New Scottsdale restaurants can drive your tastebuds wild
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Scottsdale is booming with new and innovative restaurants that will leave your mouth watering. Exciting culinary adventures wait on every corner making it hard to choose where to let your tastebuds go wild. And, if it's after-dinner entertainment you're seeking, try an evening bistro that turns into a hip nightclub as the night progresses. For those who want a relaxed atmosphere or for those in search of the swanky scene, Scottsdale has it all.
Scottsdale is known as a culinary Mecca, not only because of the quantity and diversity of food, but also because the restaurants and chefs are award winning. Scottsdale restaurants include AAA Five and Four Diamond award winners and Mobil Travel Guide Five and Four Star award winners. In addition, nine of the city's restaurants have received a Wine Spectator Grand Award, Best of Award of Excellence or Award of Excellence in the past few years. Several culinary establishments also have been recognized by Esquire Magazine, Zagat Survey, the James Beard Foundation, Food & Wine, Meetings & Conventions, and Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report.
Creating a Stir in Scottsdale
Sea Saw Creates a Fresh Take on Sushi
Sea Saw has opened its doors between Cowboy Ciao and Kazimierz World Wine Bar on Stetson Drive in downtown Scottsdale. Gourmet Magazine recently named Sea Saw's chef Nobu Fukuda as one of the three best sushi chefs in the United States, and Esquire magazine named Nobu one of the 13 best chefs to watch. His unique approach is pairing ultra-fresh seafood with wines from 25 different countries. And, like Cowboy Ciao and Kazimierz, the restaurant highlights eclectic and high-quality wines. Dishes include edamame soup, salmon carpaccio, cool duck, green mussels, shrimp kara-ag, and eel and rice. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-481-WINE or visit www.seasaw.net.
Elements Emphasizes Local Ingredients
Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain's elements restaurant offers farm-fresh American cuisine changing monthly to reflect the seasonal harvests. The menu emphasizes local ingredients and an innovative approach to dining. Food & Wine Magazine selected Executive Chef Charles Wiley as one of the "10 Best New Chefs in America." Wiley has earned international acclaim for his innovative cuisine. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-948-2100 or 800-245-2051 or visit www.sanctuaryaz.com.
FOX Sports Grill Offers New Concept
FOX Sports and B&B Restaurant Ventures is launching their first restaurant concept with FOX Sports Grill, opening in North Scottsdale in November. FOX Sports Grill will be an upscale, yet casual restaurant with contemporary American cuisine, an active social scene, state-of-the-art televisions and a production studio for live broadcasts. Menu items include BBQ chicken nachos, twin tenderloin steak sandwich, and cider-cured, smoked, double-cut pork chops. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-368-0369 or visit www.foxsportsgrill.com.
Roaring Fork Moves to New Location
Robert McGrath, an old favorite of Scottsdale residents, has moved his restaurant, Roaring Fork, to a new location. McGrath was the 2001 winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef - Southwest. His Western-themed fare includes pan-seared catfish filet, mustard-crusted rainbow trout, sugar and chile-cured duck breast, and for desert, enjoy chocolate ganache baked to a syrup in a chocolate cake served with vanilla ice cream, or thin cornmeal crepes layered with banana cream topped with caramel and pecans. For more information or to make a reservation, call 480-947-0795 or visit www.roaringfork.com.
Worldly Influences
Mediterranean Influences at Ibiza Café
Ibiza Café is a restaurant and bar with the feel of a small European bistro. Casual ambiance and style along with great food are the core of the culinary experience. The countries on the Mediterranean Sea, which surround the exotic isle of Ibiza, inspire the food. Specialties at Ibiza Café include Tunisian boreks, Moroccan lettuce wraps and Spanish paella. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-421-2492.
Mezcal Features Oaxacan Cuisine
Mezcal's distinctive menu offers pre-colonized Mexican dishes prepared in the time-honored, Oaxaqueno style by Chef Ercolino Crugnale. Prior to being colonized by Spain, traditional Mexican food emphasized flavors through the use of fresh ingredients. With the revival of these preparation techniques, Mezcal's menu includes an assortment of uniquely healthy entrees including quesos fundidos, jicama and orange salad with watercress, shrimp mole verde, Yucatan-style pork, and three chicken tamales. Enjoy live music every Thursday night as well as daily happy hour specials in the Cobalt Bar. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-556-0770 or visit www.mezcalrestaurant.com.
