East Valley fans of Italian cuisine are about to get their taste of Amarone Ristorante Italiano, but that doesn't mean that the new Gilbert location will be a clone of its older sibling in North Scottsdale.
Set to open this week (perhaps as soon as Friday) at 832 S. Greenfield (southwest corner of Greenfield and Warner), the eatery will have more of a family-friendly atmosphere compared to the fancier digs at the original location. There will also be a kids' menu to keep the little ones well fed.
Hrach Shilgevorkyan co-owns the Scottsdale Amarone with partner Henry Benjamin, and co-owns the Gilbert spot with his cousin, Harout Gozukuchikyan. (Founder Maurizio Benforte, of CenPho's Pizza A Metro, has not been involved with Amarone for the past few months.)
Overall, the regular lunch and dinner menus will be the same variety of wood-fired pizzas, pasta dishes, and entrees such as vitello saltimbocca, chicken parmigiana, and pork chop Milanese. As the restaurant name suggests, there's also an extensive wine list.
Business hours will be available from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday, from 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday, and from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday. The daily happy hour runs weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. Call 480-632-7777 for more information.