When it comes to fine, relaxing dining, few cuisines are up there with Italian. The culinary style is as much comfort food as anything else, and yet with just a few ingredients, it can be elevated to fine dining. Whichever style you prefer, sometimes there’s nothing better than a plate of pasta, expertly prepared and served in front of you. Scattered around metro Phoenix you will find a number of Italian restaurants, but few have the kind of travel legs as one particular destination that is making its way to the area in the coming weeks.
Making its way from Los Angeles, by way of the Southern Mediterranean, Elephante first took roots in Santa Monica, offering views of the ocean from its Italian cabana-style restaurant. With a laid-back atmosphere, combined with both unique and vintage Italian offerings, it allows guests to come in, sit back, and simply enjoy their meal. While the brand new Elephante, which will be opening in the new Scottsdale Fashion Square, won’t have the opportunity to bring the Pacific Coastline along with it, the entire eating experience will share many similarities, including the laid-back design of the restaurant. It will be sculpted and forged to look as if guests are sitting amongst the trees with a gentle ocean breeze pulling in sounds and smells from a neighboring beach.
The menu will share most of what the LA variation offers, although there may be some slight alterations. For now, the menu will include small appetizers, such as whipped eggplant, big eye tuna tartare, as well as mascarpone and prosecco arancini. Larger appetizers include gulf shrimp, grilled octopus, meatballs, and fried calamari.
Hungry for some pasta? Of course, you are. You’re visiting an Italian restaurant, after all. At Elephante you will find spaghetti, fusilli pesto, cacio e pepe, truffle pasta, rigatoni verde, spicy vodka, and gemelli. Woodfired pizzas ranging from roasted mushroom and margherita to cacio e pepe and sausage and broccoli will also be on the menu. Want something more substantial, away from the pasta? You’ll find diver scallops, veal milanese, branzino, grilled chicken, and a 20 oz bone-in ribeye that has been dry-aged for 30 days. You will also find one of the largest wine selections in town, with over 1,200 labels to choose from.
The new Elephante Italian restaurant will take up its residency inside the Scottsdale Fashion Square at 7014 East Camelback Road in the Nordstrom wing of the mall.
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