Grazie Pizzeria (Scottsdale)

[molto e]

grazie

6952 E Main St.

Scottsdale, AZ 85251

(480) 663-9797

http://grazie.us/menu.html

When looking for a good pizza in Scottsdale, I turn to Grazie every time. Grazie is a nice looking space with a great patio.

Grazie has great salads that are big enough for 2. My favorites are the Via Emiliana (Arugula, Baby Greens, Parmigiano, Red Onions, Red Peppers and Pine Nuts with a Balsamic Vinaigrette) and the Caesar.

The pizza is Neapolitan style (thin crust) and some of the best in town.

Quattro Stagioni

Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Salame, Mushrooms, Ham, Olives, Basil, Parmigiano, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Toscana

Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Mushrooms, Italian Fennel Sausage, Parmigiano, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Napoli

Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Salame, Basil, Parmigiano, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I could not wait to take the picture before taking a bite.

Grazie is now open for lunch and serves a "lunch size" pizza and paninis.

This is the vegetarian panini with sausage-very good.

Grazie also has an extensive Italian wine list that is the best that I have ever seen in a pizzeria.

Good Eating,

Molto E

Phoenix Best Bets:

Binkley's Restaurant

Sea Saw

Zinc Bistro

Cyclo Restaurant

Lo-Lo's Fried Chicken and Waffles

Kohnie's Coffee Shop

Camelback Farmer's Market- Held at Vincent's Restaurant Parking Lot

[docsconz]

Looks good, but "vegetarian panino with sausage?"

Have you been to any of the transplanted NYC pizza outposts like Grimaldi's?

[ronnie_suburban]

Nice report, Eliot! Those pics are great.

Regionally speaking, the first question that popped into my mind was "how does it compare to Pizzeria Bianco?"

=R=

[molto e]

Ronnie S,

Pizzeria Bianco would have to be considered the "King" of Phoenix, but it is located in downtown Phoenix. Grazie is located in central Scottsdale so depending on where you live this is an excellent alternative. Doc, I have been to Grimaldi's, but I am told it is not quite as good as in NY. The sausage is an addition to the vegetarian panini.

Grazie also has an excellent dessert that I forgot to post:

Dolce Della Casa

Slightly Charred Sweet Calzone filled with Chocolate Hazelnut and Banana topped with Vanilla Ice Cream

Grazie has a great atmosphere and with the patio, this is one of Scottsdale's best places to go.

Edited January 17, 2006 by molto e (log)

[molto e]

I am suspending my opinion of this restaurant until further notice...

[ronnie_suburban]

Oh boy . . . there must be a story here. Is it one you can share?

=R=

[docsconz]

I am suspending my opinion of this restaurant until further notice...

←

Doesn't sound good...

[juliachildish]

Yes, please do tell.

I'm curious because I went there last night for the first time. I have no prior experience to judge from, but I had the cinque formaggio pizza and thought it was delicious, as was the salad with pine nuts and red peppers.

I must admit that the service was pretty terrible, however. I waited five minutes for a hostess to appear, to be seated. Once seated and with menus, I think we sat around for a good ten minutes before anyone noticed us-and even then, we had to flag a waitress down as she was walking on her way to another table. And we didn't get waters for a few minutes after that. Later, after our plates had been cleared, we wanted to order dessert but once again had to wave at our waitress as she was repeatedly walking by our table without noticing us-and we were then informed that it would take a half-hour for our dessert to be ready, something it would have been nice to know much earlier in the meal (we ended up not ordering the dessert-a shame, as the picture of it in this thread looks delicious).

Regardless, I still enjoyed our meal. I suppose the service didn't bother me as much because we were sitting outside at a pizza place, in no particular rush. But I wonder if molto e has perhaps had a similar experience with service?

[ronnie_suburban]

I did find this but it's nearly a year old.

=R=

[EHPete]

I've been there many times, but recently I've been quite underwhelmed. The fennel sausage alone is still worth the trip, as is the dessert calzone, but the pizza itself was nothing special. I wonder if it's been that way for a while, but with starting and ending happy I haven't really noticed. The service was quite good.