It looks like there are finally signs of life starting to happen at 3160 East Camelback Road -- and they promise to be tasty ones.
The property, on the northwest corner of Camelback Road and 32nd Street, was the former home of the upscale sushi restaurant Zen 32 for nearly fifteen years, until owner Lenny Rosenberg, who also runs Delux, a gourmet burger shop, and Revo Burrito, a fast casual Mexican eatery in the same complex, closed it down in 2010.
Empty for almost two years, the property is about to get a facelift courtesy of its new tenant, German Osio, who owns Local Bistro, the popular European bistro in Scottsdale. Osio opened Local Bistro in 2010 with Andrea Volpi, the Milan-born chef who impressed the Valley with his Italian cuisine at La Locanda in the '90s and later succeeded Claudio Urciuoli at Taggia.
Osio plans to call his new restaurant Central Bistro and tells me the menu will be a bit different than the Scottsdale location. And the patio? He's got some plans for that, too.
Unlike Local Bistro's focus on the three cuisines of Italy, France, and Spain, Osio tells me Central Bistro will primarily focus on French and Italian fare.
Along with updates to the space such as a new cooler and wine storage area, tempered glass entry doors, and an extension of dry storage space, perhaps the biggest and most noticeable renovation will be the outdoor patio. Osio plans to make the most of it by extending its size to accommodate additional seating, adding a trellis with operable sun screens, and installing new masonry for a fireplace and waterfall feature.
Osio tells me he hopes to have the restaurant up and running by June.
