Chef Aaron May is finally expanding his empire to Downtown Phoenix, adding Mexican food to his roster of half a dozen other restaurant concepts that run the gamut from upscale tapas to casual American breakfast fare.
Vitamin T is the name of his new spot set to open November 12 at CityScape, the new $900 million mixed-use development that spans two city blocks in the heart of the urban core.
Inspired by "Vitamina T" -- Mexican slang for comidas corridas (meals on the run) such as tortas, tacos, and tamales -- the restaurant will be a tiny, ten-seat spot that serves May's take on South-of-the-Border street food.
Expect a mostly take-out business geared to time-strapped urbanites, with a compact lunch and dinner menu where nothing's more than eight bucks.
Yes, there will be tacos (such as smoked chipotle chicken, queso fundido with chorizo and roasted poblanos, and carne asada made with grass-fed steak and topped with garlicky mushrooms, grilled red onions and avocado-tomatillo salsa). Tamales are "still in the works," according to the draft of the menu I have. Six kinds of tortas include carnitas with black beans, spicy arbol chile sauce, and pickled onions, and wood-roasted garlic mushrooms with goat cheese, black beans, arugula and serrano salsa.
Look for a Sonoran hot dog smothered with mustard, mayo, jalapeno sauce, grilled and raw onions, and beans, as well as caramelos, basically quesadillas stuffed with cheese, grilled onion, jalapeno, and a variety of fillings.
VItamin T will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at 1 E Washington St., Ste. 175. A phone number isn't available yet; follow @EatVitaminT on Twitter for info.
