Coming back to Phoenix is my Lazurus pit, it is my escape from the constant sensory inundation that is the city of angels. After my wonderful five hr drive with two dogs, one of which pees every hour or two i arrived in the sunny camelback corridor having not eaten all day and needing a drink. My good buddy suggested that we go to a new Italian joint that had opened around the corner.
I felt slightly awkward going in wearing cut off shorts and a t-shirt as people were relatively nicely dresses, whats a guy going to do, i just drove five hrs and my money is green too. The hostess was a miserable human, scowling and not in the least bit friendly... now look, three guys in t-shirts and long hair, i get it, you think they are going to order water and three of the cheapest entrees but that doesn't mean you have to be obnoxious. The restaurant itself has a romantic red tinted ambiance, typical white table cloths and a nice stone wall. Each table is brought an assortment of french bread, focaccia, spicey peppers in oil, and herb butter. The home made herb butter was actually one of the best things they served, it was the perfect blend of basil, garlic and s&p.
Wine-wise i got a bottle of the caldora sangiovese that was exceptional, a nice light fruity red. We started out with the Zucchini fritte, the presentation was surprisingly original, the zuc was shaved into shoestrings and lightly battered, served in a large bowl garnished with lemons. It was good but if i had my way the acidic nature of the fried veg would have been paired with a lemon aioli or anything stiffer than just lemon to cut through the heartiness of the battered zuc. As was everything at Aiello's the portion was more than the three of us could consume.
For our entrees we had the Oso Buco special, Gnocchi Pesto and a chicken ceas. The oso buco was good, it was served with TWO shanks, stewed veg and a bed of parpadelle. I am a firm believer of quality over quantity, and while the meat was good it was by no means perfect. The outsides were fall off the bone tender but the further you got in the more tough it got, there is NO reason any human being needs to eat two veal shanks. Also, i prefer veal to be served over a creamy sage or spiced polenta as pasta can be heavy and flavorless (no sauce just the veg and veal jus) especially since it is hard to eat pasta with bites of meat. The gnocchi was good, the pesto was mild and they had tossed it with pine nuts, nothing revolutionary flavor-wise. The ceas looked good, didn't try it, but it too was more than could be finished.
During our entire service the the owner/head chef circled the dinning room haranguing guests and post-bill playing Italian "pick a number" for a free meal. Now during the meal he asked every table BUT the three guys in t-shirts with goofy hair how their food was, how their evening was going, etc. Look i get you think this is a classy place and what are these three punks doing in here but after an app, three entrees and a bottle you might think he would realize we're no "water and bread shmucks." No big deal, i had no pressing need to talk to him but apparently when the bill is presented it is mandatory to play his "pick a number game", every other table got a speech and epic fanfare but when it came to us we got a terse "pick a number 'tween 1-100, get a free meal 'cept yah booze" ... hahaha Alright, if you are going to turn your nose up at some guys in t-shirts then ditch the pick a number, it isn't charming and is definitely not classing up the joint. Oh, also, since your kitchen is open onto the dining room, can you NOT stand in the dinning room yelling at cooks, it echos through the entire restaurant and is pretty awkward.
If you have ever watched the Sopranos there is a series of shows where Vesuvios (Artie Bucco's restaurant where the family oft gathers) is doing poorly and Tony suggest it is because Artie is an over anxious, fawning host who interjects himself into everyone's conversations while hanging over guests whilst they eat. This should be no owner/chef/manager's model and while Aiello's owner is not THAT extreme he seems to be heading down the same road. People come to eat, enjoy each other's company and relax.. try something a little more subtle like a digestif compliments of the chef or a handshake and inquiry about the food when delivering the bill.
Over all it was good but nothing remarkable.