A new venture by local culinary master Aaron May, chef and owner of Sol y Sombra, is a contemporary Italian osteria that will offer all-day dining seven days a week. Autostrada, set to open in November 2008, will serve updated simple Italian fare in a family friendly, sleek and casual setting. The restaurant will feature a full bar with refreshing Italian cocktails in addition to a chosen wine list of Italian varietals. Guests will enjoy antipasti, panini, primi secondi and contorni including fried baby artichokes with mint pesto and lemon, broccoli rabe with toasted garlic and pine nuts, and more. For more information, visit www.eatatautostrada.com. 

            The Mission will focus on Latin flavor and is the vision of partners Terry Ellisor and Chef Matt Carter of Zinc Bistro in Scottsdale along with Brian Raab of the Merc Bar in Phoenix. Dishes will include guacamole prepared tableside and Carter’s longtime “secret passion” recipe – slow roasted pork. The interior look of the restaurant, created by local designer Charlie Morrow, will include palm wood floors, a marble bar, faux rainwater walls, ornate chandeliers and a wall of salt blocks. 

            A new high-end, high-energy restaurant, J&G Steakhouse will open at The Phoenician in December 2008 and feature premium cuts of meat and fish. The restaurant is a member of Jean-Georges’ Culinary Concepts team and is the first of his restaurants in Arizona. It will incorporate an individually designed dinner menu with a distinctive selection of appetizers and side dishes as well as sauces and condiments from around the world. Design elements will incorporate stunning city views into its elegant, soft modern look and utilize wood and stone material throughout the space. Jean-Georges Vongericthen, a world-renowned chef and businessman, has established nearly 20 restaurants in United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.jgsteakhousescottsdale.com.