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Re-opened bistro aims ambience at locals

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

After soft-launching Cat’s Pajamas Bistro through 2021, proprietor Connie Dudley Laub took a gamble and shut her doors to renovate and turn her place into a plush dining room.

She decked the dining room with bright red seats, tables set with wine glasses and a single rose and a backdrop of art that includes a TV playing black and white movies – all to �it her and her son Javi’s original vision for their restaurant.

“When we came up with the idea for Cat’s Pajamas Bistro, I told (my son) Javi that this area needs a real classy destination for a real craft cocktail or sipping drinks,” Connie said.

She wanted something that would offer a new brand of luxury to Scottsdale that couldn’t be found at any other stops in the city.

“We’re aiming way more toward the local crowd than the tourists. We didn’t want it to feel like Old Town, where it feels touristy; we want to feel like you’re in a very nice place,” Connie said.

Connie also juggled structuring a setting that wouldn’t be off-putting to casual diners but still offered an upscale dining experience.

“It’s to aim at four demographics; gentleman wanting to go out to lunch and talk business; we wanted it to be great for dates for a guy or gal to go out together since it has an intimate setting without being overly formal; women who have a couple of hours to come in and have a bottle of wine with their friends catch up and have some appetizers then go back. So, it’s kind of an oasis for everybody in different things,” Connie said.

With the doors re-opened in March, Cat’s Pajamas Bistro has welcomed customers to dine in its plush quarters and try its revamped food menu that complements its

The Cat’s Pajamas menu includes Ropa Veija, Cats Beignets and crispy calamari.

(David Minton/Progress Staff Photographer)

Chef Mikkel Jones has developed a number of creative dishes at Cat’s Pajamas Bis-

tro. (David Minton/Progress Staff Photographer)

signature cocktail menu.

“The cocktails are designed to pair with our food,” said Javi, who currently serves as the general manager of Cat’s Pajamas Bistro. “The ‘Dog Catcher’ works well as

Owner Connie Dudley-Lauv soft-launched Cat’s Pajamas in Scottsdale through much of the pandemic, then closed to renovate.

(David Minton/Progress Staff Photographer)

a lighter, refreshing drink with a lot of our appetizers. The ‘Yellow Rose of Texas’ pairs well with our spicier dishes like our ropa vieja — which is slow-roasted braised beef that sits atop a mound of Puerto Rican rice and plantains and our ‘Rocky & Bullwinkle’ pairs well with the brownie sundae.”

With twin menus that offer perfect pairings for one another, the food’s infusion of locally sourced ingredients is another aspect that makes the food at Cat’s Pajamas Bistro “The Cat’s Pajamas.”

“We’re trying to bring more of that marble table of different things that you don’t traditionally see here in Arizona while supporting local businesses in the community,” Javi said. “We source our Wild�lower Bread Company, and Arizona family Arizona Bread Company and we get our grass-fed Angus tribal land beef from tribal land.” With its menus solidi�ied and an all-star staff to serve the concoctions, Connie is beginning to see her dreams achieved in the space she procured nearly two years ago.

“I feel like I’ve got the perfect team now that I’ll be able to step back more. I won’t have to be as involved since I’ve just got such a great, great team, so I’m excited about it,” she said. Connie and Javi also have ambitious plans for their restaurant – including a reverse happy hour beginning at 8 p.m., brunch on Saturdays and bringing back the spirit of the classic American bistro with the addition of a cigar patio and cigar selection for patrons as they sip their cool cocktails.

Whether guests come in to grab a sip, a smoke or a bite, Connie and Javi hope to provide an exquisite dining experience that leaves each customer prancing out the door sporting a Cheshire grin.

“I just wanted this to be as wonderful as it can be since food is so comforting and that’s one of the few things that almost everyone can approach,” Connie said.

Cat’s Pajamas Bistro is located at 10323 N. Scottsdale Road. Information: catspajamasbistro.com

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