While Sedona is known for its spiritual energy and outdoor adventures, couples seeking romance and sophistication amidst the rugged nature of the red rocks will swoon over one of the best Italian restaurants in the country, Dahl & Di Luca Ristorante Italiano, helmed by notable Chef Lisa Dahl.
Blending the Old-World charm of Italy with a touch of modern romance, Dahl & Di Luca delivers an ambiance of classic Italian fine dining that rarely exists today. Setting the stage for unforgettable date nights, guests are greeted by a dramatic, dimly lit dining room draped in silk and adorned with gold and silver chandeliers. On the weekends, the restaurant fills with notes of Virtuoso musicians and world-class pianists as lovers clink their glasses and revel over a candlelit dinner with white-cloth tables decorated in handfuls of fresh rose petals and flickering votives.
At the helm of the kitchen, sporting a couture ensemble over a chef’s coat, is nationally renowned Chef Lisa Dahl who’s a fixture at Dahl & Di Luca almost every night of the week as she moves effortlessly from overseeing her traditional-Italian recipes being plated in the kitchen to the bustling dining room interacting with guests and signing cookbooks. It was here at Dahl & Di Luca that Dahl made her foray as a professional, self-taught chef and restaurateur when the restaurant first opened its doors in 1995, thus establishing Sedona’s fine-dining scene.
More than 20 years later, Dahl & Di Luca remains a dining tradition for generations of locals and world travelers alike. Chef Dahl prides herself in creating angelic pastas that are as light and delicate as they are satisfying, decadent vegetable-based dishes and hard-to-find Italian seafood classics. Among the most-celebrated and most-ordered dishes are the Pollo Alla Rustica ($38), house-made fettuccine with grilled lemon chicken, baby spinach and sautéed mushrooms in a delicately infused white truffle cream sauce; Agnello Scottadito ($28), succulent Australian rack of lamb chops marinated with lemon and fresh herbs grilled to perfection; and Vitello Picatta ($20), sautéed scaloppini of veal in a delicate lemon-caper and chardonnay sauce with orzo pilaf.
“When I opened Dahl & Di Luca in the ‘90s, I wanted to create a sophisticated supper club that lovers and companions would continually come back to for special moments and celebrations,” said Dahl. “This limited-edition Romanticismo Decadente Menu in celebration of our 23rd year takes my favorites classic-Italian recipes and packages them into a magical experience for guests. I call it the prelude to the kiss.”
Now through November 30, Chef Dahl is celebrating two decades of success and the charming history of her first-ever restaurant with a four-course, prix-fixe Romanticismo Decadente Menu priced from $65 per person. With a meat-lovers and vegetarian option, the courses feature an antipasti of the Caprese d’ Amore and Arancini; a primi of Ravioli Romana; and a choice of Vitello Picatta or Prawns Fiorentina for the entrée. The experience concludes with a nightcap of limoncello and house-made Lemon Lavender Panna Cotta.
Dahl & Di Luca also boasts one of the best wine lists in Northern Arizona with more than 1,000 bottles of wine focused on European varietals from France, Spain and Italy and has won the Wine Spectator’s “Award of Excellence” for 13 consecutive years. Wine pairings with the Couple’s Menu are available for $35 per person.
Dahl & Di Luca served as Chef Dahl’s launchpad for a growing culinary empire, with a total of six restaurants under her belt by early 2019. It was also where she cut her chops to become one of the top female chefs and restaurateurs in the country, going on to host two sold-out dinners at the James Beard House in New York City, appearing on wildly popular TV shows like Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” and Travel Channel’s “Food Paradise” and penning two cookbooks, the latest set to publish in early 2019.
To make a reservation or for more information on Dahl & Di Luca, visit DahlandDiLuca.com. For more on Dahl Restaurant Group and Dahl’s other restaurants including Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill, Cucina Rustica, Pisa Lisa and the coming-soon Butterfly Burger, visit DahlRestaurantGroup.com.
