Dom Ruggiero has two superpowers. One is cooking; the other is sniffing out dodgy restaurant neighborhoods and making them cool. Case in point: his first restaurant, Hush Public House, set in a nondescript strip mall on Scottsdale Road near Thunderbird. Before Ruggiero showed up, who headed to that intersection for a fantastic, creative meal? Ever? Precisely no one. Now, customers haul butt to get to Hush when it opens at 5 p.m. to snag a seat at the bar before the crowds descend. Or they plan ahead and make a reservation.
Fire at Will, Ruggiero’s new spot, located in the former Little Cay space on the Northeast corner of Tatum and Shea, will do — is doing — precisely the same thing, making this former culinary wasteland (save for Rusconi’s American Kitchen) worth the drive for those of us who don’t happen to live nearby.
The more-deep-than-wide space is vaguely reminiscent of Hush except it’s darker, moodier and more sophisticated, featuring a dramatically lit brick wall, a massive light fixture, dripping with plants that hang from the ceiling, and a wide concrete bar outfitted with sleek but comfy bar chairs. Don’t miss the hilarious photos at the entrance, which glorify our favorite vices.
Speaking of which — FAW’s cocktail program, created by Mitch Lyons and Libby Lingua of Two Hands Consulting, seems great if my Mama’s Medicine ($16) is any indication. Made with blended scotch, Irish whiskey, ginger, mandarin and honey, it’s a bright, easy-drinking riff on the Penicillin, and I love it.
For snacks, there are crispy Iberico ham croquettes ($16), set in a puddle of harissa-sparked aioli and topped with slivers of creamy Manchego cheese. They epitomize what Ruggiero is doing here, taking a simple, comforting combo like ham and cheese and making it something a shade fancier, thanks to elevated ingredients.
Chunky smoked salmon rillettes, creamy with everything bagel mascarpone, are embellished with a dollop of salmon roe and sided with dill-flecked pickled onions. Grilled Noble Bread serves as the charred, chewy base for assembling these smoky, salty, tangy ingredients ($18).
Tender baby kale makes a great substitute for romaine in FAW’s insanely textural spin on the Caesar ($16), littered with grated Parmesan and enough “crispy bits” (crunchy toasted breadcrumbs) to seem even more carb-laden and decadent than the traditional model.
Meanwhile, the Hush Burger ($18) stacked with caramelized onion, American cheese and dill pickles, is one of the city’s simplest and best burgers, assembled on Noble brioche buns smeared with elevated, Bob’s Big Boy-style “fancy sauce.” I’ve never ordered this signature at Hush (doh!), but now I can imagine craving it at least once a week. This and pretty much everything else I’ve ordered, including homey, ice cream-topped blackberry cobbler, served piping-hot in a cast iron skillet. Should I consider FAW my new vice?
4912 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, 480-207-1819, eatfireatwill.com
