Andreoli (Scottsdale)

[molto e]

Andreoli's Italian Grocer

8880 E. Via Linda

Scottsdale, Az.

480-614-1980

10 AM - 8 PM ( m-th)

10 AM- 9 PM (f and sat)

When I received a tip on an Italian deli from a New Yorker (eGulleter DRPNY), I immediately freed up my next meal to check it out (well actually I was there at 9:30 AM peering in thru the window). Andreoli's is a venture by Giovanni, the former owner of Lecabaffi and Galileo, and this is not the typical red sauce, chicken parm, meatball joint that the Valley has plenty of (and I like a few of those).

Menu

The location is slightly west of the corner at Via Linda and 90th st, on the Via Linda side of the Fry's Marketplace center. If you are travelling west on Via Linda from 90th, right before the underpass is an entrance to the center and the brown building is the Andreoli's. Andreoli's also sells various Italian staples: Pasta, anchovies, San Marzano tomatoes, cheeses, cured meats, house baked breads and pastries and beverages.

I sampled the following:

panino in porchetta - roasted pork, seasoned with garlic, fennel and black pepper $7.50

panino del tirolo - speck, pesto, tomatoes, and rucola $7.75

Both were good but I enjoyed the panino del tirolo a little more.

arancini alla catanese - rice stuffed with Bolognese and peas, breaded and fried $5.00

pizzetta branca leon - pizza with mixed vegetables $5.00

Patatine e porri fritti con salsina ghiotta - potatoes and leek, deep fried served with Gianni sauce $5.00

These rocked...french fries with fried leeks served with an aioli

There were two pasta specials...linguine con vongole and rigatoni amatriciana.

For dessert, I sampled the chocolate cannoli and tiramisu.

I definitely will be back and this is a great addition to the Valley.

[drpny]

Molto, you were suppose to keep that one a secret so it doesn't get run over. Seriously, I've eaten there on several different occasions and have not been disappointed. Pappardelle con chingale, cuttlefish black ink rissotto, fresh sardines breaded and fried in olive oil served over mixed greens all have been well above average. His black cured olives with fennel and hot peppers are to die for. Only thing I haven't had are his panini. Looking forward to that on my next visit which will be very soon!

[molto e]

Molto, you were suppose to keep that one a secret so it doesn't get run over.  Seriously, I've eaten there on several different occasions and have not been disappointed.  Pappardelle con chingale, cuttlefish black ink rissotto, fresh sardines breaded and fried in olive oil served over mixed greens all have been well above average.  His black cured olives with fennel and hot peppers are to die for.  Only thing I haven't had are his panini.  Looking forward to that on my next visit which will be very soon!

←

First off, great tip...make sure you get the patatine with the panino...the panino that I tried were on a baguette, which kind of surprised me. I look forward to trying it again!

[molto e]

I have hit Andreoli's a couple more times for lunch...every time that I go in there at least half the patrons are speaking Italian...the last two times that I had the patatine e porri frito(fried potatoes and leeks), the fries needed more in the fryer so ask for them crispy...the panino de tizio (homemade sausage, peppers and onions) was VERY GOOD, peppers and onions were nice and caramelized

[drpny]

I have hit Andreoli's a couple more times for lunch...every time that I go in there at least half the patrons are speaking Italian...the last two times that I had the patatine e porri frito(fried potatoes and leeks), the fries needed more in the fryer so ask for them crispy...the panino de tizio (homemade sausage, peppers and onions) was VERY GOOD, peppers and onions were nice and caramelized

←

Molto, went back for dinner last week. Everyone was speaking Italian and I recognized the same large family party of 8 from the last time I was in. Had an order of grilled calamari and shrimps over mixed greens and braised beef sliced and served over creamy polenta. Giovanni brought by a small order of pasta w/ olive oil and garlic which was fantastic. Still have not had a panini but did try the patatine e porri frito which was tasty but limp as you described. Looking forward to next time.

