Guiseppe's on 28th or Pasta Brioni?
Can anyone offer any opinions about either Guiseppe's on 28th or Pasta Brioni? We have friends that want to go to one or the other on Saturday but want us to pick. I've never been to either and since I know they are both way different than my favorite Marcellino's not sure which one to go with. HELP!
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tmoney
Aug 5, 2009 12:51 AM
i found la fontanella's on indian school. and maybe 36th st. great homemade food been around a long time and i just found it. great service and great food
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re: tmoney
johnseberg
Aug 5, 2009 03:43 AM
It's been reviewed, here.
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La Fontanella Italian Rstrnt
4231 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85018
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re: Poerz
arizonagirl
Aug 4, 2009 04:19 PM
Trust me....neither place would be MY choice. Anyway...we ended up at a place called Uncle Sal's...again not MY choice...but we had a great time which in the end is all that matters :-)
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We were at Giuseppe's last night to meet a friend. I'd never even heard of it before yesterday. Is it some kind of well-kept local secret? I was particularly surprised to see Guy Fieri's picture all over the place and a big banner out in front announcing his visit. Guess I missed this episode.
Anyway, we got there at 7 and didn't have to wait for a table. It's a tiny place though. Tiny tiny. There was a wait when we left at 8:30. As scaheld mentions not a lot of atmosphere. Just a little neighborhood joint. No frills at all(plastic cups for water even! Ugh. what waste and I hate drinking out of plastic but I digress...).
Anyway, very friendly service! Typical red sauce restaurant menu. Friday night is homemade pasta night so fresh pasta can be subbed for a $2 up charge.
we started with some calamari. Not fried which was a refreshing change. Sauteed with a spicy red sauce that included some peas. The sauce was very tasty! The calamari itself was very tender but kind of bland. We had some garlic bread along with it. Would have liked more bread to soak up the sauce.
We're a very predictable crowd and I ordered the spaghettie with clams in white sauce which I always get in pasta restaurants. This was a pretty good version. Not fresh clams which was a little disappointing but the price was lower than most other places to make up for that. I asked for this spicy and it came out perfect for my palate. the fresh pasta was good. My only complaint was the dish was heavy on the butter for my taste. I would have preferred less butter and more wine and clam stock but all in all a decent version.
Husband had one of the specials pasta with rapini and sausage. His favorite thing to order(we really are predictable). Same fresh pasta I had in my dish. The sausage the use was tasty - lots of fennel. the rapini was cooked just right. He was pleased.
Our friend had the eggplant parm. This was heavily breaded and the eggplant got lost. the red sauce was very good though. Not one of her favorite versions of this dish(this is her predictable order when we go out for italian).
We passed on dessert. I had an espresso which was kind of weak. Our bill was $72 including two glasses of wine and an iced tea.
All in all not bad. I wonder what was featured on guy's show? What are they known for? I don't know that I'd drive up from Chandler just to eat there but if I lived in the neighborhood I'd stop in and pick up take out, especially once we identified what the homeruns on the menu might be. The people running it seemed really nice.
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scaheld
Jul 30, 2009 09:15 AM
Well, very good food & so-so atmosphere at Guiseppe's; plus a likely wait outside. Brioni will get you okay food & male eye-candy with an East Coast Italian vibe. They are VERY different picks so it just depends on what kind of experience you're seeking.
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Pasta Brioni
4416 N. Miller, Scottsdale, AZ 85251Guiseppe's
2824 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016
