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FOOD & DRINK
SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | MARCH 1, 2020
Food & Drink
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Coming Thai eatery promises to be ‘Tang-y’ BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer
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os Angeles native Courtney Luengthada spent years working his way up the ranks at the renowned but nowshuttered modern Thai restaurant Tommy Tang’s in Hollywood and became good friends with Tang himself. But it’s always been Luengthada’s lifelong dream to open up his own Thai restaurant. Now, nearly two decades since Tang’s Los Angeles restaurant closed, Luengthada and his partner, Jeffrey Fisher, will finally do just that. Kin Dai Kin Dee, a 2,400-square-foot, full-service, contemporary Thai concept, is slated to open late spring. The restaurant will occupy the old Melting Pot space just off Hayden Road and north of East Via de Ventura. At Kin Dai Kin Dee, Luengthada and
Jeffrey Fisher and Courtney Luengthada are the owners of Kin Dai Kin Dee, a contemporary Thai concept slated to open in late spring. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer)
Fisher will combine Luengthada’s Thai family recipes and his experience working in a highly-touted Thai restaurant with the
couple’s combined past experiences living in seven different cities together, including four in Italy.
“It’s grounded in a mixture of family recipes; but because we’ve had the opportunity to live across the U.S. and Europe, we’re trying to bring some of those influences in [not only] from an experience perspective, but also from a menu perspective,” Fisher said. Kin Dai Kin Dee’s menu features a traditional, yet elevated take on pad Thai: Instead of the egg mixed into the pad Thai dish, the noodles are wrapped with egg, like an omelet. An example of Thai-with-a-Europeantwist is the Ragu Curry Di Tailandia, which combines short ribs, Panang curry, and kaffir lime with organic penne pasta. “The recipes and the flavor themselves, they really need to be grounded in authenticity, but we want to have fun with them, and we want to bring a different approach to it because there’s really good Thai food
see KIN DAI page 48
The flavors of Michigan come to Scottsdale
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Progress Staff Writer
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hen David Najor moved to Arizona, he brought the feelings, the work ethic and the love he has for Michigan. His new Detroit Coney Grill restaurant in Scottsdale is peppered with Great Lakes State freeway signs and photos of famous Michiganders, but more importantly, there’s the food. The Detroit native lines his shelves with Sanders hot fudge, Better Made chips, Sanders trail mix and Vernors and Faygo pop – not soda here – everything Michiganders have come to love. Coneys are the top dog here, with chili, mustard and onions piled high.
David Najor said his faith in God assures he’ll be successful—and he has with Detroit Coney Grill, which recently opened in Scottsdale. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer)
“I noticed the Coneys out here were garbage and a lot of the restaurants out here were not mom-and-pop establishments,” Najor said in between guests’ hugs. “It was all chain after chain after chain. Everyone thought I was going to fail because it’s a new business, new state, new industry, but I just kept it simple.” Najor and his family are in the grocery store business, but by keeping it simple, he has found success with food. “I just treat people the way I would want to be treated,” Najor said. “I offer good food at a fair price. I have God on my side, so I can’t lose—ever.” The extensive menu includes a Detroit
see DETROIT page 49
