In a town teeming with steakhouses, Dominick’s stands out as a one-of-a-kind fine dining destination.
“They wanted Dominick’s to be a special, individual restaurant that was uniquely designed. There’s a pool on the roof, poolside dining on the glass-enclosed rooftop,” says Oliver Badgio, chief brand officer for Prime Steak Concepts that includes Dominick’s, Steak 44, Ocean 44 and Steak 48. “It’s an exciting place.”
There are steakhouses, and then there’s Dominick’s Steakhouse. Dominick’s manages to stand out in a city where steakhouses are a dime a dozen. Located in the upscale Scottsdale Quarter, Dominick’s opened in 2011. The restaurant is owned by Mike and Jeff Mastro, the duo behind the popular Mastro’s Steakhouse chain. After Mastro’s sold to Kinderhook Industries in 2007, they decided to open a steakhouse named after their grandfather, Dominick. Dominick’s is designed, above all, to be a one-of-kind restaurant.
Badgio has worked with both Mike and Jeff for about 31 years. For the past 12 years, Dominick’s has stood out as a fine dining destination in the Valley. Customers dress up and come to have a luxe experience.
“The concept for Dominick’s is to have the best of luxury personal service, the best quality food in a beautiful, warm, contemporary environment,” says Badgio.
A Comfortable Atmosphere
Dominick’s is intended to be a welcoming space. Mike and Jeff contracted with Janet Henrich to give the space a softer feel in contrast to the old men’s club vibe that many steakhouses can have. The ceiling above the bar is white, and the bar is topped with silver light fixtures. No detail was too small. Chairs are slightly deeper than most restaurant chairs for comfort and to give female guests a place to put their clutches. The tables are slightly larger than your average ones. The idea is to make customers feel comfortable and as if they have their own space. There’s no curb in front of the restaurant by design.
“When you get out, you want to be able to just gracefully get out of the car, walk to the restaurant, enjoy the ride,” says Badgio. Although no one would go to Dominick’s solely for this feature, it starts the night off on a comfortable, enjoyable note.
At any given time, you might see couples on dates, large groups of friends enjoying a night out and professionals having meetings. They can choose from the lively main dining room, quiet wine room or take a seat by the buzzy bar, depending on the experience they’re searching for.
“The restaurant is a collection of intimate spaces,” says Badgio.
Mike Mastro curates the restaurant’s playlist. Expect an eclectic mix that can feature artists like Elton John, Dean Martin or Bruno Mars.
Pools are an important feature of living in Arizona, and Dominick’s even has an impressive reflecting pool on its second floor.
Fantastic Food
The menu is styled to meet individual tastes. It almost goes without saying, but all the steaks are stellar. Steaks are wet aged 28 days and hand cut in house by the master butcher. The menu offers steaks that range from eight to 22 ounces. Guests can cut into New York strip, filet mignon, a bone-in ribeye and based on availability, an Australian tajima wagyu filet. Guests can add a variety of toppings including crispy shrimp, foie gras, truffle butter and chef-style burrata, among other options. Badgio tells us that the best cut is not listed on the menu. Ask for the butcher’s cut—a wagyu rib cab, or the outside cap of a ribeye, served and sliced 12 ounces.
“It’s the most decadent steak you’ve ever had,” says Badgio.
Dominick’s menu is sophisticated, but also playful and creative. Badgio tells us that appetizers are sized for one to two people so diners can try a variety of apps. Diners can look forward to inventive appetizers like the crispy shrimp deviled eggs or chicken fried lobster tails. Dominick’s menu declares that “sides matter.” Guests can find truffled and salted crispy fries, a loaded baked potato, mac and cheese and roasted brussels sprouts. The corn crème brulee—sweet corn, cream and turbinado sugar—is another tasty, inventive side that combines both savory and sweet flavors.
Fish is another stand-out option. All the fish is certified top load only, meaning it was caught in the last 24 hours, received cold, cut cold, stored cold and then immediately cooked to ensure freshness. Chilean sea bass and Maryland style lump crab cake seasoned with Old Bay and buttered breadcrumbs are highlights. The raw bar includes an array of fish too. Diners can order fresh oysters, Hawaiian poke and three different cocktails: colossal shrimp, Maine lobster or Dungeness crab. The dinner menu also features six salads ranging from a traditional chopped to a Dominick’s Caesar served with a warmed poached egg.