Edited May 4, 2007 by drpny (log)

[molto e]

Molto, went back for dinner last week.  Everyone was speaking Italian and I recognized the same large family party of 8 from the last time I was in.  Had an order of grilled calamari and shrimps over mixed greens and braised beef sliced and served over creamy polenta.  Giovanni brought by a small order of pasta w/ olive oil and garlic which was fantastic.  Still have not had a panini but did try the patatine e porri frito which was tasty but limp as you described.  Looking forward to next time.

←

You alerted us to a good one DRPNY...this is my go-to lunch spot now...one thing that I have noticed is on his pastas they can be a little over sauced (though still good)...

[molto e]

Andreoli is in my regular rotation, he has started offering some dishes that he used to cook while at Leccabaffi. On the weekends, his daily special list has a bunch of high-end selections, today he had Bistecca di Toscano, Roman style lamb chops, whole roasted Branzino, mixed seafood grill with calamari, lobster, shrimp, yellowfin tuna and available in a pasta...sausage and pea rigatoni...

I found some photos of Andreoli that I had not posted:

Menu

dessert case

pasta special...porcini ravioli

Panino with salami, rucola and provolone cheese

Patatine e porri fritti con salsina ghiotta - potatoes and leek, deep fried served with Gianni sauce

He also from time to time has house-made salumi that is VERY good. There are those that consider him the best Italian chef in town and that was even when he was not cooking anywhere.

Edited November 3, 2007 by molto e (log)

[Greystreet]

Molto, thanks for the tip! I'll be definitely hitting this joint for lunch next week when I have a day off from work.

[Greystreet]

Just came back from Andreoli's.

Had:

Panino Ala Caz_Miei - parma cotto ham, artichokes and mozzarella

Calamaretti di suora celeste - deep fried calamari (I wanted the grilled calamari but my SO said she wouldn't eat calamari grilled, when the plate came she barely even touched the fried calamari)

Patatine e porri fritti - italian french fries ordered extra crispy

I'm happy.

[molto e]

Just came back from Andreoli's.

Had:

Panino Ala Caz_Miei - parma cotto ham, artichokes and mozzarella

Calamaretti di suora celeste - deep fried calamari (I wanted the grilled calamari but my SO said she wouldn't eat calamari grilled, when the plate came she barely even touched the fried calamari) 

Patatine e porri fritti - italian french fries ordered extra crispy

I'm happy.   

←

glad you liked it, I saw a few plates of the marinated grilled calamari go out the last time that I was in there and they looked gooood - must try

[Greystreet]

glad you liked it, I saw a few plates of the marinated grilled calamari go out the last time that I was in there and they looked gooood - must try

←

After dropping off the SO at her work, I was tempted to go back to Andreoli's to order a plate of the grilled calamari. I parked the car and sat inside for a minute and realized I had a spare tire, So I drove home.

[molto e]

First off, I had the marinated grilled calamari and it was great!

The big news is that Saturday December 15 from 9am - 9pm, the Christmas bash is going on at Andreoli:

Christmas Menu

he told me that there are a couple more addtions to the menu but I can only remember one because after he mentioned whole roasted suckling pig all I could think of was crispy skin.

[Greystreet]

First off, I had the marinated grilled calamari and it was great!

The big news is that Saturday December 15 from 9am - 9pm, the Christmas bash is going on at Andreoli:

Christmas Menu

he told me that there are a couple more addtions to the menu but I can only remember one because after he mentioned whole roasted suckling pig all I could think of was crispy skin.

←

I agree with the grilled calamari. I had a plate on my second visit. Where do you think he sources his fresh calamari? It is quite tender.

On my second visit, he had specials on the white board but $20 for roasted chicken? I thought his pricing was quite outrageous.

When will the suckling pig be served? I need to get my share of that.

Edited December 14, 2007 by Greystreet (log)

[molto e]

First off, I had the marinated grilled calamari and it was great!

The big news is that Saturday December 15 from 9am - 9pm, the Christmas bash is going on at Andreoli:

Christmas Menu

he told me that there are a couple more addtions to the menu but I can only remember one because after he mentioned whole roasted suckling pig all I could think of was crispy skin.