Grazie Pizzeria and Wine Bar Offers a Taste of Italy
Grazie Pizzeria and Wine Bar is a neighborhood Italian restaurant located in a charming house in downtown Scottsdale. The aroma of wood-fired pizzas and calzones will awaken your senses. Grazie features gourmet and original creations by Chef Pizzaiolo Alfredo Colle, from Naples, Italy. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-663-9797.
Traditional Italian with a Modern Flare at North
Discover the joys of Italy at North Modern Italian Cuisine, located in Kierland Commons retail center. Chef Christopher Cristiano's talent for creating memorable cuisine is reflected in the menu, which features a modern American take on the cuisine of traditional Italian trattorias. A seasonally changing menu will include antipasti, pastas and pizzas. Specialties include handmade asparagus ravioli in a saffron parmesan broth; fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomato napoleon with sea salt and 12-year-old Balsamic glaze; oven-roasted halibut with fennel and teardrop tomato ragout; wood-fired pizza with roasted eggplant, portabello mushrooms and Maui onions; and more. A collection of 30 world-class wines offered by the glass has been thoughtfully selected to complement the menu. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-948-2055 or visit www.tasteofnorth.com.
Thaifoon Provides a Taste of Asia
Thaifoon is a contemporary, innovative Thai restaurant, which brings the enticing foods of Thailand together with inventive preparation techniques and fresh, flavorful and healthy ingredients. Thaifoon, located in the Shops at Gainey Village, serves lunch, dinner and take-out. Dishes, served family style, include pad thai, lemongrass-crusted halibut, and coconut chili shrimp. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-998-0011.
Scottsdale's Newest Restaurants
Mika Asian Grill Features Exquisite Creations
Located at The Borgata of Scottsdale, Mika, featuring Asian cuisine, is a modern restaurant with two patios and lots of outdoor seating. Chefs James McDevitt, named one of "America's Best New Chefs" by Food & Wine magazine, and Mark Kimura offer a menu that includes such items as shrimp rolls with Thai citrus sauce, and a seared ahi tuna burger with miso sauce. A full bar with sakes and Asian and domestic beer also is available. For more information or to make reservations, call 602-741-4272.
ZincBistro Brings Paris to Scottsdale
ZincBistro captures the relaxed atmosphere of a Parisian-style New York bistro. This 4,000-square-foot restaurant features a 22-foot nickel zinc oyster bar and serves an array of oysters, mussels and other seafood flown in fresh daily. Diners also can enjoy ZincBistro's 900-square-foot patio surrounding the exterior of the restaurant, creating a quaint outdoor bistro feel. Main courses include lamb braised Morrocan-style, flat iron steak and pommes frites, as well as chicken, duck, fish and vegetable dishes. Specialty drinks include martinis such as the French Martini and the Watermelon Martini. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-603-0922.
Nick & Tony's Italian Chophouse Offers Home-style Luxury
Nick & Tony's features large portions of traditional Southern Italian fare including steaks, chops and an extensive pasta collection. The restaurant, located in Scottsdale Fashion Square, offers prime NY strip, spit-roasted half chicken, spinach ravioli and cilantro lime jumbo scallops. Diners will enjoy the piano bar, leather booths and a fireplace. An exhibition kitchen provides guests with a dynamic view of the chef at work creating the restaurant's delicious homestyle specialties. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-874-9911.
Not Just For Dinner
An Oasis at Bloom
Bloom's interior welcomes diners into a blue oasis with cushy oversized leather booths and a sleek bar offering 75 to 100 wines by the glass. The private dining room features luxurious red leather arm chairs that will accommodate up to 16 guests around an oversized conference/dining table. Featuring a plasma monitor that has Internet and video presentation capabilities, this is the ideal space for small corporate gatherings. Entrees include grilled ahi tuna, sautéed Chilean seabass, slow-roasted maple leaf duck, wood-grilled center-cut pork chop, and pan roasted rack of lamb. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-92-BLOOM or visit www.tasteofbloom.com.
