Beer bar Vanilla Gorilla poured its last pint on June 30. Bar Cena will be a chef-driven cocktail lounge. New access to Hush’s kitchen will allow it to serve food, which wasn't offered at Vanilla Gorilla.
“What we really figured out is people want food and they want their liquor,” Ruggiero says. “We figured, why fight it? Let’s give the people what they want.”
Bar Cena will turn out food and drinks that will be unique from its sister restaurant. Cena translates to dinner or supper in Spanish and Italian and the new spot's menu takes inspiration from Spain, Italy and France. Ruggiero’s restaurant group Cast Iron Concepts also runs Fire at Will, a Mediterranean-leaning neighborhood spot in Scottsdale.
Nelson's Meat + Fish opened across the parking lot in August. During the daytime, customers can bring food from Nelson's to enjoy with a drink at Bar Cena.
Sara Crocker
On the menu at Bar Cena
The food menu at Bar Cena will feature seasonally rotating shareable plates. The just-published menu items, including marinated cucumbers with whipped tofu, fresh herbs, sesame and chili crunch; muffuletta croquettes with Italian salami, provolone, sesame seed and a fennel-olive salad; and Billionaire’s Shortbread with caramel, ganache and French sea salt. The bar will connect to Hush’s kitchen, with Chef de Cuisine Zack Myers taking the lead on food. General Manager Regina Di Salvo and Executive Chef Alex Harrison will oversee both concepts.
“[Bar Cena] will have a totally new food menu, new cocktail list, new wine, different vibe inside,” Ruggiero says. “It’ll be almost like a concept within a concept.”
While Bar Cena's kitchen will only be open in the evening, daytime bar guests can bring food from Nelson's Meat + Fish, which opened across the parking lot in August, and pair it with drinks at the bar from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Libby Lingua and Mitch Lyons, who run Phoenix cocktail bar Highball and have consulted with Ruggiero on his other bar menus, developed the drinks menu, which includes 12 craft cocktails and three mocktails. Among the house tipples, the nitro espresso martini is made with vodka, espresso liqueur, Mythic Goat Coffee cold brew and vanilla. The bar will also feature absinthe flights served tableside.
“We wanted to do something shared,” Ruggiero says.
Another shareable sip is the Rose Gold, which serves three to five people. The drink is comprised of vodka, apricot liqueur, Italian amaro and sparkling rose. Non-alcoholic options include a lemon basil smash with fresh basil, citrus and club soda.
Dining and lounge reservations can be made on Tock, and bar seating is first come, first served.
Bar Cena
Opening Oct. 2614202 N. Scottsdale Road, #165, Scottsdale
This article was originally published on July 12, 2023 and was updated on Oct. 16, 2023.
