Now accepting reservations, the highly anticipated coastal Italian hotspot – Élephante – will be open for dinner only on December 4 from 4 to 11 p.m., with lunch and weekend brunch service to soon follow. Seasonal menus transport guests to the Mediterranean with wood-fired dishes like the burrata pizza and soppressata pizza, pastas such as the new tortellini pomodoro and classic cacio e pepe, alongside sustainably sourced seafood like the grilled octopus and diver scallops, and meats such as the 10 oz. prime skirt steak.
Élephante’s renowned beverage program features craft cocktails (shaken, stirred, draft, and frozen) and a thoughtfully curated wine program, including proprietary private-label wines and a full-time sommelier roaming the floor. Exclusive to Scottsdale is Bar Bambino, an intimate cocktail lounge for late-night drinks and bites. Élephante Scottsdale is the newest location for the Los Angeles-based Wish You Were Here Group. It features an indoor-outdoor space filled with desert plants, cacti, and large banquettes perfect for group dining.
Each location is crafted with custom furniture and artisanal details that pay homage to the city in which it resides. Designed by restaurateur and Wish You Were Here founder Nick Mathers, the restaurant aims to transport guests to Pantelleria and the Aeolian Islands off the Sicilian coast.
“We aim to make guests feel like they have escaped somewhere else for a moment. To accomplish this, the space needs to feel authentic,” Mathers said. “We custom designed every aspect and each piece of furniture in-house. We imported the Carrera tile from Italy and flew in artists from around the world to make the artwork, macramé and tapestries on-site.”
Hemp artwork hangs from the hand-plastered walls, while the open-air dining room boasts custom silk tapestries, wall ceramics and raw cotton artwork with green marble-topped tables offset with wooden furnishings. Centered around a massive white oak and teak wood bar, Élephante also has a fold-away glass wall leading to a spacious, plant-filled outdoor dining patio.
Chef-partner Thomas Lim created the produce-driven menus, which feature items like diver scallops, caviar and chives, lobster piccata, and a 20-oz. dry-aged bone-in ribeye.
Exclusive to the new location is an expanded selection of dips for the signature wood-fired puccia, a puffed, soft bread from Italy’s Puglia region. Dips include the Santa Monica-famous whipped eggplant, whipped stracchino, burrata, and caviar.
New, signature, and classic cocktails and a rotating selection of frozen drinks, punch bowls, and mocktails will be on the menu. Highlights include The Élephante, with passion fruit, lemon, almond orgeat, Montenegro, and Calabrian chili paired with a choice of spirits, or the Cactus Water with vodka, lime, watermelon, lavender, and Aperitivo Select. Guests can choose to have a custom picture printed in coffee ink atop their cocktails.
The program also includes wines from every region of Italy. It features four proprietary private-label vinos: a Pinot Grigio from Sicily, a Prosecco-style sparkling wine from California, a Super Tuscan from Tuscany, and a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, which will be exclusive to Arizona.
Bar Bambino will open on December 7. Step through the curtained entryway to discover a sophisticated bar with a live DJ nightly and a curved bronze-scallop bar beneath a central chandelier and retro mirrored ceiling. Beverages include unique cocktails, espresso martinis, wines by the glass, and featured champagnes. Bar Bambino will offer tableside Cocktail Cart Service to elevate the traditional bottle experience, including martini service prepared with add-ons such as a caviar pairing or shaken cocktails.
Élephante is located at the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall, on the corner of Camelback Road and Marshall Way. For more, visit elephanterestaurants.com.
