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| - Wow! Who knew that there was such good Italian food in Mesa! The desk clerk at our hotel gave us a list of restaurants in Mesa and took the time to point out his favorites. He told us that Tutti Santi had fantastic lasagna---and he was right!
We went on a Thursday night around 5:30. The restaurant wasn't very busy and thus our large party of 5 adults and 3 kids was seated immediately.
We started the meal with 2 appetizers---calamari fritti and eggplant parmigiana. The calamari was fried to perfection---not rubbery at all. The sauce was a spicy tomato one which complimented the calamari wonderfully. The eggplant was very tasty with no bitterness. The breadbasket was excellent. It had pieces of foccacia and cripsy Italian bread. However, the star was the whipped garlic butter. It was so tempting to go overboard on the bread just to have that butter!
The main courses came with your choice of a house salad or the soup of the day. The house salad dressing was a balsamic vinaigrette and the salad had tomatos and mostly romaine lettuce. The soup of the day was spinach egg drop. I had a taste---it was truly unique. It had the consistency of a Chinese egg drop soup but was infused with Italian spices and some pepper to give it a kick.
For entrees, our party had the following: veal parmigiana, gnocchi with Bolognese sauce, lasagna and ravioli. The person who ordered the ravioli was inspired to do so due to the hostess. I mentioned that I heard their lasagna was really good and the hostess said it was but the ravioli was even better!
I had the gnocchi but also got to sample the ravioli and the lasagna. The gnocchi was very light in texture (not heavy at all) and the Bolognese sauce was well flavored without going overboard with the ground beef. I was impressed with the lasagna. First of all, the portion size was quite reasonable plus it wasn't too thick. Yes, it was very tasty. The ravioli with tomato sauce was also delicious. The cheese was mild and the sauce complimented it very well
At the suggestion of the waiter, the kids got penne with a butter sauce. It was a great idea for a meal for a preschooler as the kids ate it all.
At the end of the meal, we were all too full to even think about dessert. Nevertheless, the waiter brought a plate with tiramisu on it plus serving spoons for all. Again, we all enjoyed it. Sometimes the coffee flavoring in tiramisu can be overpowering and bitter. This time, it was in proper balance---not too rich and not too sweet.
My Dad, who was with us and is well-traveled, told the waiter that he thought Tutti Santi was one of the best Italian restaurants he ever went to anywhere and gave it 5 stars. While I'm nowhere near as well-traveled as my Dad, I had to agree with him --- this place deserves 5 stars.
The only drawback---service can be on the slow side. So go expecting a leisurely dining experience and you won't be disappointed!
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