Hi Noon Hospitality
Audio By Carbonatix
There are plenty of places to turn up in Old Town Scottsdale. Adam Strecker and Hi Noon Hospitality want Pinyon to be the spot where diners can unwind and lounge.
The restaurant sits on the west edge of the verdant lawn of Scottsdale Civic Center alongside landmark AZ88. While Strecker sits outside with his team, he remarks on the sound of peaceful birdsong surrounding the space.
“This just feels like Europe in a lot of ways,” he says.
Pinyon will match that vibe once it opens Oct. 29. The restaurant will serve Mediterranean-inspired food and refreshing cocktails in a three-story space outfitted with imported marble, Parisian lighting and a custom charcoal grill made in Barcelona.
Pinyon is the third restaurant from Hi Noon Hospitality, the team behind the popular seafood restaurant Buck & Rider and all-day eatery Ingo’s Tasty Food. Hi Noon announced its plans for the new restaurant in April.
Hi Noon Hospitality
A Mediterranean-spanning menu
A six-week trek Strecker made through Europe and the Middle East inspired the restaurant. By the time he got to France, Strecker says, he had a realization: “We just have to do the best of the entire Mediterranean basin.”
That’s how the menu came together. Small plates and salads include pan con tomate, crispy papas bravas, Dungeness crab dressed in a mustard aioli, and Greek salad featuring feta and tomatoes.
The restaurant will offer a special Hummusiya menu, nodding to cafes Strecker saw in Istanbul that specialize in hummus. Pinyon’s chefs will craft a rotation of 15 dips — like baba ganoush or hummus topped with grilled baby artichokes and salsa verde — that will change daily. Strecker became obsessed with the meaty, creamy chickpeas and pine nuts he had in Turkey and Lebanon, so he’s importing them to Pinyon’s kitchen. Dips will be served with pita breads baked to order.
“All the details really matter to us,” he says.
Hi Noon Hospitality
Large plates showcase meats and fish, including a 30-ounce porterhouse for two and a whole roasted turbot, cooked over a Josper charcoal oven and grill. Other entrees include Eggplant Napoleon with mozzarella, arugula pesto and passata, a Dover sole pan-seared with lemon, brown butter and capers, and Stuffed Calamari featuring shrimp, muhammara, bell peppers and pecorino cheese.
Hi Noon Hospitality
The drinks menu features a selection of spritzes and craft cocktails. Sip 6000 Miles, a mezcal-based tipple mixed with arak, an anise spirit, pomegranate and lime. Or order a spritz suited for a sun-soaked afternoon on Pinyon’s patio, which is dotted with olive trees and features a tranquil fountain. The Sant’Andrea Spritz is made with Ford’s gin, Italian amaro, house citrus-cello and sparkling wine. The bar also boasts beer, zero-proof cocktails and a wine list.
Hi Noon Hospitality
‘Not a bad seat in the house’
Pinyon’s main patio flows seamlessly into the restaurant’s dining room, which is outfitted with custom leather booths, rattan bistro chairs and checkerboard marble floors. Tables look out at the park or into Pinyon’s open kitchen. The restaurant also boasts a private dining room that seats 20 on the lower level and a second story with a wall of retractable windows that quickly makes the space an alfresco experience.
“There’s not a bad seat in the house,” Strecker says.
The Hi Noon team knows Mediterranean restaurants are a hot — perhaps even saturated — dining trend around the Valley. That makes sense, Strecker says, because Phoenix sits on a similar latitude with a climate that resembles parts of the Mediterranean. The owner says Pinyon will stand out because it embraces dishes and ingredients from across the region.
“The environment’s the same, the weather’s the same. This food absolutely works in Arizona. It’s how you want to eat when the summer hits,” Strecker says. “If it’s July, you don’t want to have short ribs, and you would never be eating short ribs anywhere in the Mediterranean.”
While the Hi Noon team puts the final touches on Pinyon, they’re inviting guests to stop in to pre-purchase gift carts to the restaurant. The hospitality group will offer a $20 gift card bonus and a tour of the restaurant until Oct. 28.
“We’re not on a major street, so it’s going to take people time to discover us,” Stecker says.
Pinyon
Opens Oct. 29
7363 E. Scottsdale Mall, Scottsdale
