Provided by Pretty Decent Concepts
Audio By Carbonatix
After months of anticipation, Roman God of Fire, the latest and what stands to be the most show-stopping restaurant in the Pretty Decent Concepts hospitality group’s family, is set to open at the end of the month on the edge of Tempe Town Lake.
Sitting at Rio Salado Parkway on the north end of Mill Avenue, the new Italian destination will accept a limited number of reservations for July 31 through Aug. 5. A grand opening is scheduled for Aug. 7.
Roman God of Fire flaunts a menu developed by celebrity chef Scott Conant that shuns the broad-brush stroke of Italian food found on most lineups. The focus stays true to regional dishes of ancient Rome.
Handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza bianca, a Roman-style dish that resembles flatbread, and carbonara that uses the salt-cured pork cheek, Guanciale, instead of bacon, are among the offerings.
A lunch menu will launch on Aug. 10 and feature housemade focaccia sandwiches, salad and antipasti.
When crafting the menu, the team studied Roman food, which was typically rustic and often cooked over fire. Roman soldiers cooked over an open flame as they grew their empire and the hearth was at the center of the ancient Roman home.
“We wanted to do what would’ve been authentic to Rome and not to another American-Italian restaurant,” says Pretty Decent Concepts co-founder Teddy Myers. “We wanted to be regionally authentic and wanted to focus a lot more on food culture.”
On the cocktail menu, expect to find fun twists on tradition. In addition to the traditional negroni, there’s a green rendition that substitutes an Italian green bitter aperitivo for Campari. A white version that incorporates a house Italian vermouth blend and boasts tropical notes is Myer’s favorite.
A spritz section includes variations, including one with housemade limoncello. There’s also an old fashioned made with Chianti syrup.
Ancient Roman history is also reflected in the restaurant’s decor, which exudes the city’s art and architecture with custom statues and artwork. Marble-topped tables shine in the sophisticated, low-lit dining space.
“We’ve always been a storytelling group, so the thread we tied it through is the lens of a Roman soldier,” Myers says.
Provided by Pretty Decent Concepts
That tale, Myers says, juxtaposes vice and virtue. If the restaurant represents virtue, then the adjacent speakeasy, Mea Culpa, is the vice. The bar is set to open in September.
While Roman celebrates the ancient world, Mea Culpa embraces the modern cocktail bar with a spiritual nod to Italy’s Catholic roots. The theme starts right at the beginning, with guests having to go through a “confessional moment” to get in.
“It will be fun and unlike anything else that has been done in the Valley,” Myers promises. “We wanted to have some fun with ancient rituals, and we wanted to celebrate it, and make it an interactive moment to get into the bar.”
Roman’s debut marks the restaurant group’s first ground-up build and culminates three years of research, planning and construction, the longest Pretty Decent Concepts has spent on a project, Myers says.
For the ASU alum, downtown Tempe and Mill Avenue have a special place in Myers’ heart. It’s one reason he chose to open the animal kingdom playground Filthy Animal on the southern end of the Mill Avenue entertainment district.
“It was such a special place in the Valley that it needed a group to come in and breathe new life into it, and we took this responsibility very seriously. The success of Filthy Animal has proven we’re not crazy. Something (like this) can work in Tempe, and we’re doubling down and doing it again,” Myers says. “We decided to take a big swing with both of these concepts and I hope everyone loves them as much as we do.”
Roman God of Fire
Opens July 31
80 S. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe
