Approachable Luxury: Seafood-Centric Rockefeller shines in McCormick Ranch

To enter seafood restaurant Rockefeller you have to walk under tan-colored arches that practically signal that you’re in for a grand experience at this hot spot located in Scottsdale’s McCormick Ranch neighborhood. Designed by Brick & West Design, the restaurant has a contemporary feel with an Art Deco edge. You’ll open an impressive oversized glass door that showcases a bar, orange booths on one side, tables on another and an expansive outdoor patio that’s enclosed by a short concrete wall. The décor is varied, but not overstimulating. We loved the gold accents throughout. Chair legs and heavy chains that cover the entrance to the bathrooms were nice gold touches. But the bar halo is the true focal point of the restaurant, which opened in January of 2022. The custom-made steel halo—essentially a gold cage—that extends from the ceiling to the top of the bar holds all the wine and liquor bottles. The bar itself is a nice matte black color and also features soft floor lighting.

“We focus as much on the bar as we do the food,” says Rockefeller owner Danny Quinn of F&F Concepts. “Rockefeller has definitely brought that craft cocktail vibe to the area.”

As far as the name, Quinn was discussing what he would call the restaurant with a designer and architect friend. Quinn said the restaurant would be serving oyster’s Rockefeller. His friend said, “There’s your name.” The name embodies the restaurant’s essence.

“We try to be what we call approachable lux,” says Quinn.

Rockefeller’s menu is admittedly small. It’s just a single page that includes four entrees, one dessert and is dominated by small plates, which is by design. When Quinn goes out, he tends to order five or so appetizers.

“I want to try everything,” he says.

Quinn has worked in the restaurant business for his entire professional career. He also owns Pubblico Italian Eatery, with one location in Scottsdale and another in Phoenix. Quinn and the owner of The Village of Hayden where Rockefeller is located are friends. Another restaurant was supposed to go into the space, but the deal fell through. The owner asked Quinn what he thought should go in there. Quinn’s response? A seafood restaurant. Seafood is flown in fresh daily. The service is casual but smart.

“All my servers and my bartenders need to have a knowledge of the menu, “ says Quinn.

One of the restaurant’s biggest draws? The cocktail menu. When you’re in the restaurant, look up at the bar that holds all the bottles. You’ll find “things that are familiar with a sprinkle of cool,” says Edgar Garcia, beverage director for Rockefeller.

“It’s not the bar your dad has or your grandpa has. It’s the guy in your family that has all the tattoos,” says Garcia. “I didn’t turn away my core people, which is the Tito’s of the world and the Maker’s Mark of the world, but I also added a bunch of labels that nobody would ever find or couldn’t find at your local Total Wine.”

Trendy beverages that you can look forward to trying include natural wines, a Syrah from Gramercy Cellars in Washington state, an Irish cream from Ireland, Chenin Blanc from South Africa’s Beaumont Family Wines and other products from small batch companies. Arizona beer from Wren House, Simple Machine Brewing Company and Phx Beer Co. alongside a red blend from Brigand in Sonoita also make an appearance.

The wine menu is broken down into three tiers: budget or by the glass that’s called “ballin’ on a budget” on the menu; by the bottle or “oh, you fancy;” and newer, trendy items or “while they’re hot.” Descriptions of the drink options are whimsical. Descriptions like: “Not a hairband, but it sure is boozy line one” of a Tooth & Nail Tempranillo from Paso Robles, California.

This whimsy is intended to “get people not to take some of these things so seriously and be able to try something new,” says Garcia. Samples are offered of anything that’s sold by the glass so diners can try a few sips before committing to an entire glass. Cocktails are a menu highlight too.

“We try to tackle a lot of the classics in very different angles,” says Garcia.

Take, for example, the restaurant’s Ms. Cosmo. Made with Ketel One blend, Cointreau, cranberry, lime and a made-in-house lemon oleo saccharum. To make this, the staff puts sugar and lemon peels in a bag and all the air is extracted from it. The sugar extracts oils from the lemon to make an ingredient that tastes more like an actual lemon rather than an overly sweet lemon drop.

We kicked off our meal with a violet-colored Butterfly Daiquiri. The drink starts off sweet but has a bitter finish that made for one dynamic drink. For our first course, we had to order the Oyster’s Rockefeller. These six oysters were filled with a rich béchamel sauce, spinach, bacon, Parmigiano Reggiano and bread crumbs. What we loved most about this decedent dish were the bacon pieces that added a savory, salty bite to this classic seafood dish. Next up was the crab cake. The meaty crab cake was topped with crunchy fried leeks and served on a round white plate with an artful dash of just-spicy-enough chipotle aioli that complemented the crab cakes perfectly. For our entrée, we had the salmon beurre blanc. The flaky, tender salmon topped with a flavorful dill and lemon beurre blanc and perched on top of lobster mashed potatoes and asparagus. Our dishes were all rich, filling and seasoned just right.

Plans for brunch are in the works and may be served by the time you’re reading this. Like many Scottsdale restaurants, a live DJ spins tunes on Fridays and Saturdays. Rockefeller stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday and even has a reverse happy hour—making it a lively addition to the area.

Overall, we appreciated the mix of old and new at this restaurant. From the classic Art Deco décor and oysters on the menu to the buzzy drinks, Rockefeller is where the Old World meets the new.