Audio By Carbonatix
No wonder there were rumors.
A couple months ago, I’d heard that the acclaimed Barrio Cafe was moving to Paradise Valley, and I just wasn’t buying it. Come on — can you see chef-owner Silvana Salcido Esparza, a pierced and tattooed CenPho gal, leaving her 16th Street digs? Nuh uh. She tells me that the restaurant’s been getting tons of calls from excited fans, but that she can’t imagine opening in a place that’s not really, um, the barrio.
But as it turns out, there is a new place opening in P.V. two weeks from today, on March 19, and it’s called Barrio Cantina & Grill. (There’s no affiliation with Barrio Cafe, although there’s bound to be some confusion over the similar names.)
Owners Todd Rosenbaum and Tom Zummo are also partners in three Scottsdale nightlife destinations, Axis/Radius, Suede, and Myst. Ken Giordano and Thomas Heinicke are the co-executive chefs.
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Tequila-marinated shrimp tacos, beef short rib enchiladas, grilled rib eye with chipotle butter, jalapeño bacon-wrapped hot dogs, and prickly pear creme brulee are just a few examples from the moderately priced menu.
Located at the southeast corner of Tatum and Cactus (4731 E. Cactus), the restaurant will be open for lunch, dinner, late-night, and weekend brunch.
