



Chocolate and Banana Pudding Cake with caramel, banana gelato (not pictured) and white chocolate sauce
An intense dessert, which really satisfied the chocolate craving that I often experience after a boldly-flavored meal.



Cheesecake (balls) with walnut praline, pineapple, carrot cake crumble and white chocolate sauce
This 'cheesecake' was phenomenal. Not only was the cheesecake component rich and creamy but I could have eaten a boxful of the carrot cake crumble on its own (if I weren't already stuffed).



Milk & Cookies: Malted Vanilla Shake
Here's the 'milk' component, which was really malty and distinctive. It was like liquified vanilla crack.



Milk & Cookies: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Delectable cookies, served warm out of the oven.



Milk & Cookies: Chocolate Chip Cookies
In all their gooey goodness. I think this picture is worth 1,000 words, at least


We had a few other dishes that just didn't photograph well, which I definitely want to mention. Mostly notably on the savory side was a wild mushroom soup that was earthy and rich -- just a stunningly delicious version. On the dessert side, the refreshing fruit soup, which is decanted tableside, is crisp and intense without being overly sweet.

All in all, it was hard to leave Phoenix, knowing that we'd be leaving Noca behind, as well. I went out there with extremely high expectations and they were just blown away. After 3 days of eating chef Curtiss' cooking, I felt downright spoiled. His aesthetic spoke to me in a way that made me feel like he'd reached into my soul and knew exactly what I wanted to eat. I guess that shouldn't have surprised me because as many meals as I'd shared and enjoyed with Eliot, I should have guessed that Noca's menu would be written in a similar vein. Still the reality of the food at Noca easily surpassed the intellectual understanding of it. Yes, it's more than the sum of its parts, it's the collaborative effort of a team of people who love food and love nurturing others with it. Plain and simple, this is a restaurant by and for foodies, and it's in a class of its own.

=R=

Noca
3118 E Camelback Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85016
(602) 956-6622

We'll be in Phoenix/Scottsdale in early December. Thanks for helping make our "night out" restaurant decision. The pictures are drool-worthy!

Fantastic review.... I've heard nothing but praise for Noca from my friends back home!

What I would give to go back!

Thanks for the reommendation. We'll be out there in November and be sure to make a reservation. It looks fabulous.

Wow...Noca looks amazing and I'm surprised I haven't heard about it yet. I spent 6 months in Phoenix working at the Phoenician Resort which is very close to this location. This gives me a great excuse to make a trip back to AZ for another fun winter.

I also like to see all the familiar Italian ingredients we use at Spiaggia....makes it much easier to imagine the experience through those great pictures. Thanks for the review.

Congrats to Eliot, Chris and the entire NOCA team on being named as a Beard Award semi-finalist in the 'Best New Restaurant, U.S.' category.

Considering the place has only been open 7 months, that's quite an accomplishment.

For a complete list of this year's semi-finalists, click here.

Way to go, Eliot!

=R=

Ronnie,

I have a business thing next month at the Phoenician. Would Noca be conducive to a working dinner? From your descriptions it looks like this is definitely a multi-course affair however I am assuming from your photos that you combined multiple meals for your post. If Noca has a set multi-course menu it might not work for my purposes. What are your thoughts.

Thanks,

iblock9 wrote:Ronnie,

I have a business thing next month at the Phoenician. Would Noca be conducive to a working dinner? From your descriptions it looks like this is definitely a multi-course affair however I am assuming from your photos that you combined multiple meals for your post. If Noca has a set multi-course menu it might not work for my purposes. What are your thoughts.

Thanks,

Keep in mind that my post above is actually a conglomeration of 3 meals I had there, so while it definitely can be a multi-course affair, it doesn't necessarily have to be.

I think a business dinner would be fine and your best bet is to request to sit in the back of the restaurant (when you make your reservation), which is bit quieter than the front. There will also be some music going (a wonderfully eclectic mix, actually) but it's certainly not played at a level that restricts conversation. I just wanted to mention it in case anyone in your party finds it hard to work with music in the background.

I do hope you get a chance to check it out.

=R=

This is awesome. I had the opportunity to work under Chef Curtiss years ago. What an incredibly focused, principled and refined chef--and a great friend. It's nice to see someone again through their food. Thanks again. The power of the web.

I had the opportunity to eat at Noca this past Monday night while in the valley on business. What a fabulous restaurant. I have spent a lot of time in Phoenix and I am comfortable saying that Noca is easily the best restaurant that I have visited in the area. Thank you Ronnie for the heads up.

Noca's take on bacon and eggs, consisting of a crispy poached pgg, berkshire pork belly confit, onion jam and maple
syrup, was the highest of the many highlights. We also enjoyed the spinach mezzaluna, duck breast and big eye tuna.

