True Restaurant Reviews

True Restaurant Reviews:

"Brothers Sergio and Giuseppe Miele have been in the restaurant business their whole lives, first in Naples at their parents' coffee shop, later in New York and now in Tempe, where they've opened a cozy neighborhood place specializing in the hearty cooking unique to Southern Italy. Despite its strip mall setting and TV tuned to sports, this unprepossessing pizzeria has a genteel aspect, thanks to retro posters, whimsical art and light fixtures made of Murano glass. But for all that, straightforward pizza and pasta are the specialties here, although the menu also features chicken prepared a half dozen different ways. What's important to know is that the Miele brothers make everything from scratch, including dense loaves of Italian bread, irresistible garlic knots, pizza dough (crisp-bottomed after baking) and excellent cannoli. Try the Caprese, the Greek salad, the white pizza and about once a week you'll find yourself asking, "O Brother, where art thou?" Lunch and dinner are served all week"--by: Nikki's Notable's of AZfamily.com

"Does the absence of red sauce on a pizza make any difference? You bet it does. White pizza's a class unto itself — a distinctly craveable dish that seems simple, but is hard to find done as beautifully as Miele's fine pie. Here, the crust is crisp and flavorful, thin but still sturdy enough to hold a gooey, bubbly layer of melted mozzarella dotted with globs of creamy ricotta. A few delicate shreds of fresh basil add an aromatic touch that complements the subtle flavors of the cheese, and there's enough garlic on there to make your tongue tingle. While our pizza's still in the oven, we usually start off with an order of Miele's doughy, hot-out-of-the-oven garlic knots, just to get in the mood. Sure, they're filling, but once the white pizza arrives, we get lost in garlicky bliss. How blissful, you ask? Well, let's just say that we've never had to worry about leftovers from Miele's"--by: Phoenix New Times