←

I agree with the grilled calamari. I had a plate on my second visit. Where do you think he sources his fresh calamari? It is quite tender.

On my second visit, he had specials on the white board but $20 for roasted chicken? I thought his pricing was quite outrageous.

When will the suckling pig be served? I need to get my share of that.

←

He is treating the restaurant like his own supper club at dinnertime, cooking some dishes that he used to feature at Lecabaffi and the pricing is reflects that. Last night whole roasted sea bass for $28 but it was delicious and of a quality not served at most restaurants. At dinnertime, he has a crowd of regulars that have been with him for years and pay for his quality.

[Greystreet]

First off, I had the marinated grilled calamari and it was great!

The big news is that Saturday December 15 from 9am - 9pm, the Christmas bash is going on at Andreoli:

Christmas Menu

he told me that there are a couple more addtions to the menu but I can only remember one because after he mentioned whole roasted suckling pig all I could think of was crispy skin.

←

I agree with the grilled calamari. I had a plate on my second visit. Where do you think he sources his fresh calamari? It is quite tender.

On my second visit, he had specials on the white board but $20 for roasted chicken? I thought his pricing was quite outrageous.

When will the suckling pig be served? I need to get my share of that.

←

He is treating the restaurant like his own supper club at dinnertime, cooking some dishes that he used to feature at Lecabaffi and the pricing is reflects that. Last night whole roasted sea bass for $28 but it was delicious and of a quality not served at most restaurants. At dinnertime, he has a crowd of regulars that have been with him for years and pay for his quality.

←

I'll have to try the specials some time.

[molto e]

When Chef Joel Robuchon, basketball wizard Michael Jordan, pitcher Roger Clemens and Chef Giovanni Scorzo announced their retirements for the “first time,” their fans were devastated as each of those luminaries had so much more to give. Fortunately, retirement was brief and each returned to perform again at the level that made him famous.

Perhaps Chef Giovanni Scorzo’s name is not as widely known to the Phoenix diner as the other talents in that group, but it should be. He serves the most authentic Italian cuisine in the Valley—and some attest he serves the only authentic Italian cuisine in the Valley.

Porchetta...succulent right out of the oven and it also makes a great pannini

As Chris Bianco, owner of Pizzeria Bianco, told me, “In my opinion, Giovanni is the most underrated chef in the country.”

Giovanni, or Gianni as his friends and devout fans call him, was the original owner of Leccabaffi and Galileo Bread Emporio. After selling both of these places a few years ago, he’s now returned to the kitchen with Andreoli Italian Grocer.

Located a few lengths of sausage from the corner of Via Linda and 90th Street in Scottsdale, the business is definitely a family affair. At any time you can find Gianni, his wife Linda or daughter Francesca (who makes a mean pasta amatriciana) taking orders at the counter. Gianni compares it to what would be called a “pizzicheria” in Italy.

Giovanni and Linda

“Pizzicheria means little bite,” he says, “where you can get a little bit of everything: cheese, salami, prosciutto, wine, little oil, little coffee. It’s not a full grocery store…. For an Italian who comes here, you can find everything.”

When you go to Andreoli you’re in for a bit of a culture shock because English is not the primary language spoken… parla Italiano, anyone? There is the old saying: “To eat well, go where the truck drivers go.” If you apply it to Andreoli, you’re following Italians who go to the restaurant in droves.

Gianni was born in Calabria, Italy, into a family that loved food. From an early age, Gianni learned an unusual respect for ingredients from his family. When it was time for the family pig to become dinner, he witnessed every part of the pig used to create something, from salumi to soap (oh, dip me in that kind of bacon grease).

suckling pig from the Andreoli Christmas Party

Giovanni escorting the pig fresh out of the oven to the serving board...oh that crispy skin

In the first grade he was already displaying skill in putting together a feast. According to Gianni, he would organize what his little crew of friends would bring for lunch.

