Nook Kitchen to open inside renovated downtown hotel

Nook Kitchen, a popular Arcadia eatery, will open a second location at the Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix Downtown, a swanky Art Deco-inspired hotel, The Republic has learned.

The hotel will take over the historic Professional Building on Monroe Street and Central Avenue in Phoenix. It's scheduled to open in December, while the restaurant, owned by Frank Vairo and Erin Brown, is targeted for early 2016.

The food at Nook, which is overseen by chef Nick LaRosa, is gold for hoteliers because it hits that sweet spot between approachable and interesting. The menu features such dishes as diavolo pizza topped with hand-pulled mozzarella, short rib poutine, wood-fired olives with spicy sopressata, pan-seared salmon with blood orange liquor and maple-glazed pork chop with sweet potato and butternut squash hash. The drink menu features cocktails and boutique wine.

The decor at Nook will mirror the hotel’s aesthetic: 19-foot floor-to-ceiling windows and ornate columns, tufted banquet seats, and marble-topped bar.

The hotel, which was built in 1931, has 12 floors and 170 guestrooms. It will retain such historic elements as the elevator corridors and Art Deco ceiling, manager Michelle Davis told the Republic. New elements include a rooftop terrace, meeting spaces, fitness center and retail shopping along the ground floor.

Details: 15 E. Monroe St., Phoenix. 602-343-0006, nookkitchen.com, hiltongardeninn.com.