28 March 9th–March 15th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | music | cafe | film | culTuRe | NighT+Day | feaTuRe | NeWs | OPiNiON | feeDBacK | cONTeNTs | Conversation Starter New downtown coffee shop and market Dialog is now open. BY GERI KOEPPEL T he owners of uptown’s For the People and Kreem Coffee unveiled the “2.0 version” of their business, Dialog, on Roosevelt Row on January 27, and it’s a looker. Although the new space can be described as a decor store, market, cafe, gallery, and community space devoted to great taste and design, its true purpose, according to co-owner Chad Campbell, is to “dialog with and engage the community.” Even the QR code on the coffee cups is about having a conversation. Scan it, and it doesn’t open the website, but a secret page that asks a probing question such as, “Tell us something you’re inspired by.” Owners Campbell and Shawn Silberblatt plan to post the answers anony- mously on social media or perhaps construct an art project around them. “We wanted an interactive perspective,” Campbell says. “We’ll change the question regularly.” As for the space itself, architect Wendell Burnett brought the owners’ vision to life in the southeast corner of 1001 North Central Avenue, a building that is also home to restaurants Rough Rider and Teddy’s Preserve, and stores Bunky Boutique and Now or Never. Dialog oozes an eye-popping minimalist chic aesthetic, with stark, glossy white floors, white shelving, a jet-black U-shaped coffee bar with pale wood stools, and floor- to-ceiling windows on two walls. White stools line a counter facing Roosevelt Street. Like For the People, Dialog functions as a community living room or office, where patrons tap on laptops. But contrary to its uptown sibling, it has more of a social vibe. The space — including a lobby shared with Teddy’s Preserve — can seat 30, and on a recent visit, a group including Chadwick Price of Valentine chatted near the coffee bar while shoppers perused the merchandise. “This might be the coolest coffee shop I’ve ever been in, and I’m from Brooklyn,” customer Lori Hren says. “Everything in here is unique and interesting.” Dialog uses Stereoscope Coffee from Los Angeles, and coffee manager Mary Rauhause created a list of drinks that aren’t the usual suspects, like a grapefruit espresso tonic. She says the Honey Bee, a double shot with honey, vanilla, and milk, is a “crowd pleaser.” Silberblatt says grab-and-go lunches — possibly bento boxes, an Italian plate, or sandwiches — are in the works, but so far, the only food is a selection of tempting pastries crafted by local bakery The Loopy Whisk. They include scones, muffins, and cinnamon rolls, the latter of which are made with Japanese milk bread, a white bread that’s slightly sweet and dense, yet soft and moist. Dialog also sells loaves of the bread, | CHOW BELLA | t Café Pie Revivial Grand Avenue Pizza Co. returns with a new home in Glendale. BY SARA CROCKER G rand Avenue Pizza Co. has returned, but not where you may think. The former downtown Phoenix arts district institution opened on Friday, March 3, in the former location of The Horny Toad in Glendale. “It’s still on Grand Avenue, just across the street,” and about 56 blocks, or about eight miles, northeast of its original location, says owner Carson Wheeler. The pizzeria took over a massive 11,000-square-foot space, which he esti- mates has room for around 300 diners. “Literally, there’s so much room for activi- ties,” he quips. Among those activities will Grand Avenue Pizza Company’s new Glendale home. Grand Avenue Pizza Co.
