Tomaso Maggiore has been the king of fine Italian dining in the Valley since the 1970s. Now, his Tommy V’s Osteria Pizzeria is offering a slightly more casual, but still exquisite, alternative to his signature restaurant, Tomaso’s.
“… Tommy V’s felt like a neighborhood dining establishment — a place to relax in after a long, hard day.”
Located right next door to Tomaso’s in Phoenix, Tommy V’s provides a comfortable, vibrant atmosphere and food that is to die for. From the moment I walked inside and saw the bar hopping with people, even on a Thursday, Tommy V’s felt like a neighborhood dining establishment — a place to relax in after a long, hard day. My companions and I couldn’t wait to see if the food would measure up to the wonderful atmosphere, and we jumped right in and ordered appetizers. We decided on the crispy calamari with pepperoncini, watercress organic tomatoes and citrus cream, as well as the osteria board. Osteria means “tavern” in Italian, and the osteria board features roasted tomato and pepper relish, crisp ciabatta, roasted garlic flat bread, bruschetta, artisan meats and cheese, and warm country olives, which our waitress told us were “world famous.” They certainly were delicious, as was everything else on the board. There was something for every taste bud.
After we had finished off every bite, our salads came. The chopped salad was divine, and about as unique as a chopped salad can get with mozzarella and hearts of palm. My personal favorite, though, was the Osteria, with baby greens, organic tomatoes, cucumbers, mozzarella and balsamic vinaigrette.
Finally, it was time for our entrees. The specialty, of course, is pizza, and we chose two: shiitake wild mushroom with porcini, cremini, scallions, fontina, mozzarella and truffle oil; and the Let’s Meat, which includes sausage, salami, pancetta, scallions, tomatoes and mozzarella. Both pizzas were equally scrumptious and we simply could not choose a favorite. It is practically a guarantee that any of the other eight pizzas on the menu will be just as delicious.
Other than the pizza, our party also ordered eggplant torta, a baked multi-layer dish of eggplant, cheese fondue and pasta. It was wonderful, but the table favorite was the butternut squash ravioli. The ravioli consisted of not only roasted butternut squash, but also amaretto cookies, toasted almonds, and the key ingredient, parmigiano sage sauce.
Finally, we knew that we had to make room for dessert, which promised to live up to the high standards set by dinner. We didn’t think it could get any better, but we were wrong. Our party selected tiramisu and cannoli, and fought over both until the last bite was gone.
The next time you’re craving some fine Italian food, but not feeling quite fancy enough for Tomaso’s, stop by Tommy V’s. It will not disappoint.
If You Go:
Tommy V’s Osteria Pizzeria
3223 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix
(602) 955-8900 | www.tomasos.com
