Major transformation in the heart of downtown Phoenix is bringing not only light rail, premium hotels and a revamped convention center, but also a whole new crop of restaurants.

Some of the newest additions are The Hero Factory and Acapulco Mexican Grill. Both are on the ground level of the Orpheum Lofts, on First Avenue between Adams and Monroe streets.

Projects in the pipeline include a casual café in the 44 Monroe condo tower and a range of dining options at the Hotel Monroe, a 150-room boutique hotel set to open later this year.

As for The Hero Factory, owner Nicole Dorio is celebrating a month in business. She and her fiancé, Jay Friedman, are serving up New York-style deli breakfast and lunch.

"We are making homemade bread, and it's our own bread recipe straight from New York," she said.
Next door, Acapulco Mexican Grill is catering to morning and afternoon crowds. Specializing in authentic Mexican favorites, the restaurant serves fish and shrimp tacos, burritos and chorizo omelets, among other entrées.

"We are doing really well for a new restaurant. This is good for a new place," said Manager Cupertino Salgado. "But we are hoping to really get the word out."

Dennis Kolodin of Realty Executives, who is handling the leasing for the Orpheum Lofts, said space is filling up. An architect's office and a wellness center have opened, and space is being readied for the sales office for Omega, an adjacent residential condo project, Kolodin said.

Other downtown restaurant changes include new management of the Quizno's at the corner of Central Avenue and Adams Street. Nick Malone reopened the sandwich shop this month after taking ownership and remodeling it over the winter.

"We are coming in, and we are going to make this successful," Malone said. Like other restaurateurs, he said the morning and afternoon crowds will help build the business. "We know lunch is going to be good for us, but we are really looking forward to busier times ahead."

Other urban projects set to come on line this year, such as the 44 Monroe condo tower, will include retail and dining components. The tower's street-level storefront will include a casual café, set to open this summer. The yet-to-be-named eatery will offer upscale lunches and take-home items such as homemade breads and bottles of wine, said Todd Iacono, who will help oversee food operations for the café while also serving as general manager of Hotel Monroe.

Hotel Monroe will occupy the former bank building at 15 E. Monroe St. Like 44 Monroe, the hotel is being developed by Grace Communities. Expected to open in October, the hotel will feature a rooftop lounge and a signature restaurant called Gazelle's, Iacono said.
Meanwhile, the first phase of City-Scape, a 2.5 million-square-foot mixed-use downtown project, will include an AJ's Fine Foods and a P.F. Chang's China Bistro, which are expected to open in late 2009, said John Bacon, a CityScape spokesman.

"Thinking about all the different things that are happening in downtown Phoenix and the demand that will be generated by those projects, we are very optimistic that in the coming year, we are going to see a huge impact on our populations," said Dave Roderique, CEO of the Downtown Phoenix Partnership.


Author: Lynn Ducey
Source: The Business Journal