Average experience - we won't return!
What we liked:
1. Service - Jesse was patient in allowing us to taste a couple of white wines. The food arrived on time and Jesse was very attentive, as were the various servers.
2. The bread and dipping oil was tasty.
3. The bottle of $60 Chianti Reserva was the perfect temperature, but it was unremarkable with an edgy finish even after breathing for an hour.
What was unremarkable:
1. Our table for two was so close to the next table that you could hear every word and breath of the people next to us. We might as well have moved the tables together and struck up a conversation. Some date night! There is little ambience in the place as sound echoes pretty loudly also. The bar looked inviting!
2. It was warm in the restaurant - a ceiling fan moved the air around but we were sticking to the seats by the time we got up. We heard the people at the next table talking about it as well. Turn up the air conditioning - it is August in AZ!
3. The food was average - we had the Buffalo Caprese (better tomatoes at Safeway and licorice-tasting oil on dish), Divina Cesare (tasty, light salad dressing), Ciambotta di Pollo E Salsiccia (sausage and sauce very tasty; large chicken chunks were tough) and Ravioli Caprese (pasta undercooked for our liking).
We were excited about a new Italian restaurant opening in Fountain Hills and perhaps our expectations were too high. We spent $140 (including 20% tip) and were pretty disappointed. Back to Scottsdale for Italian food!