Talking Stick Resort’s new Mediterranean restaurant, Tash, opened on February 6 to great fanfare. The menu fuses food from different cultures, a drink list including everything from margaritas to other popular mixed drinks and incredible views of Camelback Mountain. I got the scoop at a recent media lunch. Location 9800 Talking Stick Way., Scottsdale Opened: February 2021 The Scene Patrons are immediately greeted with commanding views when walking up the stairs that lead to the...
It’s her third day as proprietor of Hot Daisy Pizza, and Tammie Coe — the classically trained pastry chef famous for ooey-gooey cupcakes, big cookies and whimsical fondant-covered cakes — seems to be having fun in her new role as pie slinger. At 3:30 in the afternoon, her tiny Roosevelt Row shop (formerly known as Tammie Coe Cakes) enjoys a steady stream of curious neighborhood customers, eager to try a slice of pepperoni or margherita...
“Houston’s for seafood fans.” That was my Yelp-assisted initial impression of this high-toned California import, which debuted in upper Scottsdale’s Gainey Village area in November. It’s the latest and most-inland (by far) location in the emerging chain, which has found success delivering highly repeatable, upscale-but-not-astronomically-priced cuisine to diners in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. For his Arizona landfall, owner David Cortina – a part-time Chandler resident who, interestingly, was arrested in Taiwan two years ago...
Peter Kasperski, the crazy-creative Scottsdale restaurateur behind dearly departed Cowboy Ciao, Sea Saw, Digestif, Kazimierz World Wine Bar and Counter Intuitive, partners with longtime friend, former employee and inventive master barman Richie Moe to open Roosevelt Row’s most sophisticated restaurant and bar to date (Speakeasy Alias, which sits behind Character, hasn’t opened yet, but it’s almost ready to rock). I popped in to see how Kasperski, an Old Town Scottsdale boy since his salad days...
Set in the storied strip-mall spot formerly occupied by Crudo and, ages ago, an Italian restaurant with mob connections, Nanaya Japanese Kitchen opened in October to minimal fanfare – a “stealth opening,” one might say. This was dictated both by form (the speakeasy-ish, around-the-back location is easy to miss from the street) and function (the restaurant is evidently serving as a “test kitchen” for a future project in Old Town Scottsdale). When the tavern-style Japanese...
Looking for a new place to wine and dine? Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant just opened in North Scottsdale and it’s the perfect place for date nights, family dinners and catching up with friends. Upon entry, you immediately find yourself in a tasting room with more than 40 varietals. And if vino isn’t your vibe, there are amazing cocktails and beer and even non-alcoholic options for the teetotalers in your tribe. Location: The Promenade in Scottsdale...
The Nashville Hot Chicken craze shows no signs of cooling off here in the Valley, and any minute now (probably by the middle of next week), we’ll have a brand-new venue — Belle’s Nashville Kitchen on Main Street in Old Town Scottsdale — for the crazy-crispy, insanely incendiary dish that, when done right, simultaneously sends pain and pleasure signals to the brain. Owner Mike Haley, who worked in local restaurants and bars for a couple...
Anyone who knows Peter Kasperski — owner and wine wonk of defunct Cowboy Ciao, Kazimierz World Wine Bar and Sea Saw, beloved for his scatterbrained eloquence regarding all things oeno — knows the guy is a character with a capital “C.” Besides writing quirky, learned wine columns for Phoenix Magazine back in the day, he grew an impressive, extensive wine cellar that earned him multiple Wine Spectator awards and no small amount of national recognition...
I should probably preface this by saying I am not a big fan of burgers. It’s been nearly a decade since I last ate meat, and even before my vow to be a vegetarian in my late teens, I didn’t particularly care for most protein. But when I was offered a hosted lunch at the new Aioli Burger on Bell Road, something intrigued me. Perhaps it was the fry flight. I had seen pictures of...
With five Valley locations, Upward Projects’ Postino WineCafe is a staple in the Phoenix dining scene. Its sixth location will open in the burgeoning neighborhood of South Tempe on September 16. It will feature the same delicious menu for dine-in, pickup or delivery and a unique display of local art and décor. Here are four things to look out for when the restaurant opens to the public. Ample space for socially distanced dining Located in...
Many people know Alex Stratta as a Michelin-starred, James Beard award-winning chef. His storied career includes stints at Mary Elaine’s at The Phoenician, the eponymous Alex restaurant inside the Wynn Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and most recently as executive chef of Wright’s at Arizona Biltmore. After enjoying top billing at many fine dining restaurants locally and in Las Vegas, Stratta is pivoting and opening a casual restaurant, Stratta Kitchen in Scottsdale. The restaurant,...
Kaleb Copenhaver believes that passion is the most important ingredient when it comes to making pizza. “You can buy the good flour, good products and a good oven, but you can’t buy the passion,” says the 22-year-old chef and entrepreneur. “That’s the most important thing.” Copenhaver’s passions include pizza and music. He recently rolled his two obsessions into one with his new culinary concept, Reel Pizza Pies, slated to open in Surprise in early April....
Aioli Gourmet Burgers started six years ago as a food truck. Now, the team behind Aioli has four food trucks and a fast-casual brick and mortar in Phoenix, with a second location slated to open in April inside of Fry’s Marketplace in Litchfield Park. Aioli is the brainchild of three lifelong friends who combined their collective skillsets to create culinary success. “One’s a chef, I was in a marketing background, the other one had a...
Larry and Sandy Shore want to put an innovative spin on the traditional dining experience. That’s why their new concept, Twist Bistro & Gallery, is so aptly named. The restaurant and art gallery is set to open in northern Scottsdale in mid-March. Larry is a chef and Sandy is an artist, so Twist is an ode to their respective passions. “It’s something about the soul touching of creating that both me and Sandy really love,”...
Newly gentrified RoRo gets an airy, agreeable, millennial-friendly restaurant all its own.