North is the first restaurant I've found in Scottsdale where I thought "this is a sophisticated restaurant". There are many expensive and pretentious restaurants in the area, but few come close to living up to their reputations - North is the exception. The food was fabulous.
With a great atmosphere, a well trained staff, and locavore based Italian food, it was really good. It's on a small street in a mall complex, so I never would have found out about it without the recommendation of a friend who lives in Scottsdale. With so many mediocre restaurants getting good Yelp reviews here, it's hard to separate the truly good from the merely reasonably good based on Yelp stars, but North is exceptional.
We sampled several appetizers (cauliflower, grilled artichoke, braised meatballs, calamari), all good, especially the grilled cauliflower. We also had five different entrees (short ribs, rosemary chicken, grilled branzino, scallops, Caesar salad), all of which I can recommend. North is not inexpensive, but it is definitely worth more than one visit. I do suggest reservations, as walk-ins can wait a long time before being seated.