Chef Alex Stratta traveled the world, sharing his craft in Pakistan, Singapore, North Carolina, Phoenix and Las Vegas. After decades in hospitality, James Beard-winning chef Alex Stratta thought he was done cooking. 

But Stratta heard about Belmont Kitchen & Cocktails’ philosophy. Concurrently, co-founder Phillip Lewkowicz caught wind of his interest. 

“When Alex and I first spoke on the phone last June, I immediately realized how aligned we were,” Lewkowicz said. “My entire background has been in fine dining, and obviously Alex has spent his career at the highest levels of fine dining as well. But what we both wanted to create at Belmont was something different — a fun, comfortable, and approachable atmosphere while still bringing very serious food to the table.”

After that first “long phone call,” Lewkowicz was excited to meet him in person. 

“Alex came out and cooked for Neal [Lewkowicz’s business partner, Neal Thompson], my wife and me, and we were blown away. He immediately understood what we were building and has helped elevate Belmont’s culinary scene while keeping it approachable, neighborhood-driven and fun,” Lewkowicz said. 

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In August 2025, Lewkowicz and Thompson spoke with Stratta, who offered his 2 cents. He soon became part of Belmont Kitchen & Cocktails’ executive chef. The restaurant, which opened in February 2025, is Rosewood Concepts’ latest chef-driven dining destination. 

Recently, the North Scottsdale eatery introduced The Chef’s Table at Belmont, an exclusive dining experience available to a single table on select evenings. Led by Stratta, the intimate experience features a private, multi-course tasting menu tailored to the guests’ preferences, personal interaction with Stratta, and luxury wine pairings throughout the evening.

The experience is priced at $1,000 per guest, with a minimum party of four, and wine pairings are included. Tax and gratuity are additional. Only one table is available for each select evening, which will be revealed soon.

For Stratta, Belmont represents “the easier, softer way” — a place where he can still cook with precision but also connect with guests, know their names, and not “pull his hair out 24 hours a day.” Lewkowicz is on the floor almost daily, keeping a pulse on the restaurant and ready to “push the pause button” if anything feels off course.

Stratta’s daily menu showcases premium ingredients, seasonal flavors, and thoughtful execution, with a strong emphasis on sourcing from Arizona farms and local producers. Some dishes quickly became signatures: the short rib, the rack of lamb, the tuna tartare and the sea bass that regulars rave about.

The miso-glazed black cod — orange butter sauce, savoy cabbage and peanut sambal ($56) — is a hot commodity. For carnivores, there’s the 8-ounce Argentine filet mignon ($68) and 8-ounce American Wagyu New York strip ($55). The roasted beet and pineapple salad is a nutty delight with goat cheese, toasted pistachio and aged balsamico ($19). 

A creative twist is the porcini mushroom cigars, truffle pecorino, wilted spinach, roasted chicken jus and wild mushrooms ($23). 

“There are a lot of items from what I call our ‘core menu’ that fit the mold perfectly with what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We’re very, very conscientious of the guest experience. My experience hasn’t made me stubborn. It’s made me much more flexible. I can navigate whether someone wants to do fancy stuff or a taco night. We can do it well. I think that’s what Phil and I have agreed on. That seems to be the pulse for this restaurant: being flexible.”

Happy hour has been a hit, with guest favorites Mishima Wagyu burger ($24), quesabirra tacos ($22) and Spritz Decision ($15). 

“That was the part that really inspired me to come with Phil,” said Stratta, a colon cancer survivor. “I watched the place fill up at 3 o’clock and it was August. The place was full. It’s 4 o’clock. It’s 100 degrees outside. There were 60 people at the bar and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh. That was for me. There’s something going on here.’

“And super night, there was definitely a spark.” 

Stratta brought classical French and Italian technique, structure, and a sense of purpose. He refined the kitchen’s foundation, clarified the restaurant’s culinary identity, and helped define Belmont as a luxury neighborhood restaurant — a place where a sea bass with stewed peppers and crispy potatoes feels as natural as a Wagyu burger at happy hour.

“I’ve been fortunate,” he said. “I had my own two-star Michelin restaurant, Alex, for five years at the Wynn Las Vegas,” he said. 

“I know what it takes. I know what we want. I know how to do it and what is necessary. I could do most of this stuff pretty much on the fly because it’s about repetition and practice. A lot of these dishes I’ve been doing for 30 years. People still go, ‘Oh my god. This is the best shirt rib.’ I say, ‘That’s the same one we did in 1992.’ It’s that easy.”