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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | FEBRUARY 27, 2022
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New coffee-wine spot opens in Ocotillo SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF
Bottle & Bean, a new coffee house and wine bar, opened last week in downtown Ocotillo. The restaurant, 2577 W. Queen Creek Road, was created by Spike Lawrence, a seasoned real estate developer with strong ties to the East Valley, as well Tom Kaufmann, a longtime restaurateur. The establishment serves a complete line-up of morning and evening offerings, including full breakfast and lunch menus, as well as a coffee bar featuring espresso beverages made with beans by the local roastery Infusion Bottle & Bean also features a vast line-up of beer and wine, including retail wine to-go and wine-centric merchandise and gifts. Bottle & Bean has a private dining space, as well as patio dining and an outdoor lawn. Lawrence of Spike Lawrence Ventures and Kaufmann are behind several successful restaurants in Ocotillo, including The Living Room, Rock Lobster, CHoP Chandler, and Sea & Smoke. “Bottle & Bean rounds out these establishments, offering the community a versatile place for a business meeting, social gathering, or a quick grab-and-go option,” a spokeswoman said. She added that “Kaufman’s love of wine and expertise as a certified sommelier was the impetus for adding
Bottle & Bean has opened for business in downtown Ocotillo. (Special to SanTan Sun News)
a wine bar and retail shop component to Bottle & Bean, which includes a climate-controlled wine room.” “At Bottle & Bean, we showcase a variety of wines from around the world, including many of my favorites,” Kaufman said. “For our bottle-to-go of-
ferings, we’re staying competitive with major retailers and passing along great value to wine enthusiasts.” Bottle & Bean is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., serving scratch-made breakfast and lunch menus created by Corporate Chef, Chris George. For
breakfast, guests can choose from a variety of sandwiches, burritos, avocado toasts, and cast-iron frittatas. A sampling includes a quinoa breakfast burrito ($9) with fire roasted corn, See
WINE on page 31
1st of 3 eateries opens in downtown Chandler BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer
Chris Field says he has a hard time saying no. That might explain why he’s on the verge of opening up three different restaurants in Downtown Chandler. The first, Recreo, just opened at 28. S. San Marcos Square. They hope to get the other two, The Uncommon and the Tipsy Egg, open within a month or so. Each has a different concept, one the owner says brings something new to the Downtown area. “I was down here in 2007-2009, … and really fell in love,” Field said or his previous job managing Murphy’s Law. “When we think about Arizona, and we think heritage, like when I bought a new house, I wanted an old house. I wanted something that had history, that you could touch, … you could ask questions and stories. “Finding truly unique things that have historical character, there’s only a handful of places in the state where you can do that,” Field said. “And Downtown Chandler is authentically, exactly that.” Recreo is a restaurant first with a recreation theme, but it does include a
Chris Field and PJ Baron of Recreo have opened Recreo, a new restaurant in downtown Chandler. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)
bar. You can play ping pong, cornhole or even with a giant Connect Four game on the patio. The outside bar has swings patrons can sit on while sipping their drink. Recreo also offers live entertainment. The Tipsy Egg is a brunch place for
people who want to brunch on a day other than Saturday. And The Uncommon is a bar first that will also offer live entertainment as well as serve food. Recreo is on the west side of the square. The Uncommon and Tipsy Egg
are next to each other on the southeast corner of Boston and Arizona Avenue. The ownership group also owns another well-known Arizona restaurant, Tortilla Flats. PJ Baron, the bar director, said they came up with the theme for Recreo based off the menu by chef Jason Bray. He wanted to incorporate fresh herbs and fruits and vegetables, so the garden patio became a key element of the restaurant. They grow thyme and rosemary, as well as blood red oranges on the patio. “The bartenders every day come out and cut their own herbs, and they look forward to that,” Baron said. “It’s not a chore, it’s like there little Zen moment.” All four of their restaurants will be in buildings that are more than 100 years old. The restaurants have been three years in the making. The sign for Tipsy Egg says it was estabilished in 2019, which it was even though it has yet to open. The first issue the owners faced was the loss of one of their financial backers. When they finally got new backing, it was March 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic was shutting down the world. See
RECREO on page 33