Executive Pastry Chef Christine Conner has crafted a variety of decadent treats for the final course. A few noteworthy options include Lou Lou’s cookies & cream gelato caked. Lou Lou is what Mike’s grandchildren call his wife, Brenda. Chocolate lovers will delight in the triple chocolate bombe—milk chocolate mousse in a dark chocolate shell that’s served with toasted almonds, toasted marshmallow and white chocolate ganache. A red velvet bread pudding served with vanilla gelato, white chocolate and sweet cream cheese is perfect for a chilly winter’s evening. Badgio raved about the crispy banana split. The twist here is that the bananas rolled up in rushed up frosted flakes, cinnamon and sugar. The bananas are then fried and served with salted caramel gelato and Luxardo whipped cream.
All About the Drinks
Director of beverage Kimber Stonehouse curates the wine list and cocktail program.
“She is so passionate about what she does, and you can really feel it in the curation of the wine list,” says Badgio.
The wine list is 650 bottles. The reserve list features hard-to-get and find bottles that are true highlights. Find sparkling, whites, pinot, new world cabernet, new world reds, French reds, Italian and Spanish reds and large format bottles. A few stand out bottles include Dom Perignon, Louis Roederer Cristal Rose and a Screaming Eagle cabernet. Prices range from over $3,000 to just over $100.
Dominick’s also stocks scotch, whiskey, bourbon, beer, tequila, cognac along with sweet and dessert wines. Guests also can look forward to a specialty cocktail and martini menu. Two of the most popular libations are the basil cucumber limeade and the strawberry rhubarb, a blend of vodka, strawberries, rhubarb, fresh pressed lemon and prosecco.
Service
Dominick’s Steakhouse has an onboarding program that’s about nine weeks long for new staff members. They’re trained both in a classroom and a mock setting. The staff tries every menu item and serves plates to each other. They’ll critique their delivery. Staff that have been with the restaurant for years will also receive training. Quarterly, they’ll host a “boot camp” where they can improve and refine their skills. The restaurants also spend time focusing on self-care, time management and even meditation to help their staff thrive and deliver top-notch service.
“When you can care for the whole person, and they’re the best version of themselves, everything they do gets better,” says Badgio.
Celebrity Following
Dominick’s has a celebrity following. Former NFL star and Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald hosts a fundraiser for his eponymous charity at Dominick’s most ever year.
“We have a very special relationship with Larry,” says Badgio. “Larry is one of those guys where if you’ve ever heard a great story about Larry, it’s an understatement.”
Badgio tells us that the restaurant group has known Fitzgerald for about 15 years. Fitzgerald was searching for a way to expand his event, and the Mastro brothers agreed to help him out. Last year, Fitzgerald raised about $850,000 in one night.
VIP guests can even take a private elevator to the second floor to avoid walking through the main dining room floor. With a few days notice, the chef can prepare a special menu. The restaurant’s second floor, wine room and a library dining room can be used as private dining spaces.
Over Super Bowl weekend, Dominick’s will be hosting special parties. The restaurant group also does some philanthropy with The Thunderbirds, the nonprofit responsible for putting on the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Due to its close proximity to the Waste Management Inn, Dominick’s is all but guaranteed to draw crowds in town for both major sporting events.
“What separates us is the totality of the experience. It isn’t just the food. It isn’t just the physical space. It’s the ease of arrival at valet. It’s the thoughtful acoustics in the restaurant and the feeling that you have there. It’s the luxury personal service. It’s the staff training that goes into it. It’s the staffing levels where nobody’s ever too busy, and you can get that personal service and that touch that makes it a special experience and make you feel like you want to you want to come back and you want to share it,” says Badgio. “And also the food. Chef is so creative, and we stayed firmly grounded on a strong American steakhouse platform, but ventured out into exciting things in the area of appetizers and side dishes and salads.”
It’s easy to see why Dominick’s has such a strong following. What ties all of the elements—food, atmosphere and service—together? A devotion to excellent work, which has earned the restaurants accolades. Ocean 44, Steak 44 and Dominick’s Steakhouse were all on OpenTable’s list of the top 100 restaurants in the United States.
“There’s a common thread and everything that we do, and it is, Mike and Jeff and their commitment to the best quality in everything that we can do. If it’s the best, let’s do it,” says Badgio. “That really is how they do everything, and it’s special to be a part of. I’m very grateful for that.”
