The Vanilla Gorilla to close so Hush Public House can expand

Chef and Owner Dom Ruggerio has announced that his popular Scottsdale restaurant Hush Public House will be expanding and adding a new cocktail lounge within the restaurant that he hopes to open later this summer. To make room for the expansion and yet to be named lounge he has to close Hush’s sister concept The Vanilla Gorilla Tap Room & Bottle Shop next door. The Vanilla Gorilla is set to close on June 30th with renovations to begin shortly after.

“We are a chef-driven company and we want to offer our guests what we most excel at — seasonal plates and craft cocktails,” says Ruggiero. “We’re excited to get back to our roots and offer valley residents another elevated neighborhood drinking and dining establishment.”

This would be Hush’s second expansion since opening in February in 2019 to accommodate customer demand. When opened it opened Hush was just 1,200 square feet before its first expansion in 2020. Once completed Hush and the new cocktail lounge will be over 5,000 square feet with the lounge serving craft cocktails and chef driven small plates.

Ruggierio is working with Libby Lingua and Mitch Lyons of Two Hands Consulting LLC for the bar program in the lounge. He’s worked with them to conceptualize both Hush and his Phoenix restaurant, Fire at Will that opened earlier this year. Ruggerio will curate the small plates menu that will emphasize seasonal ingredients. The Vanilla Gorilla staff will be stay on at Hush and Fire at Will until the expansion is complete.

Check out my podcast Pulling Corks & Forks: The Podcast with Sandy Wasserman to hear from those in our community. Please subscribe, like & comment.

Élephante, acclaimed coastal Italian concept coming to Scottsdale

Upscale restaurant hospitality group Wish You Were Here and Macerich, owner of Scottsdale Fashion Square announced that Élephante will be part of the south wing expansion of the mall’s luxury wing. Once opened the 12,000 square foot restaurant highly visible near Nordstroms and will be the first location outside of Los Angeles. Wish You Were Here has multiple concepts of upscale bars and restaurants in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York City. Their unforgettable dining experiences are inspired traveling the globe.

“We are thrilled to bring Élephante to Scottsdale, a city that boasts a stunning landscape and a thriving culinary scene,” said Nick Mathers, Founder of Wish You Were Here Group. “With its vibrant community that appreciates elevated dining experiences, it’s a favorable market for restaurants, especially in Scottsdale Fashion Square”

What to expect at Élephante

Guests will experience an indoor-outdoor restaurant offering a multidimensional experience with a sophisticated cocktail lounge within the restaurant, something unique to Arizona. Inspired by the desert surroundings the restaurant will have a jungle vibe full of lush floral decor and towering cacti.

The menu will include wood-fired pizzas, fresh pastas and their well-known Whipped Eggplant Dip. A new grill section of the menu will include premium meats, consciously selected seafood and larger family-style dishes. The beverage program will include over 1,200 wine labels and expertly crafted cocktails.

“This year, we’re celebrating five years since Élephante opened its doors in Santa Monica, so we feel this is the perfect evolution of our brand. We have created an atmosphere that captures the essence of sophistication while preserving the organic, laid-back feel that defines our first location. With this unique blend, we invite guests to embark on a memorable journey that resonates with Scottsdale’s captivating charm.” says Mathers.

Check out my podcast Pulling Corks & Forks: The Podcast with Sandy Wasserman to hear from those in our community. Please subscribe, like & comment

Sips & Bites: News from the Phoenix restaurant community

Quick sips & bites of news about what’s going on around the Phoenix restaurant community, breweries and wineries.

Hotel Valley Ho’s next Sip + Shop is next week

Tickets for the Olé! Latin Flavors themed marketplace is available at Eventbrite for next Saturday July 16th. Entry is FREE to taste local foods and shop for artisan goods. It happens once at month from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Next Thursday July 14th is their monthly Versus Series Dinner with a Bastille Day celebration. Executive Chef Russell LaCasce pairs each course with a beer from Greenwood Brewing and wine from Eco Terreno Wines. Founder Megan Greenwood and Winemaker Mark Lyon will be joining the French inspired dinner. Seats are $109++ and dinner starts at 6 p.m. Call 480-421-7997 to reserve your seat.

Summer beer tours at PHX Beer Co.

Beat the heat with a cold beer and 30- minute tour of the local brewery at 3002 E. Washington in Phoenix. Tours are for those 21 and over and offered on Sundays at 1:00 or 3:00 p.m. The tour is $29 per person and includes a beef flight, an order of pretzel bites with beer fondue and a t-shirt.

Margarita’s to-go from Z’ Tejas

Join the new Jug Club and take home gallons of their famous margaritas for cool summer drinking. Two memberships are available with packages starting at $500 for a monthly gallon 12 times a year. A weekly membership is $2000 for the year gets you 52 gallons (a gallon a week). Each gallon serves 10-12 people and comes with chips and salsa. If you’re not ready to join single gallons are $60 with a “Beat the Heat” deal, they’re usually $80, Skinny, organic and top shelf margaritas are available at various prices. Jugs can be picked up at their Scottsdale or Chandler locations.

Cider Corps hours at new Gilbert taproom

The new taproom serving award-winning ciders are Tuesday -Saturday from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Brightside Burgers are available during those same hours. The taproom is at 685 S. Gilbert Rd.

B & B Cocktail Lounge now open in Scottsdale

The new cocktail lounge is open Wednesday-Saturday at 5 p.m. is next to their sister concept Bourbon & Bones Chophouse on Scottsdale Rd.

Don’t forget to check out my podcast Pulling Corks & Forks: The Podcast with Sandy Wasserman to hear from those in our community. Please subscribe, like & comment

Owners of Angels Trumpet Alehouse to open 2nd location in lower Arcadia

Expansion is in the air for downtown Phoenix’s Angels Trumpet Alehouse as owners Sharry & Mat Englehorn are planning to open Angels Trumpet Arcadia in early August. The new location will be housed in the former Sears Auto Center on the southeast corner of Thomas & 44th St.

“We live right around the corner, so we’ve had our eye on this building for years,” says Sharry Englehorn. “We know from personal experience that this stretch of south Arcadia is missing a fun and welcoming all-day hangout, where you can pop in for a tasty lunch or sip drinks on the patio and watch the sun set on Camelback Mountain.”

The past and future of Angels Trumpet Arcadia

The 10,000 square foot mid-century modern building is undergoing needed updating and repairs after decades of dirt and grime as an auto repair shop.

“Originally built as a Ward’s Auto Center in the late 1950s, this is the last remaining building of the former Thomas Mall,” Mat Englehorn says. “So we wanted to honor that history and preserve the wonderful architectural bones, as well as preserve elements of the tire shop by keeping the industrial look, and the beat up floor–just adding a lot of polish.”

Once work is completed the building will also house the owners newest idea of a craft cocktail bar and lounge called Tall Glass. Future plans include a small microbrewery which is being described as “an intimate brewer’s playground”. The same food menu as the downtown Phoenix Angels Trumpet Alehouse will be available as will the indoor/outdoor vibe.

Tall Glass

The cocktail lounge will have its own entrance on the west side of the building and feature  a cocktail menu made with craft spirits from beer distillers including Rogue Spirits and Ballast Point Brewery’s “Cutwater Spirits” in San Diego.

Tall Glass will offer a small gourmet bar bites menu with guests available to order from the full menu at Angels Trumpet.

Tall Glass will open in the late afternoon until midnight and Angels Trumpet will open daily at 11 a.m. until midnight. For more information and updates see their Facebook or Instagram page @AngelsTrumpetAlehouse