Barcelona: Old world cuisine, new world flavors
Creative cuisine, passionate service and a lot of red energize North Scottsdale night spot

NORTH SCOTTSDALE – Barcelona is not just a beautiful city in Spain standing majestically at the edge of the Mediterranean. In North Scottsdale, Barcelona is a restaurant where the luxurious decor enfolds you, the music moves you, the lobster sits tall atop filet mignon, and the martinis are served ice cold.

Despite its name, Barcelona restaurant at Greenway‑Hayden Loop makes no pretentious statements claiming to serve authentic Spanish cuisine, according to Suzanne VanRikxoord, Barcelona’s director of sales.

“Regional American with a Mediterranean flair,” is how she describes the fare.

As they like to say at Barcelona, it’s old world cuisine with new world flavors.

The menu focuses on prime meats and seafood. Their signature entree is Filet & Lobster “Oscar Style,” but the restaurant also considers two varieties of the delectable Spanish staple, paella, as signature dishes.

Executive Chef Thomas Nasworthy, who holds a degree from Scottsdale Culinary Institute, likes to use his imagination, and his creatively built,  plated presentations tend to be tall and intricate. Beyond the fine presentations, the food at Barcelona is muy deliciosa.

To brighten up Mondays, Barcelona runs all dinner entrees at half‑price from 4 to 10 p.m.

And on what Barcelona calls “Wine‑Down Wednesdays,” most bottled wine is half‑price.

The wine list is what Chris Galante, Barcelona’s beverage director of four years, calls “comfortable.” He assures diners: “If you drink wine, you’ll know these labels,” which range from about $30 (Ferrari‑Carano) to $900 (Chateau Margaux 1986).

“He’s got several labels he’s quite proud of,” said VanRikxoord, referring to wines from Carmel Valley, Calif.

“We buy more Cristal than anyone in Arizona,” Galante says of his most expensive champagne ($600). “The only people in the Southwest who buy more Cristal than us are in (Las) Vegas.”

And on a Saturday night, according to VanRikxoord, you might think you were in Las Vegas. Celebrities such as Jon Bon Jovi, Paula Abdul, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan often pop in to enjoy the music and dancing at this Scottsdale hot spot.

“If you haven’t been here at 11 on a Saturday night,” VanRikxoord says, “you haven’t lived. It’s packed to the nines. It’s a rockin’ place.”

When you enter Barcelona, you walk past the two huge bronze lions at the reception desk and step into an expansive 30,000 square‑foot interior that features many dining areas, seating alcoves, bars and a large state‑of‑the‑art dance floor. The interior flows in a landscape of rich leather, glittering glass and cool marble, held up by massive columns. Magnifico is a word that comes to mind.

It’s as impressive on a large scale as Nasworthy’s culinary creations are on a small scale. Calling Barcelona just another restaurant is a little like calling the Sagrada Familia just another church. Not only with reference to size but to integrity.  

“We cater to parties of two to 2,000,” VanRikxoord says, explaining that Barcelona prides itself on providing “fine dining with a personality.”

Enter the “Mayor of Barcelona,” Johnny Saleeby, the general manager of the restaurant, who shares his charm and charisma with every table. “He’s the consumate host, the epitome of hospitality,” explains VanRikxoord. “He dresses like a million bucks, and the women go ga‑ga. He’s the face of Barcelona.”

“We’re all passionate about what we do and we’re fortunate enough to work for someone who lets us fulfill our commitment to that passion,” says Charles F. Smith III, Barcelona’s service manager.

The “someone” he’s referring to is not, in this case, Saleeby, but Barcelona’s creator and owner, Danny Hendon.

Hendon’s vision is evident in every aspect of Barcelona, from the flooring to the furniture, from the food to flowing vodka on tap at the bar.

“Barcelona is Danny’s brainchild,” says VanRikxoord. “He set out to reinvent the old supper club sort of feel, but for 2000,” which was the year Hendon opened Barcelona. 

“He’s very hands‑on,” continues VanRikxoord. “All the menus go through Danny. He approves everything. He’s all about the best–he always wants to work with the best.”

Smith, who manages the entire service corps, concurs. “The personable quality of our staff shines through on each table,” he says.

And that includes the tables in the other, smaller, section of the Scottsdale Barcelona experience, its recently opened lounge, La Rouge.

According to VanRikxoord, “La Rouge used to be our valet parking lot,” but the cars have been parked elsewhere since last January, when the La Rouge lounge opened right across the courtyard from the main building.

La Rouge is, as you might expect, decorated in red. The leather, the drapes, the walls, the chairs all glow in vibrant red. The bar‑to‑ceiling, room‑length, glass‑shelf wall presents a colorful, sparkling tableaux of what VanRikxoord calls “every vodka known to man.”

The other walls are adorned with the work of Canadian‑born artist and former member of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, Victor Ostrovsky. His paintings, a special series commissioned by Hendon especially for La Rouge, present a mysterious melange of celebration and intrigue, colorful dancers and musicians who may not be who they seem because all their eyes, their identities, are obscured by hat brims, scarves, umbrellas and the like.

The fun and furtive feel of Ostrovsky’s paintings is perfect for this scarlet‑soaked lounge which provides a quieter hideaway from the state‑of‑the‑art sound and lighting that propels the high‑energy Top‑40 music of the band ENVY on Barcelona’s dance floor.

The main restaurant “is an absolute buzz of energy after 10 p.m.,” says VanRikxoord. “So if you don’t want to dance, La Rouge is the perfect place.” And it’s right next door.

Two worlds are better than one. Barcelona in Scottsdale provides them both. And luckily, there’s plenty of room.

Barcelona North Scottsdale is located at 15440 Greenway‑Hayden Loop. Hours are Monday‑Wednesday from 4 to 11 p.m. (The kitchen closes at 10 p.m.) and Thursday‑Saturday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. (The kitchen closes at 11 p.m.). Closed Sunday except for private engagements. Simon Crown plays jazz, Motown and R&B Monday‑Wednesday from 7 to 11 p.m. ENVY plays classic dinner music from 7 to 10 p.m. and high‑energy dance music from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday‑Saturday. For information, call (480) 603‑0370 or visit www.barcelonadining.com. To arrange group events call Suzanne VanRikxoord at (480) 419‑5667.