The Le Bon Temps Restaurants team is excited to bring Forge Wood-Fired Pizza (2502 E. Camelback Rd.) to the Union shops at the Biltmore Fashion Park, opening to the public on October 7th. Located inside a stylish, custom-designed space featuring a large bar, an imported Valoriani wood-burning oven, and a spacious and shaded patio with 2 large fire pits, Forge is a raucous yet food-forward pizzeria & pub. Executive Chef Jeffrey Amber and his team will serve lunch and dinner 7 days a week with a menu highlighted by hearty starters such as Crispy Cheese Curds and Long Cooked Ribs, as well as fresh salads and two-fisted sandwiches like the Fried Chicken with citrus greens and Calabrian aioli. That said, the real stars here are the signature wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas like the Fat Boy Pizza with house made sausage, bacon, pickled peppers and cream and the Three Cheese Pizza with mozzarella, seasoned ricotta, roasted garlic, and topped with arugula, lemon and Parmesan all prepared with seasonal ingredients to showcase sunny Arizona’s bounty. Forge will also pour local craft beers, including 8 drafts via a custom-designed cast-iron tap system, as well as select American and European wine varietals and a craft cocktail program using ingredients such as house-made ginger beer.
This is the third Forge location, with the original located on the gorgeous waterfront of Jack London Square in Oakland, CA. But Forge also has deep Valley roots thanks to partner, Andy Byrnes, a renowned local architect, builder and founder of the Phoenix-based design-build firm, The Construction Zone. Now Byrnes has partnered with restaurant entrepreneurs Michael Karp (owner of Barbacoa and Table 24) and Bob Burke (Pat Kuleto Restaurant Group and Gordon Biersch Brewing Co.) to found Le Bon Temps Restaurants, a full service restaurant firm that offers a turnkey solution for restaurants and bars. Forge also brings together a top-notch food and beverage team, with Chef Amber (former executive chef at XYZ, Chow, Moose’s and other San Francisco hotspots and guest chef at the prestigious James Beard House in Manhattan) and Jef Pimental who brings his quirky style of service and incredibly extensive knowledge of craft beers.
As in Oakland, Forge at the Biltmore evokes an industrial, shipyard-like vibe thanks to decorative elements such as black hot rolled steel, rough-sawn ‘burnt’ wood and the 6-inch steel gas pipe beer tap system. Furthermore, the combination of soaring ceilings and a rolling custom steel window wall helps blur the lines between the indoors and the expansive outdoor dining deck at this compact 1,500 sq.-ft. restaurant. However, Forge’s heart is undoubtedly the steel clad Valoriani pizza oven set in an open industrial space. All the details work together to make the guest feel included in the pizza making magic as they watch each pie, wood-fired to crusty perfection.