This is a really fabulous restaurant and if you are fortunate enough to be in the area it should be on your radar as a must try.

BTW this was a great place to have a working dinner on a monday night as they werent too crowded. Music was kept at a peaceful enough level to both be enjoyed and unobtrusive.

Wow, just looking at Ronnie’s pictures makes me hungry!! I made a reservation for the upcoming Easter weekend and I’m looking forwards to reporting back!

A big congrats to Eliot, chef Curtiss and the entire Noca team, as Noca has been named Best New Restaurant by the Arizona Republic.

It's not only us - even the James Beard judges think Noca is one of America's best new restaurants of 2008.

Chef Chris Curtiss starts with top-of-the-line ingredients, and then adds imagination and technique to the mix. His contemporary seasonal fare is sophisticated enough to attract demanding gastronomes, yet accessible enough to reassure skittish mainstreamers.

Way to go, Noca!

=R=

More, not entirely surprising, plaudits for Noca. They just received a glowing, 5-star review from The Arizona Republic . . .

Nikki Buchanan @ AZCentral.com wrote:Named for its north of Camelback location, Noca is the urban-vibed restaurant that's won the hearts and minds of hard-core foodies this year. Although there's an entire staff of polished professionals to credit for this success story, it's possible to boil it down to two talented people - owner Eliot Wexler and chef Chris Curtiss - who share the same birthday and the same philosophy about the restaurant experience: make it phenomenal on every level.

How do they do it? Let me count the ways. Curtiss builds his modern American menu around superb ingredients, using the best purveyors he can find. And his refined but playful food proves he's having as much fun as a guy who works non-stop possibly can.

Noca Sunday Simple Supper, 5 stars

Congrats, to the entire Noca team!

=R=

I totally missed the boat on this place. Last summer, while I was planning a trip to Phoenix shortly after their opening, Ronnie gave me the heads-up that I might want to check the place out. I didn't get there until last week, when he was kind enough to treat us to dinner.

This is really a great place, consistently excellent from top to bottom. We happened to be there on a special white truffle menu night, so that's what we had.


Raw Scallop with Lemon Oil, Celery and Smoked Salt
First amuse was actually my only complaint of the night. Wonderful flavor, but the scallop got buried a bit. Still, a delicious bite.


Poached Grapefruit with Baby Fennel, Celery and Pomegranate
Dunno what precisely constitutes "poached", and no idea what it was poached in, but this was a surprising twist on the old citrus and fennel standby. Bright and explosive and delicious. Great second amuse.


Hirame Tartare with Lemon Oil, Crème Fraîche, Seckel Pear, Microgreens and Toast Points
Perfect fish, just enough other stuff to bring it out without burying it. Crème fraîche brought out that raw creaminess, Seckel pear brought out its inherent sweetness... toast points were completely unnecessary. I pretended that half of the place didn't exist.


Butter Poached Lobster with Vanilla Scented Salsify Puree, Caramelized Salsify, Roasted Onion Nage and White Truffle
My personal showstopper for the evening. Loved the salsify two ways, loved the bit of vanilla, loved the fact that the lobster tail was one tiny tick right of center on the cooked/uncooked scale. A dish to completely get lost in.


Raviolo with Ricotta, Chicken Yolk, Brown Butter and White Truffle
Especially around these parts, this will no doubt draw comparisons to Michael Carlson's quail egg ravioli. Similar in many ways, this one was just kind of bigger and bolder and more brash and... bigger. Seriously, the filling portion is the size of a hockey puck. At first I thought it way too much, then I hit the yolk on the second bite and that balanced everything out. Perfectly poached egg yolk, oozing out to cover everything. Great bite on the fresh pasta, salty enough to keep it lively... not quite as refined as the one at Schwa, but every bit as enjoyable in a slightly different way.


NY Strip with Bordelaise, Melted Onions, Potato Gnocchi, Crispy Fried Marrow and White Truffle
Unusually good steak dish. Great beef, of course. Bordelaise seemed like it had been strained about seventeen times and was very intense. Gnocchi were Parisian style, pan fried to a golden crisp on the outside for great texture. What put it over the top, however, was that rather than getting a dollop of marrow, it got a batter-dipped and crisply fried chunk of marrow. Light and crispy on the outside, unctuous goo on the inside. If it hasn't been done before, it's genius, but it's the first time I've seen it.


Salted Butter Gelato with Shortbread and Truffle Honey
Luscious, creamy gelato with a welcome hit of salt, shortbread was moist without losing that shortbread texture or density, and the honey put it over the top. I'm not a big dessert guy, but I loved this.


