Tucson Weekly: Whole In One (March 12

Loews Ventana Flying V Restaurant Is A Fine-Dining Alternative On The Links.
By Rebecca Cook
THE FLYING V Bar & Grill, which overlooks the 18th hole on Loews Ventana Canyon Resort's exclusive Tom Fazio-designed golf course, is a bit of an enigma.
In culinary terms, it offers an absolutely flawless performance, thanks in large part to the genius of Executive Chef Rich Koby. Fusing the old with the new, Koby has embroidered the intriguing insolence of Southwestern regional cuisine into the fabric of traditional Spanish and Latin American cooking.
In addition to serving lunch and dinner, a special tapas menu is always available. The wonders of paella and the steaming fragrance of a large bowl of caldillo, the Spanish equivalent to bouillabaisse, implicate the influence of Spain and its Latin American sisters. The infusion of habanero and jalapeño peppers into many of the dishes, the telltale tortilla wrappings and the plethora of specialty margaritas offered is pure American Southwest.
Chow The end result is a menu that's playful, interesting, and ultimately, tastefully exquisite. Visitors from other climes will undoubtedly marvel at the novel intricacies of Koby's menu.
The Flying V is considered to be the mid-range dining option at Ventana Canyon Resort, lodged solidly between the aristocratic chic of the Ventana Room (where Koby was formerly head chef) and the drop-in-for-a-quick-bite Canyon Café. The deck patio seating, which affords diners a bird's eye view of the 18th green on a warm day, lends a clubhouse sensibility to the Flying V. This constitutes my only reservation about recommending the place wholeheartedly to one and all.
The restaurant's central bar is a hotspot for all those duffers fresh off the links, who crowd around to share tall tales about the course's harrowing hazards. Not surprisingly, the exuberance generated by alcohol and the day's activities creates a small din, which may be further heightened if there's a sporting event of any significance on either of the two television sets suspended above the bar.
This state of affairs, combined with what quite obviously the resort considers an alternative fine-dining option, quickly becomes grating. While the dress for the Flying V is strictly casual (after all, can't expect those golfers to change their attire), the prices are anything but, with entrees frequently hovering at or above $20. At those prices, I don't expect to have my dinner conversation repeatedly interrupted by the jocularity of an intoxicated, cigar-smoking elite.
If one could eliminate this variable, the Flying V would be a comfortable space indeed. A large Santa Fe-style fireplace graces one side of the dining room, softened by a few small couches and overstuffed chairs. Here the more sedate cocktail revelers gather, and although tables are located on either side of this lounge-like enclave, their presence is not nearly as obtrusive as the denizens at the bar.
The rest of the dining room, which recently underwent a major renovation, is all flagstone, copper and leather, with subtle accents of pastel turquoise. In all respects, it's a refined and classy interpretation of a potentially trite Western theme.
For starters, we couldn't resist the temptation to find out the secret to a guacamole appetizer for $10.95--a cost that seemed just a wee bit on the steep side even considering the detrimental effects of El Niño on California produce.
At the Flying V, however, guacamole is no mere plop of pureed condiment. It's a major production: A large sideboard is rolled to your table, where your server introduces the various components of this made-to-order relish. Avocados are held up for your inspection, sliced and turned into a large bowl where tomato, red onion, garlic, cilantro, fresh lime and jalapeños are added in proportions to your liking.
The finished product was magnificent, still slightly chunky and full of flavor. Accompanied by a collection of blue and yellow corn tortillas, the two of us made an admirable stab at finishing a portion that would have reasonably satisfied a table of four.
As is common in many restaurants these days, the pleasure of a first-course soup or salad is considered additional. We opted to sample the house salad and the Southwestern Caesar, both of which eclipsed the mundane. The standard greens platter consisted of an assortment of mixed mesclun lettuce enlivened by the addition of chile-coated pecans and a lovely red-wine vinaigrette. The Flying V's Caesar was composed of translucent green-yellow spears of romaine lettuce topped with a light, creamy red-chile and anchovy dressing.
In a tough decision, I bypassed the grilled salmon burrito in favor of Koby's shellfish caldillo, a concoction containing mussels, clams and prawns in an absolutely ambrosial seafood broth of garlic, cilantro and poblano chiles. Long slices of toasted habanero croutons made the ideal accompaniment, and kept the heat of the dish pleasantly turned up at all times.
The trio of chile rellenos offered at the Flying V is a delectable option for vegetarians. Each chile is stuffed with something different: herbed goat cheese, corn and black beans, or potatoes and butternut squash. Two sauces--a dark and complex red chile and a bright green chile--flavorfully surround these lightly battered delights.
As with everything else at the Flying V, portions are more than generous and putting away three of these babies at one sitting proved an impossibility for my companion. While the vegetables were perfectly done and all ingredients tasty, his final analysis was that it was "too much," especially the richness of the goat cheese variation.
Having thus far been won over by everything else on the menu, there was no way we were missing dessert, even though by this time we were more than sated. We finished off with a fabulous lime-tequila sorbet, served with cinnamon-sugar bunuelos, and a warm chocolate Ibarra cake, drizzled with caramel sauce and served with fresh berries. Both were standouts, the sorbet bursting with fresh lime flavor and the dark chocolate-cinnamon pastry a torrid mass of after-dinner decadence.
Generally speaking, I'm not much for 19th hole dining. But for food of outstanding quality, the Flying V Bar & Grill is tough to beat.

The Flying V Bar & Grill. Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. 7000 N. Resort Drive. 299-2020. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. and tapas all day. Full bar. All major credit cards, checks accepted. Menu items: $5.95-$22.95.

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