“Local is at the heart of what we do.” That’s the motto of a new restaurant that just opened in Scottsdale. Cook & Craft, located at the corner of Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard, aims to serve great food while making a conscious effort to support Arizona businesses, including local coffee roasters, breweries and distilleries.
The menu at the “modern farmhouse-style,” 96-seat restaurant offers classic American fare in addition to vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, all of which highlight locally-sourced products and ingredients. “Our goal was to create the type of dishes we would serve our own families,” says restaurant creator Brandon Juniper.
Housed in the space vacated by Sip Coffee and Beer Kitchen, Cook & Craft welcomes neighbors with homey wood tabletops, polished concrete floors and big roll-up windows in the patio bar area. The blue, white and gray motif provides a background for clean copper and glass accents, hand-written chalkboards and black and white kitchen imagery. Don’t miss the whimsical painted phrase “Locals Eatery” on one wall.
Executive chef Martin Kucera, who has directed local kitchens at Sapporo, Temple Bar and Grill, Burger Theory, The Creek Patio Grill and Kasai Asian Grill, offers a menu filled with unique starter bites like Bison Sliders ($14), Parmesan Garlic Wings ($10), a tricolor cherry tomato Caprese Cocktail ($12), and bacon and garlic accented Caramelized Brussel Sprouts ($12.)
Entree-size salads are delicious and filling. Try the Southwest Chopped Club ($14), Quinoa Kale ($16) or the veggie-focused Crafted Salad ($16.) Diners will enjoy comfort food faves like the Crafted grilled cheese and tomato basil soup, as well as the Craft Burger, made of a juicy chuck, brisket and short rib blend of ground beef. Or why not try something new, like Gnocchi Stuffed Acorn Squash ($12), Airline Chicken ($18) and mild, flaky Barramundi Perch ($20.)
Guests find surprises in the bar as well. New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk ($8), an amazing and hard-to-find bourbon barrel-aged stout, is available at Cook & Craft, as are two varieties of Wild Tonic Hard Kombucha ($8) from Cottonwood. Local draft beers from Huss, THAT and San Tan breweries range from $6-$8 and coffee and cold brews from local purveyor Press Coffee are also available.
CBD also made the menu. The Willie Nelson ($12), features 25mg of CBD extract, along with a zesty dose of Ancho Reyes Verde chile liquor, simple syrup, lemon juice and cucumber essence. For dessert, Cook & Craft offers sweet treats like Karen’s Kreamery ice cream, Mason Jar Key Lime Pie ($6) or Mason Jar Caramel Apple Pie ($6) topped with Bourbon-salted caramel ice cream.
“C&C truly is a place for everyone,” Juniper says. “Families feel welcome, office groups come in for happy hour, guests with dogs are welcome on the patio, and we already have neighbors meeting and saying ‘hi’ to other neighbors. There is a really great vibe.”
Hours
Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Daily Happy Hour 3:30-6:30
For more information call (480) 207-1528 or visit the restaurant’s website or Facebook page.
Originally published on azfamily.com.
