I look at the pizza smothered in mushrooms.

“Are there supposed to be mushrooms on this?” I ask.

“Yes, of course,” the server says.

“Are you sure?” I ask again. “I thought the menu said it comes with just sausage, peppers and onions.”

“No, it definitely comes with mushrooms,” he says.

Halfway through my meal, though, the server returns.

“You were right,” he tells me. “It isn’t supposed to have mushrooms. We’re sorry about that.”

No biggie. The pizza tastes fine. But I can’t help but wonder how both the server and the cook could be so unfamiliar with Pasta Brioni’s 20-item everyday menu, especially since there are only four pizzas (including four-cheese, pictured above) listed.

It pretty much sums up my experiences at Pasta Brioni, a well-worn but comfortable neighborhood Italian restaurant on the southwest corner of Miller and Camelback roads in Scottsdale.

On the one hand, many dishes are very good. On the other … well, sometimes I wind up scratching my head.

For years, the restaurant’s cellar-like dining room — darker now that red-and-white-checkered tablecloths have been replaced by a sea of maroon — was a lively starting point for the city’s see-and-be-seen nightlife crowd.

Under new owner Bob Giannini, who bought the place four years ago, it seems a little tamer, at least during my recent visits, drawing more families and senior citizens.

The black-clad servers — all male, all calendar-worthy — still playfully flirt in their East Coast Italian accents, real or imagined, with 20- and 30-something female guests.

And the menu — which features up to 15 daily specials listed on whiteboards — still focuses on hearty Italian meat and pasta dishes, which can range from merely average to delicious.

The former, mostly, can be attributed to a mundane house marinara.

Take, for example, chicken Parmesan ($19) with the poultry hammered thin enough to cover a dinner plate and topped with so much mozzarella that someone asks, “What type of pizza is that?”

The thinly breaded meat is wonderfully tender. It would be one of the best chicken parms I’ve ever had — save for the lackluster marinara, which on another visit puts a damper on an otherwise impressive plate of spaghetti and meatballs ($9.50).

But other dishes I try are more rewarding, such as the pasta e fagioli ($7), a well-seasoned bean and pasta soup. Paired with a couple of Pasta Brioni’s tasty dinner rolls, this appetizer would make a great light meal.

I see several people ordering the spinach and ricotta dumplings ($15), and when I finally try them it’s easy to see why they’re so popular. Maryland crab cakes also ($11) are enjoyable.

I’m not a huge fan of mushrooms (hence, my pizza question) but a flavorful veal Marsala ($18.50) has me lapping up every sauteed slice.

And, even more surprising, my favorite dish in all my visits turns out to be ravioli stuffed with wild mushrooms in a light Fontina cheese sauce ($19).

Go figure. Just another head-scratcher at Pasta Brioni, I guess.

PASTA BRIONI
Where: 4416 N. Miller Road, Scottsdale (southwest corner of Miller and Camelback roads). Additional location in Mesa.
Open: Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner 5 p.m. to close daily. Order-at-the-counter-style “cafe” next door opens 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday and noon Sunday.
Prices: Appetizers $6-$9, pastas $15-$24, entrees $16-$36, pizzas $6.50-$18.95, desserts $6-$7
Info: (480) 994-0028 or pastabrioni.com

Posted in: Scottsdale |

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