He’d ask each of them, “What are you bringing tomorrow for lunch? Your father went mushroom hunting—bring porcini. Your father made some fresh ricotta. You, bring peppers. You have salami from your grandma? No? OK, you bring some filled eggplant. And on and on. Then the next day we would lay it all out and it was beautiful.”

salumi platter- sopressata, proscuitto, porchetta ,black pepper pecorino

Growing up in Calabria there was no refrigeration in Gianni’s home so everything was fresh. Nothing canned or frozen was kept in his home. Every day his mother went to the market. She was extremely picky and would not settle for anything but the best quality from the vendors.

When Gianni was young, she would send him to the market to pick something up. If it did not meet her standard, then the next day she would take him back to the market and let the vendor have it for taking advantage of her little boy. These lessons were not lost on Gianni.

His mother and aunt both cooked professionally at different restaurants, so his lessons at home were taught by skilled chefs. All his memories of food are punctuated by aromas, rather than touch or sight. When he describes a dish with his eyes closed and head rolled back, every dominant detail revolves around the smell.

chestnuts roasting on a open fire at the Andreoli Christmas party

Gianni tells me, “When I smell something, I know. If you put veal in front of my nose, I know it is veal, not beef. I don’t need to see, I don’t taste food … I smell.”

Instead of a traditional high school in Italy, following eighth grade Gianni decided to attend cooking school. This decision allowed him to travel to Piedmont, Liguria, Florence, Calabria and many other parts of Italy to learn their regional cuisines, an experience he brought with him when he moved to the United States in 1985.

Gianni arrived in Phoenix in 1986 after spending some time in California and working in New York for Pino Luongo. However, our first preview of his cuisine was in 1988 with the opening of La Bruschetta at Camelback and Scottsdale.

According to Gianni, “Food for me—any place that I would do, even in America when my wife and I first opened—my intention was always: only my way or I would shut down. I don’t have any marinara; in Italy marinara is a pizza, not a sauce. No alfredo, no chicken Parmigiana. The food has to be original or I don’t do it. If I had to cook that food, then I would become a mechanic.”

It was during this time that Chris Bianco first met Gianni. Chris says, “Gianni is very knowledgeable not only from a culinary perspective but also a cultural one. As a kid coming from the Bronx, [i realized that] most of the [popular] dishes at that point were from the Italian-American perspective, not good or bad, but from the importance of a sub-culture, first you have to learn the classics before you can expand on anything new. The thing with Gianni is that he would not play the game. He was revolutionary in his unwillingness not to compromise and just give people what they wanted.”

In 1990 Gianni was presented with an opportunity to open a restaurant in Santa Fe. He hired Chris to move to Santa Fe to work with him on the opening of Babbo Ganzo. The restaurant was well received, getting positive reviews from a number of magazines including Bon Appetit and Travel + Leisure. Gianni was then presented with the opportunity to revive Zingari restaurant in the venerable Donatello Hotel in San Francisco. When this opportunity presented itself, he wound down his other ventures and moved with his wife to San Francisco.

After four years there, Gianni moved his family back to Phoenix in 1997 and opened Leccabaffi and, soon thereafter, the Galileo Bread Emporio. Leccabaffi was highly touted as the best Italian restaurant in Phoenix, further cementing Gianni as the capo of Italian cuisine in town.

After a great run at Leccabaffi, Gianni grew tired of the day-to-day operations of running a restaurant and elected to sell the restaurant and bread shop in 2003 to spend more time helping to raise his children. I can only imagine his kids’ friends angling to come over for dinner when Dad was cooking.

Then in 2007 Andreoli was opened. I approach my visits to Andreoli a little differently during the day than when I go at night. During the day, make sure to check the board at the door to see if there are any specials and then make your way towards the counter.

