The Grind Opens in Phoenix

Listen up, Arcadia residents: You’ve got a new restaurant in your neck of the woods. The Grind opened last week at the Arcadia Village shopping center on the southwest corner of Camelback and 40th Street and features the only coal-fired ovens of their kind in the nation. The kitchen is headed up by the wonderful chef Matt McLinn, formerly of BLT Steak and the now-closed Methode Bistro. Chef McLinn’s American coal-fired menu will feature tasty appetizers, salads, chicken, fish, steak, burgers and weekly blackboard specials, as well as organic meats and veggies. Menu items include the Green Chili Surprise burger, the crisp pork sandwich, the All Nighter English muffin, duck fat country fries with Wisconsin Parmesan, malted hazelnut chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream, doughnuts with salted butterscotch and much more. To quench our thirst, The Grind will have craft beers on tap, in addition to a lenghty wine list and cocktails. To please both kids and adults, The Grind will have root beer on tap along with tempting milkshakes.

Design elements include a 43-foot zinc “dining bar” (it is complete with seven connected 42-inch high-definition televisions, two 1000-degree coal-burning ovens and seating for approximately 65 people), unique antique meat grinders which have been retrofitted with lights over the bar, an exhibition kitchen and custom photography of local celebrities like former Arizona Diamondback player and broadcaster Mark Grace, Arizona State University football coach Frank Kush, six-time Olympic Gold medalist and 98.7 Peak radio host Amy Van Dyken, 98.7 Peak radio host Chris Parker, Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker, and Major League Baseball Hall of Fame player Steve Carlton. 3961 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602.954.7463, www.thegrindaz.com.