Since Cork 'N Cleaver, the beloved Arcadia chophouse that's been around since 1978, was damaged by a fire in 2010, reconstruction efforts to reopen the restaurant have been slow, to say the least.
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But now, it looks like a new development is under way.
Sources tell me Cork 'N Cleaver has been sold to the team behind the original Mastro's collection of steak houses (the same group that, in 2007, sold their Valley holdings and now own Michael Dominick's Lincoln Avenue Prime Steakhouse at the Scottsdale Quarter).
Word is that the team plans to make the restaurant into a kind of "Dominick's Steakhouse Lite," a more casual place that, unlike its opulent Scottsdale Quarter location, will utilize much of Cork 'N Cleaver's interior and exterior look. Though steaks will still be the star of the show, sources say the new location, rumored to be named something along the lines of 44th Street Grill, will also offer lunch specials.
And what about Cork 'N Cleaver's famous salad bar? No word on that yet.
A public relations representative for Michael Dominick's Steakhouse did not confirm nor deny the information via a phone call Wednesday.
Stay tuned for details.
