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Clever Ramen opening in Scottsdale Monday

BY DAVID BROWN Progress Contributor

Apair of restaurant entrepreneurs is extending their in�luence with the opening of Clever Ramen tomorrow in a stylish 2,500-square-foot space at Feb. 7 at SkySong in Scottsdale. Opening at 1455 N. Scottsdale Road and owned by Nick Campisano and Joshua James, Clever Ramen specializes in preparing the meat-based or vegan broth with a diversity of toppings, as well as steamed bao buns. Clever Ramen is next to the company’s sister restaurant, Fellow Osteria, which offers pizzas and other Italian-inspired food. Both are part of James’s and Campisano’s 8-year-old Born & Raised Hospitality, which has two other Clever Koi locations as well as a sushi concept, Across the Pond. “At Clever Ramen, we’re geared to serving the on-the-go crowd, employees of local tech companies, students and working people but also home owners and residents of the area’s new apartments and condo communities,” Campisano said. “Our guests come from a broad spectrum, so high school students can come in for lunch and their parents for dinner,” James added. “It’s an eclectic mix. We’re not built to be a one-group product.” Diners can choose from four alreadybuilt ramens or build their own. The pre-built meat-based ramens are the company’s most popular dish: pork, with crispy pork belly and butt, tonkotsu tare (a sauce), scallions and garlic oil; lemon chicken, with a lemon paitan tare, togarashi (red chili pepper blend), soy cured egg, and daikon sprouts; and spicy kimchi, including a �ive-spice shoyu (soy), con�it chicken thigh, kimchi, chili crisp and chili oil for that spiciness. The gluten-free vegan ramen begins with a creamy dashi stock and has tofu chashu (pork), roasted mushrooms 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 the Krazy Fries with black pepper garlic aioli and pork belly. 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.

Two bowls of ramen and steamed bun will be a satisfying introduction to Clever Ramen in Scottsdale for just about any age demographic. (Photos by Jaryd Neibauer) Nick Campiso and Joshua James are ready to open Clever Ramen at Skysong in Scottsdale tomorrow, Feb. 7. (Photos by

Jaryd Neibauer)