Restaurateur Sam Fox's Arrogant Butcher restaurant to open Feb. 21
5 comments by Emily Gersema - Feb. 16, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
Many cities have a landmark restaurant where politicians and business leaders make deals over lunch in a quiet booth or a drink at the bar.
Restaurateur Sam Fox believes his latest creation, Arrogant Butcher, will become that restaurant for Phoenix when it opens Monday in a prime downtown spot - the corner of First and Jefferson streets in downtown's CityScape retail-and-office development.
Fox, who owns Fox Restaurant Concepts that has about two dozen restaurants in Arizona, was among the first well-known lessees who signed with RED Development to anchor a space in CityScape.
RED has courted other big names in the restaurant industry. LGO was expected to open a restaurant, LGO Public House, at CityScape. But LGO has pulled out, leaving Fox as the single biggest local name at CityScape - at least, for now. RED officials said they're in talks with other well-known restaurateurs but have not yet announced a replacement for LGO.
As home to five of Phoenix's biggest law firms, CityScape has a ready lunch crowd that Fox and other restaurant owners want to include in their clientele. Fox expects he will count Phoenix officials, Maricopa County officials, Diamondbacks and Suns executives, lawyers, judges and lobbyists among the regulars at Arrogant Butcher, where they can order cocktails like the "Effen Russian" or "The Last Word." Diners who sit at the raw bar overlooking the kitchen can watch a show of flame and pan flipping as they eat oysters and other seafood.
"There's a big power sort of lunch presence that we're going to have here," Fox said.
Those potential customers inspired the restaurant's name - a challenge that dares curious diners to sit down for a pastrami sandwich, an entree of swordfish or a glass of wine.
"It's sort of a play on the movers and shakers and their confidence and their arrogance," he said. "We wanted it to be cheeky and edgy."
In the back of the 7,500-square-foot restaurant are three private-dining areas, with enough room for small board meetings or parties. Yellow- and white-striped awnings will shade diners who prefer to eat street side. On weekends, Fox envisions residents from neighborhoods such as Willo and Encanto bringing their families downtown for brunch.
"We'll have a section on the menu with 10 kinds of egg sandwiches. We'll have different kinds of breads, toppings," Fox said.
Fox is entering new territory with a downtown Phoenix restaurant and has gone to extraordinary measures to attract a loyal crowd in the days leading up to Monday's grand opening:
- Today, he is hosting a dinner with the State Bar of Arizona to raise money for the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education.
- Thursday, he has invited Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and members of the Downtown Phoenix Partnership to lunch to raise money for Central Arizona Shelter Services, which assists poor and homeless people. On Thursday evening, he hosts a happy hour for the Phoenix Suns Charities followed by a cocktail party with the IonAZ and Greater Phoenix Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce to raise money for the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS.
- Friday, he hosts a "power lunch" with the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and Arizona Bankers Association to raise money for the Phoenix Symphony and United Way. The Diamondbacks and former player Luis Gonzalez are invited to happy hour. Dinner is with the Arizona News Service to raise money for non-profit groups Arizona Friends of Foster Children, Joe Foss Institute and Aguila.
- Saturday, Fox has invited the residents of Willo and Encanto, the historic Phoenix neighborhoods, to brunch at 10 a.m. Happy hour is with the Arizona Republican and Democrat parties. A VIP dinner is planned for Local First Arizona and the Herberger Theater.
Debbie Porter, spokeswoman for Fox Restaurant Concepts, said the company also hired well-known public-relations figure Jason Rose to help with publicity and to connect with the who's who of Phoenix.
Porter said the company has held similar events in its restaurants in other states. A few of the anticipated customers already have mentioned their interest in the restaurant, which will be open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday.
Suns President and CEO Rick Welts recently said he and other Suns employees are looking forward to having a new dining option so close to their offices at US Airways Center.
Read more:
http://www.azcentral.com/business/ar...#ixzz1E5ptn0O3
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