Vatra Grillhouse to Become Kitchen 56

Michele Laudig | January 3, 2011 | 8:19am

Keep New Times Free

Support Us

I Support

Local
Community
Journalism

Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of New Times free.

Support Us

Will the third time be the charm for the restaurant at the southeast corner of Indian School and 56th Street?

The recently renovated building, which used to be a garage, opened in August as Vatra Grillhouse, and, after getting a lukewarm response from the public, relaunched a month ago with new chef Peter DeRuvo (former executive chef of high-end Sassi in North Scottsdale) and new GM Bill DeGroot (Quiessence, Estate House, Metro Brasserie).

Now, there are signs up that it's called Kitchen 56, and will reopen in early 2011.

Did DeRuvo and DeGroot bail?

Last week, I heard rumors that DeRuvo was hired as chef Claudio Urciuoli's replacement at Prado -- which were neither confirmed nor denied by reps for the restaurant. (Urciuoli recently left Prado to work with pizza guru Chris Bianco, and his replacement hasn't been officially announced yet.)

A new press release from the Vatra/Kitchen 56 camp, released New Year's Day, says, "The community has spoken and we have listened." This sounds a lot like the press release from Vatra at the end of November, which said the Vatra folks were "listening to feedback from guests, neighbors, and friends."

The difference this time around is that there's no mention of who's in charge in the kitchen, or what kind of food is in store.

According to the restaurant's one-page website, "The new eatery and bar will serve the tastes of Arcadia with delicious neighborhood favorites, a well-priced bar and a warm and gracious atmosphere."

Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.

Recommended For You

Vatra Grillhouse to Become Kitchen 56

Trending Food & Drink

Powered by SailThru