By David Brown
Contributor
The Valley’s newest Hash Kitchen, in Chandler, opens for breakfast at 7 a.m. sharp on July 11.
The third in the family of restaurants from Joey and Cristina Maggiore is at 2855 W. Ray Road, #4, in a space occupied formerly by Panera Bread.
Hash Kitchen will follow this formula: Brunch is a meal for all hours, seven days a week.
The new restaurant is designed to be the spot for foodies seeking a new culinary adventure.
“By the third time, they say you know what you’re doing,” said Joey, whose business group also owns Tomaso’s Italian Restaurant in Phoenix, opened by Joey’s dad in 1977; Tommy V’s Urban Kitchen, Scottsdale; Tomaso’s When in Rome, north Scottsdale; and The Sicilian Butcher, north Phoenix.
“We re-imagined breakfast dishes in a casual yet lively atmosphere,” said Joey, who oversees the food and beverage direction for the Hash Kitchens, with Cristina heading operations. “It’s crazy fun, bold, innovative and out of the box.”
He will be head chef in Chandler for 60 days, then entrust the back-of-the-house leadership to Lauren Smith.
Guests will enjoy innovative pancakes, French toasts, waffles, eggs Benedict, scramblers and frittatas and, of course, hashes, including the very popular carnitas hash: Coke-braised pork, hash potatoes, cotija, roasted corn, avocado, green chili sauce, crema, fried onions, cilantro and corn tortillas.
Popular dishes include the Herb Fried Chicken Beni (two poached eggs, fried leeks, warm maple reduction and Hollandaise) and the Cannoli Pancakes (buttermilk pancakes layered with cannoli cream and topped with maraschino cherries and crushed cannoli shells).
Among the new offerings will be innovative dishes such as Pop-Tarts and Fruity Pebble Pancakes.
“This is a creative place, a place to have fun, a family place, with vibe and a lot of personality, where you don’t have to worry about anything before your day starts. We’ll have a DJ and lots of music. Perhaps it will bring back childhood memories of food you remember,” he added. “At the same time, you can still have a business meeting here to start the day.”
Designed by Third Story, Scottsdale, the 5,000-square-foot restaurant will offer patio dining and seat 330 customers. Approximately 80 people will be employed, mostly locals such as general manager Brett Aiken, a Chandler resident.
“It’s our biggest place so far and will be our flagship Hash Kitchen. The place looks spectacular, and we can’t wait to open and welcome the East Valley,” said Joey, who will add two Hash Kitchens shortly, in Phoenix in November and the West Valley next April.
People who like morning cocktails will enjoy a variety of innovative offerings at Hash Kitchen, such as the mimosa flights, which include a variety of flavors including grapefruit and traditional orange. There are five infused vodkas: bacon, cucumber, cilantro-lime, jalapeño and smoked salmon or seasonal flavors such as habanero and tomatillo.
Coordinating the adult beverages will be New York mixologist Sheldon Wiley, who will create shooters and waffle shots as well as cereal-milk cocktails.
Hash Kitchen Chandler will feature a Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar seven days a week. The DIY Bloody Mary bar has more than 50 toppings, such as Italian meatballs, Slim Jims, pickled jalapeño, cucumbers, fried ravioli, artisan cheeses and meats, mozzarella sticks, corn dogs, pickled hard-boiled eggs and pepperoni sticks.
The name Hash Kitchen? “I wanted to do something memorable and easy to roll off the tongue,” said Joey, who was born in New York, grew up in San Diego and returned in his 20s to help the Maggiores establish the other restaurants.
“Hashes really became the staple of the entire restaurant, and you can make a hash out of pretty much anything; that’s what makes it so fun. So why not tell it like it is? Hash Kitchen!”
Summer hours are 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m.-3 p.m Saturday and Sunday. After hours, the restaurant hosts private events.
Information: Hashkitchen.com.