The first display case has sweets made by Gianni including, but not limited to, tiramisu, meringata, zuccotto, zuppa inglese, baci, cookies, truffles and torta pistachio—so good. The next display case contains all the cheeses—Italian of course: house-made mozzarella, house-made ricotta (the best in town, it puts store-bought to shame), buffalo mozzarella from Italy and a bunch of other choices that you may not have heard of, so ask for a recommendation (stracchino is great).

dessert spread at the Andreoli Christmas Party...bomboloni Florentine with lemon, sfogliatelle, struffoli

The salumi in the next case are the commercial brands that Gianni likes but if you fancy salumi, make sure you ask for his house-made salumi that is curing in the cooler (wild boar salumi, culatello, pancetta, salami Calabrese). His salumi is the closest to the way salumi tastes in Europe that you will ever be able to sample in Phoenix. I highly recommend buying some and leaving it out of the refrigerator until it reaches room temperature so the flavors cold temperature tends to mask can bloom.

Gianni's Salumi Locker

The final display case holds his house-marinated olives, frittatas and arancini (fried rice balls filled with meat sauce). Gianni also sells various meats including huge prime aged T-bone steaks for Bistecca alla Fiorentina (he will dress them for you to grill at home), veal chops, lamb chops, oxtail, rabbit, venison, house-made sausage and tripe.

The regular menu has an array of panini that make perfect lunch sandwiches. My favorites are porchetta, and the sausage, pepper and onion combo. Warning: Please do not ask for tomato sauce or you will upset Gianni. He wants you to taste and savor the flavor of the sausage.

The Stuzzichini Mozzafiato (antipasto) part of the menu contains two preparations of calamari that are both fantastic. The calamaretti di suora celeste is fried and is served with only a wedge of lemon because Gianni does not believe in masking the flavor of a quality ingredient. The calamaretti del sacrestano is the version that is marinated and grilled. It is sooooo delicate and clearly my favorite.

calamaretti del sacrestano

Nighttime at Andreoli feels like an Italian social club, not so different than Satriales Pork Shop with all of the Sopranos sitting around (with the clear distinction that this family is all and only about the food.) Gianni says that at night people feel like they are having dinner at home and we all talk.

The specials on the board change nightly and some are more pricey than you would expect in a deli/grocery setting but his food cost his high and Gianni says he will not “cheat the customers on quality—I can’t do it.”

Be sure to order one of the handmade pasta specials (especially any that are dressed with Gianni’s Bolognese sauce) so you can sample how pasta is supposed to taste. After you finish the pasta, grab a slice of his fresh-baked bread to wipe the plate clean.

fresh tagliatelle borragine dressed with veal sauce

fresh tagliatelle with cuttlefish ink and ragu

If you are a fan of calamari, ask for Gianni’s pasta with calamari. This is spaghetti tossed with tender calamari in an addictive tangy tomato sauce. When baby-back ribs are in the case, then it is almost impossible to pass up the Italian ribs that are dry rubbed and grilled.

The Bistecca alla Fiorentina with grilled radicchio and scamorza can easily feed two with some leftovers to spare.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina with grilled radicchio, cherry tomatoes and scamorza

lamb with potato and rucola

Gianni says, “Italian is the most beautiful food in the world if it is made in the right way. It is the best but it has to be respected. There are certain things that are made in certain ways—there is no short cut.”

Chris Bianco adds, “Phoenix is lucky to have Gianni” and I could not agree more. Go and visit before Gianni’s second retirement.

shots from the Andreoli Christmas party

Farnata (chickpea flour) with stracchino

Andreoli Italian Grocer, 8880 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale, (NW corner of 90th Street and Via Linda, in the Fry’s Marketplace shopping center); www.andreoli-grocer.com; (480) 614-1980

Upcoming Easter Party Menu

Edited March 14, 2008 by molto e (log)

[markabauman]

On a brief trip this past weekend from NY to Scottsdale, I took my mother, sister and brother-in-law to Andreoli for lunch. Everyone loved it. The place is literally right around the corner from where my mother lives, and despite my sister living in AZ since the '70's, none of them knew about this place. Thanks to eGullet for my reading about and discovering the market. They'll be back and so will I on my next trip out there. Further proof of the value of eGullet!