Etta – Hearth-Driven from Kitchen to Dining Room

Warmth is the overriding theme at Etta, which builds its menu around the wood-fired hearth that is also prominently featured in the exhibition kitchen that spans nearly one full wall of the main dining room. Warmth also reflects and rebounds off the copperware hanging in profuse display above the flames. In fact, hearth is central to the restaurant’s entire concept, as the name “Etta” comes from “Henrietta,” French for “keeper of the hearth.”

Fulfilling the vision of Chef Danny Grant, Heidi Lightner Architects effectively created an atmosphere both vibrant and comfortable. It was a ground-up remodel of prime space at the northwest corner of Scottsdale Quarter shopping center that now encompasses a bar, dining room and two patios as Chicago-based What If Syndicate adds Arizona to Etta’s short list of locations.

Classically trained Chef Grant, who lived in Scottsdale as a child, brings personal favorites to the menu. This includes a piquant condiment he’s known to use liberally at his own table; at Etta, this colorful, pickled mix of chopped vegetables is one of four taste-changers served with the perfectly blistered wood-fired pizzas. The others are a finely grated Parmesan cheese, a powdered herb mix that includes oregano and onion, and a lovely red Veracruz chili oil guaranteed to bring the taste to high heat, whether it’s on a simple margherita pizza made with tomato crudo, the wild mushroom pizza made with goat cheese and black truffles, or any of the other flavors. 

Among other dishes on the full menu are Little Gem salad, with red and green Little Gem lettuce, avocado and celery served with a crème fraiche lemon dressing; ricotta pillows so light they practically float; and a particularly eye-appealing, paper-thin Wagyu carpaccio decorated with cucumber coins, charred scallions, salsa verde and pecorino cheese pieces. 

Freshly made focaccia and house-made pasta dishes round out a menu that offers such entrées as wood-fired chicken and fire-roasted whole branzino.

Service is family-style, with each dish brought to the table as it is done, rather than waiting under a heat lamp for all orders to be ready. Any take-home servings, instead of being deposited at the table, can be claimed at the front desk on departure.  

Etta
15301 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale
(480) 939-4444

Margherita Pizza Tomato crudo, burrata, olive oil and basil $18

Crispy Chicken Sandwich Chicken, bread & butter pickles, chili honey, Bibb lettuce and garlic aioli on a brioche bun $18

Wild Salmon Crudo Salmon, leche de tigre, Fresno chili and cilantro $18

And the Unexpected: Etta’s menu item Porrón & a Polaroid is built on the Spanish tradition of sharing wine with a group of friends, where a polaroid camera is brought to the table along with a porrón (pitcher of wine), to capture memories of the fun. 

Photos courtesy of What If Syndicate