Quick Bites: Ocean 44
All the Steak 44 team does is hit home runs, and so it’s no surprise that sister restaurant Ocean 44 is off to a fast start in staking its claim as the hip new joint in Scottsdale. It has been open a couple of months now, and the Frontdoors team has had a chance on a couple of occasions to enjoy this chic spot.
The Building: A sleek and modern new build on the northern end of the Scottsdale Fashion Square’s recent rebuild and additions. The space boasts high ceilings and unique lighting installations.
The Scene: A large central bar creates a beehive of activity in the room, with dining areas surrounding it as well as quieter, more private rooms. Like Steak 44, it’s a see-and-be-scene environment full of aesthetically pleasing humans.
The Bar: Your author isn’t much into mixology — bourbon rocks, please — but reports from those on our team who are a bit more adventurous were positive. Ocean 44 isn’t one of those places where they skimp on pours, and the specialty cocktail menu combines the innovative (basil cucumber limeade, anyone) and the traditional (a “perfect” Manhattan, for example).
The Food: So Steak 44 features Ocean 44 stuff and Ocean 44 features Steak 44 stuff. The menus are fairly similar, so if you like Steak 44 you are probably going to like Ocean 44 (and there’s no reason to think you wouldn’t). Ocean 44 punches up the seafood offerings a bit though, adding such dishes as arctic char and linguini and clams.
The Takeaway: If you want to see and be seen while enjoying some fantastic food and drink, by all means check it out. One other thing that was particularly nice about our experiences was how nice everyone was — Steak 44 is known for quality service, but hey, Scottsdale sometimes. On the downside, Uber and Lyft are still kind of struggling how to navigate to this new location and our driver got lost, so plan ahead accordingly.
