Restaurant Opening: Prep & Pastry

In case you didn't know because you don't follow me on IG, Prep & Pastry is open in Scottsdale!!

Long considered Tucson's best kept secret, Prep & Pastry (7025 E. Via Soleri Dr., 480-477-1502) is now open at the Scottsdale Waterfront. Housed inside a soaring, indoor-outdoor space wrapping around the ground floor of the Broadstone Waterfront, Prep & Pastry serves up a fresh-cracked menu of the finest breakfast, lunch and brunch fare daily, paired with an expansive menu of craft cocktails, house-steeped teas and organic fair trade coffee drinks. Open daily from 7 am - 3 pm, and featuring an expanded Weekend Brunch menu, Prep & Pastry invites guests to hurry in, and then relax as they enjoy artisan food served in a warm, welcoming atmosphere, from the house-made jams and ever-changing selection of house-baked pastries, to the world's most perfect breakfast potatoes thanks to a precise six-step preparation process.

Led by Nathen Ares, the Tucson-based restaurateur behind Prep & Pastry (plus Commoner & Co. and August Rhodes Market), this all-new Scottsdale location is his first foray into the Valley. After sharpening his skills working for familiar names such as Fox Restaurant Concepts and RA Sushi, Ares says he partnered with Chef Kyle Nottingham to launch the original Prep & Pastry six years ago with a commitment to serving up the "simple breakfast classics, done right."

Think signature pastries such as Early Grey Scones and Candied Maple Bacon Dossants, or dishes such as Cast Iron Duck Confit, Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Hash, and Everything Croissant Sammie. Plus, at Prep & Pastry, even a dish as straightforward as a side of potatoes is anything but, thanks to baby Russet potatoes, steam-cooked to the ideal core temperature, quick-dried on rack dehydrator to remove excess moisture, submerged in an ice shock, then hand smashed and flash fried with onions, tossed with fresh-chopped rosemary, thyme and tarragon, and sea salt."We spent a lot of time testing and perfecting every single recipe," Ares says.

Seating up to 140 guests (90 inside and 50 outside), Prep & Pastry Scottsdale will serve this award-winning menu inside a bright, window-filled space boasting 28-foot exposed ceilings, plus plenty of dedicated street front and underground parking. Inside you won't find any cutsie sayings on the walls, just gleaming Carrera marble tabletops, colorful bistro chairs and stylish wooden furnishings, all surrounded by plenty of soothing greenery and fresh flowers by Atelier de LaFleur extending right out onto the shaded outdoor year-round dining patio overlooking the Arizona Canal.

Here, guests can sip and savor an extensive selection of craft cocktails, highlighted by a variety of build-your-own mimosas and a House Bloody Mary made combining guajillo & garlic infused vodka, herbed mustard mix and a 'beer back' (aka a shot glass of beer). Plus, enjoy a full coffee bar featuring fresh-ground OX Coffee and your choice of 15 different loose-leaf teas.

Scheduled to open on Tuesday, September 17, Nathan Ares is excited to bring Prep & Pastry to the heart of downtown Scottsdale. "After six years in Tucson, it just felt like the right time and the perfect place to come to Scottsdale. We're in the heart of downtown, surrounded by some really great fellow restaurateurs, and we can't wait to introduce the Valley to the Prep & Pastry difference."