Bar Louie is the Newest Neighborhood Hangout
This casual, hip neighborhood restaurant and bar, located in Scottsdale Fashion Square, specializes in oversized sandwiches and artfully created jumbo martinis, but also offers an extensive selection of appetizers, wraps, pizzas, pastas and entrees. Enjoy a wide assortment of beers, microbrews and wine by the glass or bottle while relaxing among black and white urban photography and retro lampshades. The patio seats 60. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-874-9944.
Barcelona Supper Club Offers an International Twist
Old World flavors meet New World cuisine at Barcelona's. This upscale, casual establishment offers a state-of-the-art sound system, an exquisite dining room featuring Mediterranean and Southwest inspired cuisine, outdoor patios, and multiple private dining venues for up to 600 guests. After 10:00 p.m., Barcelona transforms into a hot nightspot with dancing and live jazz and R&B music. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-603-0370 or visit www.barcelonadining.com.
Catch the Blues at Sugar Daddy's
Sugar Daddy's Blues is a casual atmosphere with live blues, R&B and funk music seven nights a week, three full bars, a vintage dining room, and an outside climate-controlled patio. The menu includes salads, sandwiches, and oven-fired pizzas such as Thai shrimp pizza and chipolte BBQ chicken pizza. Appetizers include fried Brie cheese, stuffed jalapenos, Rings "O" Fire, and blue crab wontons. For more information, call 480-970-6556 or visit sugardaddysaz.com.
Find Your Passion at Furio
Furio, located in downtown Scottsdale, is a cosmopolitan restaurant with progressive music. The intimate atmosphere offers Italian dishes such as fresh mussels, aqua clams, tender calamari, parmesan-encrusted shrimp and braised-short ribs. The bar features handcrafted martinis, a boutique wine list and more than 15 specialty drinks. Furio is Italian slang that means high energy and passion. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-945-6600 or visit www.furio.tv.
North Scottsdale's Bursting with Flavor
Mosaic Offers Creative New American Food
Mosaic serves global delicacies with a vibrant array of fruit and vegetable sauces with seafood, lamb and beef specialties. Chef and owner Deborah Knight was named one of the "Best New Chefs in America" by Food & Wine magazine in 2002. Mosaic strives to perfect the elegance of fine dining with an ambiance that speaks to the casual sophisticated lifestyle of Scottsdale. This upscale dining experience in the shadow of Pinnacle Peak offers diners American dishes with ingredients and techniques from around the world, as well as more than 300 selections of wine. Some dishes include five-spice roasted quail, grilled monkfish, navy bean ravioli, lightly smoked tenderloin of beef, and Chocolate Mosaic and creme brulee napoleon with raspberries for dessert. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-563-9600. For media information only, contact Cindy Ritchie at 480-563-9600.
The Unlikely Cowboy a Likely Spot
Located in North Scottsdale, The Unlikely Cowboy's house-brewed draft beers inspire many items on the menu such as Alehouse Mussels, Onion Soup Roast, Bar Stool Clucker, Ten Gallon Burger and Chile-Cherry Pork Tenderloin. They also have pizzas, salads and more. The kid in all of us won't be able to resist the Unlikely Root Beer Float, made with house-brewed root beer. Brewmaster Ryan Ashley holds the 2001 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medals for both German-style Doppelbock and German-style Wheat Ale. Each day, five or more beers are available on tap. Pub Style Pours, Pale Ale and seasonal beers round out the offerings. They also offer tours of the premises. This modern, yet rustic, two-story vaulted brew-house is casual and stylish with a horseshoe-shaped bar, views of the brewery, a patio, and a private dining area for 48. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-502-5557. For media information only, contact Jean Oksner at 480-419-7797. Eddie V's Edgewater Grille a Reel Catch
This high-end seafood restaurant in North Scottsdale combines the finest seafood and prime steaks with live music seven nights a week. The menu features oysters, gulf snapper, fresh tuna, lobster, prime steaks and delectable desserts. Specialties include Parmesan Crusted Lemon Sole, Hong Kong Style Sea Bass and Baked All Lump Crab Cake. The private dining room accommodates 75. For more information or to make reservations, call 480-538-8468 or visit www.eddiev.com.
With the multitude of new cuisine choices in Scottsdale, your taste buds will be begging to try each restaurant again and again! For more information, call the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-805-0471 or visit www.dininginscottsdale.com.
February 13, 2003