Cotton & Copper, a much-anticipated craft restaurant and bar that pays homage to Arizona and its past, opens at 3 p.m. today in south Tempe.
Cotton & Copper’s name, of course, references two of the historic ‘‘Five C’s’’ that built Arizona’s economy – the others being cattle, citrus, and climate.
It joins the recently opened Tempe Public Market and the soon-to-open Ghost Ranch on the northeast corner of Rural and Warner.
The concept is the brainchild of Sean Traynor (pictured), who worked with cocktail bars Counter Intuitive in Scottsdale and UnderTow in Phoenix.
To head the kitchen, he brought in chef Tamara Stanger, who garnered critical acclaim for her cuisine at Helio Basin Brewing in Phoenix.
The menu, printed to look like a Territorial-era newspaper, begins with a dozen specialty cocktails ($11-$12) named after once-burgeoning mining towns (now mostly ghost towns) such as Agua Caliente, Lucky Cuss, Silver King, Vulture City, and Two Guns.
There are eight craft beers on tap – all locals – as well as more by the bottle or can. A dozen wines are available by the glass.
Stanger’s food complements start with appetizers like warm Pima wheat rolls with smoked honey butter ($6), O’odham tepary bean spread with local vegetables ($10), and corn dumplings with parmesan cream and heirloom tomatoes ($8).
There are three handhelds: a local beef burger, a sherry-and-beet veggie burger, and a cornmeal-crusted chicken sandwich topped with an egg (all $13 with choice of salad, spicy house chips, or heirloom soup).
Just four entrees are offered: a cast-iron filet medallion ($23), Belgian hare and gnocchi ($21), desert herb-roasted cauliflower ($17), and applewood-smoked rainbow trout ($18).
The only dessert is “vintage house pie’’ ($7).
A rotating selection of late-night ‘‘chef sammies’’ is planned.
To start, Cotton & Copper will be open 3-11 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Sunday hours still are under consideration.
