| rev:text
| - Pellini is a great concept with some wonderful design and branding. Even so, their execution could definitely use some fine tuning.
The restaurant is neat - very clean and modern, with an orange and white color scheme that puts me in a cheery mood and makes me think of delicious creamsicle ice cream bars :) The furnishings are comfortable and upscale, with nicer than usual chairs at the tables. The design of the interior is unique; lots of curves creating unexpected nooks and crannies and allowing the guest seating area to have maximum exposure to the large windows. The bright orange umbrellas for the outdoor tables put me in mind of a beachside eatery, which is a nice escape from the reality of its North Scottsdale strip mall location :) The Italian pop music played in the background is refreshingly fun and very annoying by turns.
The concept is as many other reviews have described: Chipotle with Italian food. You choose a wrap, pasta bowl, or salad, a protein (various chicken options, beef, salumi, shrimp, salmon, etc), and all of the sauces, toppings. The description of the classic piadina "a flatbread made from flour, sea salt, olive oil, and yeast" sounds way more impressive than what it actually is: a tortilla. The pellini is also strange in that it includes pasta in your "burrito"... I'm still not entirely sure if I like it or not. I LOVE that there are so many fresh veggie options to include - artichokes, tomatoes, pepperoncinis, red peppers, and more and more and more - so good! The sauces, however, are a let down - I've dined there several times and each time I'm left wishing for more flavor ... the sauces, even the "spicy" one, are extremely mild.
Highlight: the spinach and artichoke dip! The artichokes are way larger than I expect, and the dip is more brothy than usual, but the flavor is delicious and the piandini chips are just perfect.
The service/cleanliness are another place where there could be improvement. Service is sort of strange - not overly friendly, also not offensive. On two of our visits, there was really only one person helping customers, cleaning the dining room, etc even though we could see additional employees either in the back, or on our first visit, making herself food in the midst of the line while we waited to be helped.
Last time we were there, we went to sit down at the only remaining four person table, which was extremely dirty. I was able to flag an employee down to clean it off, but it had been sitting there dirty for quite some time (since before we came in, while we went through the line, etc)
As I mentioned, their branding is on point, but the multiple spelling errors that I noticed in the ingredients on the menu, slogans, etc detracted from the otherwise very professional look of their collateral and logos.
Ultimately, the prices are inexpensive enough that I think it is a good value, and its a fun option for something different.
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