One thing restaurant industry folks always want to know when traveling is where to eat. As operators descend on Scottsdale, Ariz., for the Restaurant Leadership Conference, they’ll find a plethora of new options for dining out—and for stealing a few ideas. Here are four places to scope out:
Pizzeria Bianco. Located in Phoenix’s Town and Country area, the second outpost of the pizza joint from James Beard Award winner Chris Bianco features an extended menu with pastas and entrees in addition to artisanal pizzas. In her book The Mozza Cookbook, chef Nancy Silverton describes the concept as a “mecca for the pizza obsessed.”
The Yard. This motorcycle-shop-turned-restaurant-complex from Phoenix-based Fox Restaurant Concepts houses two restaurants, with a coffee shop to come. It launched in February 2013 with Culinary Dropout, the second spot for the company’s gastropub concept. Little Cleo’s Seafood Legend opened soon after. The Yard also boasts a large space for outdoor entertainment.
Binks Midtown. Phoenix is home to the latest venture from chef Kevin Binkley of Binkley’s Restaurant and Cafe Bink. The contemporary American restaurant offers small plates, salads and entrees with a focus on seasonal ingredients and nontraditional flavor combinations, such as sweet-and-sour sweetbreads nuggets and sand dabs with almonds.
Food Truck Caravan. Saturday nights in Scottsdale, up to 15 food trucks gather, slinging everything from Dutch-Indonesian satay to Southern comfort food. Designed to promote the local street-food movement, The Caravan (with 35 food trucks in all) provides seating, live music and other amenities such as misters to beat the heat.
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