Step into the patio at Urban Fraîche, under trellises dripping with vines, past sarcophagi, aged wooden gates, statuary, walls festooned with plaques and friezes, and colorful columns that look straight out of the movie Cleopatra, and you’ve entered the vision of owner/chef Dean Waziry.
If you’re coming in at night, in addition to the Egyptian-themed décor and music, a belly dancer may be working her way among the tables.
The restaurant-cum-shop is festooned with papyrus, more sarcophagi – including a vivid life-size copy of King Tut’s sarcophagus standing next to a gleaming statue of the jackal god Wepwawet – more friezes and pottery, jewelry and a myriad other examples of Egyptian art and culture.
Old Persian rugs cover the polished concrete floors, Egyptian music plays and a network of wire hovers over the downstairs dining area. Vines are being trained along the wires and eventually, guests will dine under a living green ceiling.
Look closely and there’s a price tag on much of it. This is, after all, a shop as well as a place to dine. Even some of the tables are for sale. Many of them are covered in gleaming wood, crafted by Waziry.
A faint aroma of cinnamon is in the air, no surprise since the spice is a foundation flavor for much Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking.
The menu changes daily, based on what Waziry finds at the market. This day, the brunch fare includes an Alexandria-style fish sandwich served with Fattoush salad, pita, greens, a homemade pickle mix, hummus, tahini, tzatziki and harissa. There’s also braised lamb shoulder with large penne pasta, tomato, peas, wild mushrooms, cheese and a cream sauce seasoned with complex layers of Mediterranean spices. Moroccan style braised curry goat is served with almond raisin couscous, roasted vegetables and pita.
“Our focus is on the countries on the Mediterranean, and anything that comes from those countries could be represented,” he said.
“Normally midweek our menu is a little bit shorter than the weekend because we cook fresh every day and we base it on how many covers we expect. Today we have curry goat, which has become one of my signature dishes. People love that, they drive for hours now to get here and have it, so it’s becoming a staple item for me.”
His lamb dishes – a ragout with large penne, lamb shank slow-cooked – are other customer musts. “We use tons of lamb here,” Waziry said.
Beef Wellington is on the dinner menu, with a ragout of up to 10 wild mushrooms, a slow-cooked demiglace and wine reduction, and a sauce with a base of dried porcini mushrooms. A drizzle of hibiscus Port wine sauce dresses the plate.
The techniques and ingredients reflect Waziry’s background in traditional French cuisine. His career path included training in fine restaurants all around Manhattan, as well as the Culinary Institute of America. He spent about 20 years as a chef, then moved to the corporate hospitality industry, in hotel/resort management.
“I do all the cooking myself,” Waziry said. “Everything that comes out of this kitchen – all the mother sauces, all the basic cooking, all the methods – that’s me, then I let my team do the final touches and the plates. But all the depth of the restaurant, that’s 100 percent me.”
That goes for the décor, artwork, jewelry and the rest that fill the place, he said. “That’s all me. I’m wearing it and I change it every day.”
Waziry moved to Arizona three years ago, to manage a hotel here, but his dream was to open his own place, “About two years ago, I decided to do something that’s focused on people, not on margin and percentage. I wanted to share all my research and knowledge with as many people as possible, so we decided to open Urban Fraîche. Everything we have in the company has the same name because it’s focused on the same concept, inspiring people to live better.”
The gallery was first, then the spa, about 10 blocks east on Camelback. In addition to furniture, art, antiques, jewelry and other items for purchase, guests can dine at the café and bistro, or pamper themselves at the salon and massage spa.
They’re managed by Dean’s wife, Heba, while he puts much of his focus on the restaurant, which opened just over a year ago. They’re in negotiations to open two more locations in Scottsdale. “Our plan is to spread not just in Arizona, it’s to reach out to as many people as possible,” Waziry said.
Fresh coconut water with rose petals (photo by Darryl Webb for North Central News) Braised lamb shoulder with penne pasta, tomato, peas, wild mushroom, cheese and a cream sauce seasoned with complex layers of Mediterranean spices (photo by Darryl Webb for North Central News) Moroccan-style braised curry goat with couscous, roasted vegetables and pita (photo by Darryl Webb for North Central News)
“We live the life that we teach. I like to share a lot of my cooking philosophy with as many people as possible. Spiritually, mentally, your wellbeing, everything comes from what you’re feeding your organs. Giving them clean food with no chemicals, food coloring, they’re doing their job, and you’re living healthy, you have a stronger immune system, you’re not eating food that’s loaded with chemicals and parasites.
“On top of that, our restaurant is not just focused on food, it’s focused on the experience, on hospitality. We have belly dancers because it makes people happy, and they experience that there’s culture outside this country.
“Life needs to be balanced. You cannot have a healthy life without having a healthy mind, a healthy lifestyle. People think it has to be something big, but a five-dollar plant can add to your happiness.”
Urban Fraîche, 111 E. Camelback Road, is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. For information, call 650-773-8135 or visit www.urbanfraiche.com.
