FOOD & DRINK
SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 6, 2022
Food & Drink
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Clever Ramen opening in Scottsdale Monday working people but also home owners and residents of the area’s new apartments and condo communities,” Campipair of restaurant entrepreneurs sano said. is extending their in�luence with “Our guests come from a broad specthe opening of Clever Ramen to- trum, so high school students can come morrow in a stylish 2,500-square-foot in for lunch and their parents for dinner,” space at Feb. 7 at SkySong in Scottsdale. James added. “It’s an eclectic mix. We’re Opening at 1455 N. Scottsdale Road not built to be a one-group product.” and owned by Nick Campisano and Diners can choose from four alreadyJoshua James, Clever Ramen specializes built ramens or build their own. in preparing the meat-based or vegan The pre-built meat-based ramens are broth with a diversity of toppings, as the company’s most popular dish: pork, well as steamed bao buns. with crispy pork belly and butt, tonkotClever Ramen is next to the company’s su tare (a sauce), scallions and garlic oil; sister restaurant, Fellow Osteria, which lemon chicken, with a lemon paitan tare, offers pizzas and other Italian-inspired togarashi (red chili pepper blend), soy food. Both are part of James’s and Camp- cured egg, and daikon sprouts; and spicy isano’s 8-year-old Born & Raised Hospi- kimchi, including a �ive-spice shoyu tality, which has two other Clever Koi lo- (soy), con�it chicken thigh, kimchi, chili cations as well as a sushi concept, Across crisp and chili oil for that spiciness. the Pond. The gluten-free vegan ramen begins “At Clever Ramen, we’re geared to with a creamy dashi stock and has tofu serving the on-the-go crowd, employees chashu (pork), roasted mushrooms and of local tech companies, students and grilled bok choy (cabbage). Diners who want to create their own meal can select the noodles, either handmade traditional egg-based, vegan or gluten-free, then pick the broth and add proteins, cold vegiies and extras such as crispy shallots and garlic oil. Clever Ramen’s sides include pork belly, hot chicken or kimchi cauli�lower steamed bao buns, kimchi cheese fries or Two bowls of ramen and steamed bun will be a satisfying the Krazy Fries with introduction to Clever Ramen in Scottsdale for just about black pepper garlic any age demographic. (Photos by Jaryd Neibauer) aioli and pork belly. BY DAVID BROWN Progress Contributor
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Nick Campiso and Joshua James are ready to open Clever Ramen at Skysong in Scottsdale tomorrow, Feb. 7. (Photos by Jaryd Neibauer)
Clever Ramen also offers craft beers, all in cans. Decorated with art, the restaurant creates a welcoming atmosphere with a wavy wooden wall that shifts until the planks morph into giant ramen noodles. Within minutes of ordering at the glassed counter, diners can indoor or outdoor or carrying out. Designed for ambiance and safety, both dining rooms have banquettes and tables con�igured for social distancing and are �inished with warm woods, white metallics and breeze block. During this week through Feb. 11, customers will receive a daily special. Both men are native Arizonans with long résumés in the food and beverage industry. Born in the Sabino Canyon area of Tucson, Campisano attended ASU and
moved to California, where he was involved in the night-life bar industry in Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco and Santa Monica. Returning to the Phoenix metropolitan area, he worked for Sam Fox’s restaurants, Greene House, Modern Steak and Parlor, where he and Josh met about a decade ago. “I was never a big partier, but I immediately enjoyed the hospitality and personal aspect of the bar club scene and I fell in love with the food and beverage aspect of it,” he recalled. James began working at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs while attending North High, then was an applied sciences major at ASU. “I became interested in graphic design, learned a lot on line and started freelancing but hated it,” he recalled. “I needed something more creative, where I could also solve problems.” He returned to the Valley hospitality industry, working at AZ 88 on the Scottsdale Mall for eight years, at Hanny’s in downtown Phoenix and then at the Parlor, also in Phoenix. “We both had the same vision for our �irst Clever Koi, we wanted to be our own bosses and we really like ramen. We had seen full-service ramen shops in Chicago, New York and California, and although there were a few mom-andpops here on the outskirts of the Valley, there was nothing in central Phoenix,” James explained. “In the future, we may be looking for new sites,” Campisano said, “but right now we just want to work at providing our customers the opportunity to enjoy the fantastic ramen we came to love years ago.” Clever Ramen is open daily from 10:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. Information: cleverramen.com.
