Enchiladas divorciadas

Another don’t-miss entrée is the tampiqueña ($25.50), citrus-marinated skirt steak paired with a tart, diced cactus salad, guacamole and a creamy potato gratin layered with roasted poblanos. Or the outstanding atun ($29), featuring pistachio-crusted tuna, seared rare and served with sweet potato disks and julienned, tart green apples, all brought to life with a tangy mole verde.

The huachinango a la veracruzana ($28) features a fine piece of seared grouper, swimming in a sea of tomato sauce studded with capers and green olives. But the fufu base, a ripe plantain purée cooked with bacon, struck a cloyingly sweet off-note in an otherwise tangy dish.

You could assemble a fabulous meal from just the starters, including first-rate guacamole ($11.50) so generous that three of us couldn’t finish it. Among the dozen antojitos (appetizers), two stand out: the tamal de huitlacoche ($9.50) and the tacos de langosta ($16.50).
 
Huitlacoche is a mushroom-flavored, purplish black fungus that grows on corn (considered a delicacy in Mexico), and here it’s blended into masa dough that’s stuffed with creamy goat cheese. The accompanying sassy, bright orange, toasted guajillo sauce is the perfect foil for the earthy richness of the tamal. Texture comes from a spoonful of corn kernels and zucchini cubes.

Bomba chocolate (front) with empanada de guayaba & panela

Poached, tender lobster chunks, finished in butter, sit atop three soft corn tortillas in the tacos de langosta, garnished with a chile de árbol sauce mellowed by heavy cream. Avocado and a smear of black bean purée make the dish more substantial than it appears at first glance.

Two soups (both $9.50) are as close to perfection as any soups could be and would be perfect if they arrived a few degrees hotter. Sopa de tortilla is thick and stepladder spicy thanks to a blending of chiles, including the smoky guajillo, while sopa de elote is a husky, sweet purée of tender corn and cream, enhanced with a zigzag of earthy huitlacoche syrup and three small huitlacoche dumplings.
 
As spirited and invigorating as the menu is, a couple of missteps in the front of the house detract from the kitchen’s prowess. First, the basic margarita (the original, $10) is weak and flat. With all the tequilas at La Hacienda’s disposal, why choose cheap Sauza Gold as the house tequila?

Second, service simply isn’t up to snuff. Servers try to remove plates before everyone (or anyone) is finished. And at this level of dining, should servers call out, “Who ordered the __?” Should dishes this refined (and pricey) be slung on a serving tray next to the table? Don’t get me wrong, the staff is warm and engaging, but they’re not intuitive – yes, I do need a soup spoon with my soup – or nearly as polished as they should be in this setting and at this price point.

Atun (tuna)

I can’t find fault with any of the desserts. Pastry Chef David Blom has created a compelling list that demands saving room. Empanada de guayaba & panela ($9) stole my heart. Heavily crusted with cinnamon and sugar, three fried, warm, puff pastry turnovers encase sugary sweet guava purée that’s balanced with a touch of salty panela cheese. It was all I could do to refrain from licking the molasses-y piloncillo syrup painted on the plate.

The flan de coco ($9) is superb – thick, rich and covered with a haystack of cinnamon sugar strips and a bite-size baby coconut. Both the blueberry lime and prickly pear sorbets ($8) are mouth-puckering tart, yet sweet as syrup. The sticker shock of a $6 espresso shot is much easier to stomach when munching on crispy churros or swirling the banana- and anise-filled chocolate pyramid torte ($9) on your tongue.
 
La Hacienda is still an experiential dining destination. Dishes can be electrifying. Dessert alone is worth a trip. Stepping up the service and pouring a decent, basic margarita would go a long way in returning La Hacienda to its former diamond-studded glory. In fact, it could be even better than it was before.

Inside La Hacienda

La Hacienda
Cuisine: Mexican
Address: 7575 E. Princess Drive, Scottsdale (Fairmont Scottsdale)
Phone: 480-585-4848 
Website: fairmont.com/scottsdale
Summer hours: 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday; 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Tuesdays
Highlights: Tamal de huitlacoche ($9.50), sopa de elote ($9.50), pipian de puerco ($26), empanada de guayaba & panela ($9)


— Gwen Ashley Walters can be reached at phxmag@citieswestpub.com.