21 Feb 22nd–Feb 28th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | some point, noting that Osso’s eateries are where he sends folks seeking recommendations. Menu draws on ‘well- traveled comfort food’ Beginner’s Luck is inspired by Stationæry, a Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, coffee shop that evolved into a neighborhood restaurant. For Fritz and beverage director Kurtis Williams, great coffee is key. “I got really hooked on coffee culture and the third wave coffee culture,” which focuses on lighter, more balanced roasts and terroir-driven beans, Fritz says. Guests will be able to start their day either by dining in or grabbing coffee and pastries to-go. Coffee options will include traditional cappuccinos, lattes, espressos and drip coffee made with beans from Phoenix roaster Moxy Coffee Co. Speciality coffee drinks will include mesquite-vanilla and orange blossom- honey lattes, Fritz says. Boozy daytime sips will be “bright, crushable, easy-drinking cocktails,” Fritz says, such as a sorbet mimosa, chile margarita and mezcal-based paloma. The food menu has been crafted by Kantak, and chef de cuisine Benjamin Graham will oversee the kitchen. The restaurant will serve new American-style brunch, midday and dinner menus. “I’ve done well-traveled comfort food pretty much all my life, and that’s what it is,” Kantak says. For brunch, expect kolaches, French toast and egg dishes, including Kantak’s take on shakshuka, which will infuse Korean spice with gochugaru, along with eggplant and farmer’s cheese. The chef’s infamous chopped salad will also be served at Beginner’s Luck. The salad, which is composed of artfully plated rows of smoked salmon, pearl couscous, arugula, pepitas, asiago cheese, currants, dried sweet corn and marinated tomatoes, has been named one of Phoenix’s most iconic dishes and even has its own Facebook page. “To have an opportunity to put that in the hands of people walking around the streets every day is something I’ve wanted to do for a while,” Kantak says. The kitchen will also feature slow- roasted meats, including in protein bowls. One will update a dish Kantak served at last year’s Devour Culinary Classic, which included a base of blue corn mush, roasted Iberico-Duroc pork and pickled vegetables. Another dish, perhaps part nod, part poke to former tenant Osso, will be porchetta. “Gio swears that his porchetta is better than mine,” Kantak says. “I’m throwing down a challenge to him.” Some of the midday dishes will transi- tion to the evening menu, which will also include seafood, Schreiner’s Linguisa sausage with ratatouille and Steak Fritz, which will get a coffee rub. Coffee and tea will also be infused into tipples like an espresso martini and a “Chairish,” or Chai-Irish coffee. Fritz is curating a global wine bottle list and the menu will shift from those lighter daytime drinks to “bolder, deeper, comforting flavors,” including old fash- ioneds and Manhattans. The interior will be stylish and eclectic, encouraging a relaxed, comfortable atmo- sphere, according to a press release that announced the new restaurant. With their first crack at breakfast, Fritz came up with the name, “hoping for a little beginner’s luck.” But, the hospitality group isn’t stopping yet. Kantak teases that In Good Spirits has other ideas, or may look to expand their existing restaurant concepts to other parts of the Valley. “Something else might be down the road as well,” he says. Beginner’s Luck Soft launch on Feb. 16 7240 E. Main St., Scottsdale Beginner’s Luck replaced Piccolo Virtù, which closed in Scottsdale on Dec. 10. The restaurant, which held a soft opening on Feb. 16, is the third from Chef Bernie Kantak. (Photos by Geri Koeppel and The Gladly) Starting Strong from p 19