Cotton Candy
Apparently, Richard Dreyfuss is their pastry chef and has graduated from mashed potatoes to spun sugar. Nice, playful finish.

Curtiss has a style that's creative without gilding the lily, and it's very flavor and ingredient-focused. What struck me most of all was the incredible consistency of the meal. Excellent dish after excellent dish, start to finish. Not a clunker in the group. The only one I could potentially identify as a weak point was the first amuse, and even then, I think "weak point" does it a disservice.

I don't know that Noca is quintessential Phoenix-style dining -- I'm not sure I know what quintessential Phoenix-style dining is -- but for visiting Chicagoans, I can't imagine a much better way to spend an evening. Great restaurant. Definitely get there if you have a chance.

And thanks for the 73rd time, Ronnie

Dom,

I must have just missed you by a few days at Noca. We went on Wednesday, and I am glad that you provided pictures, since I didn't take any.

If the restaurant is not sufficiently staffed to be four-star, it certainly succeeded at all they attempted. I found my Hirame Crudo (with bits of citrus) to be creative in the style of L20 at its best. My wife's parsnip soup with foie gras foam was silky and as hopeful as a winter's day in Phoenix. Our main courses were well-prepared if less compelling: spinach tortellini and a flavorful loin of lamb.

Noca has a very pleasant, causal vibe: fine food in a comfortable space.

And, oh, we had blue cotton candy.

Really it was a great review after reading to it i wouldn't resist my urge to try food over there

Does anyone know if things remain the same at Noca? I am going to Phoenix on Tuesday and I would love to have dinner here if the recent reports are as good as Ronnie's posts upthread.

inter4alia wrote:Does anyone know if things remain the same at Noca? I am going to Phoenix on Tuesday and I would love to have dinner here if the recent reports are as good as Ronnie's posts upthread.

My last visit was maybe a month and a half ago, and it was entirely up to snuff. Other local food nerds I know say the same. Haven't heard the slightest whiff of a downhill report.

I ate there mid march and it was a home run.

I was able to hit up Noca last week while in Phoenix on business with four colleagues. While I don’t have pictures or detailed course descriptions to compete with Mr. Subourbon’s posts above, I am very happy to report that the dinner was recognized by all of us as outstanding.

Starters included seared foie gras, house-made sausage, and agnolotti type pasta stuffed with pork and served in white wine parmigiano reggiano sauce. All three of these were excellent – the expertly seared foie gras being the standout. For mains, I had pan seared skate with pork belly – both proteins perfectly cooked and the “surf and turf” match up played well. The others went more conventional with grass fed steaks – skirt and ribeye, both prepared in the same manner. While the skirt was good, the ribeye was the star – of course – topping the skirt in both flavor and tenderness.

Sorry for the lack of detail – which I blame on the pre-dinner cocktails combined with several bottles of tempranillo from Ribera del Duero during dinner.

I will certainly return to Noca the next time I am in Phoenix. Thank you Ronnie for bringing Noca to our collective attention.

Had occasion to be in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago, and consulted LTH for possible dining opportunities. Actually tried to go to FNB first one night, but they are closed for special events on Tuesdays, which I would have known if I had paid attention to what day it was, but I was working, had arrived and worked on Sunday, so who knew?

That Tuesday, the special event looked to be that they were really, totally, closed.

Fall back was Noca, tho there really was no fall or back at all.

Pastas were blissful - do not have notes and I do not remember exactly what they were, tho I believe one was a sort of (non-basil) pesto, with a pleasantly lemony edge, and the other was a wonderfully rich, intense sausage.

Cocktails and wine service were quite good, too, so we ended up with a good buzz.

Mains were a fish course that was good, but did not hold up to the quality level of the pastas, and the other was the house version of the coddled egg over potato salad - better than the fish for me and quite tasty (what could be wrong with a tart potato salad and a deep fried, poached egg, running yolk over it), but still not quite up to the bliss of the pasta. That was followed by green apple cotton candy, and finally their rendition of sticky toffee pudding, which was up there with the pasta, a great version.

Sat at the counter and visited with chef throughout, tried dropping Ronnie's name, but all that seemed to get me was a "Oh, say hi to Ronnie." Since we were sharing the potato salad, they did give us a second coddled egg.

The meal was strangely reminiscent of a couple of very nice meals I had in London last year, what with the haute cuisine renditions of sticky pudding and coddled egg. Like everywhere else, haute versions of traditional comfort food are hot in London, and I am not complaining. I asked Chef if he was exploring British cuisine, but he denied anything more than a dabble.

Thanks for the tip(s) Ronnie.

See other thread for my reports on the rest of my Phoenix visit.