Dom Ruggiero’s Bar Cena is a comfy, intimate 180 from his loud, casual Fire at Will.
Food ReviewsDining Review: Fire at Will
Nikki BuchananMarch 3, 2023
Hush maestro Dom Ruggiero reloads with this sexy and stylish gastropub on the Phoenix/Scottsdale border.
Desert DigestFood & DrinkFirst Dish: Fire at Will
Nikki BuchananJanuary 6, 2023
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...
Desert DigestFood & DrinkNew Restaurant Alert: Dom Ruggiero’s Fire at Will Set to Open This Fall
Nikki BuchananAugust 1, 2022
Dom Ruggiero, the chef-owner of wildly popular Hush Public House in North Scottsdale, has a knack for figuring out where the market is under-served, and a good restaurant is needed. Case in point: North Scottsdale was a dining desert until Ruggiero opened Hush and resolved the problem in 2019. From day one, the place was packed with customers who loved Hush’s laidback vibe and Ruggiero’s sophisticated version of comfort food. Now, he and his wife...
Desert DigestFood & DrinkFirst Dish: The Vanilla Gorilla
Nikki BuchananNovember 11, 2021
The Vanilla Gorilla interior | Photo by Nikki Buchanan If you’re up on urban slang, you probably already know that “vanilla gorilla” is the term for a big, burly white guy. It’s also the shared nickname of feuding UFC fighters Chase Sherman and Jason Witt. More importantly, in my food-and-drink-loving world, it’s the moniker for a terrific new tap room and bottle shop that sits alongside Hush Public House in North Scottsdale. For all...