Many restaurants create for their guests a comfortable respite within carefully planned décor. But few actually transport their guests out of the familiar to a new environment. This is part of what sets Élephante apart.
Entering from the rotunda on the south side of Scottsdale Fashion Square, guests are enveloped in an arched entryway and the freshness of whitewashed, hand-plastered walls. Against this background, the hemp artwork and custom basketry add décor touches to the Coastal Italian theme — until the hallway turns and opens out to the main dining room. Here, Coastal Italian takes on an oasis-style tranquility as cactus and palms add a desert influence.
Says Nick Mathers, restaurateur and founder of Wish You Were Here Group, “We always aim to make guests feel like they have escaped to somewhere else for a moment. To accomplish this, the space needs to feel authentic. We custom designed every aspect of the space and each piece of furniture in-house. We imported the Carrara tile from Italy, and flew in artists from around the world to make the artwork, macramé and tapestries on-site.”
The booths around the circumference of the room offer bench-style seating with cushions that are uncharacteristically conducive to relaxation. Lighting throughout this room is soft, slightly dimmed.
Beyond the dining room, the lounge area is a brighter space that enjoys daylight from a wall of east-facing window.
The menu emphasizes coastal Italian cuisine. There are diver scallops served with citrus butter, caviar and chives; whole lobster piccata with caper brown butter, shallots, garlic and lemon; and Branzino served with salsa verde butter livened with sea greens, a savory microgreen. Select pasta dishes include Gemelli Scampi, a squid-ink pasta with chopped shrimp in a sauce with tomatoes and chili oil. A handful of pizzas range from a simple margherita to the Soppressata, with cured pork, crushed tomato, mozzarella, chili oil and honey — all wood-fired. Also wood-fired is Élephante’s signature puccia, a puffed, soft bread from Italy’s Puglia region, that comes to the table ready to be torn apart and dipped into options that include whipped eggplant – an ultra-smooth, light dip made of eggplant that is first baked and then whipped with ricotta. Another starter choice is meatballs, a light and fluffy mixture of pork and beef served in a spicy tomato sauce with ricotta and parmigiano.
Endings are just as important as beginnings, and Élephante gives the traditional Italian dessert of tiramisu its own special treatment: Mascarpone mousse and chocolate crunchies are layered on a chocolate espresso sponge cake.
This is the second location of this restaurant concept, and several dishes were created for the Scottsdale menu. Servers are friendly and knowledgeable about the dishes.
Élephante Scottsdale
Scottsdale Fashion Square
7014 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale
(480) 576- 8168
Whipped Eggplant with Puccia Baked eggplant whipped with ricotta and served with Puccia bread $15 |
Pizza topped with Taleggio and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses, lemon and hot honey $22 |
Pasta with Pecorino Romano and black pepper $20 |
Did You Know: Wish You Were Here Group is a hospitality and lifestyle group built on creating unforgettable dining experiences inspired by travel. Each venue has its own unique vibe aiming to transport guests to other parts of the world.
Photos courtesy of Wish You Were Here Group
