If you happen to do not stay in or round Laveen Village, Mimi Forno Italiano could really feel like a magical discover, a secret gem seemingly hidden in part of city largely stereotyped to be stuffed with chain eating places missing culinary finesse.
However those that stay close by or within the larger southwest Valley know that is not true in any respect. Prospects dutifully pack into the small strip mall house that homes Mimi Forno Italiano to attend for a desk.
Proprietor Domenico Cavallo grew up alongside the southern coast of Italy in Salerno. When he relocated to the Valley, Cavallo got down to carry a style of residence to metro Phoenix, opening his Italian restaurant in 2018. Since then, it has grown to turn into a real neighborhood favourite.
The small, open-plan restaurant options tables full of clients, a brief bar and accompanying stools, and a pizza oven imported from Italy. Set on every desk, tall, thin-stemmed wine glasses add magnificence to the affair, exquisitely presenting the in depth but selective wine checklist.
The pizzas are marvelous — huge, generously topped pies with pillowy delicate crusts. For followers of meat-lovers pizza, be sure that to attempt the Polpetta, a pie topped with imported ham, sausage, basil, mozzarella, and skinny slices of Mimi’s home meatballs.
Pasta dishes ooze indulgence. And rotating specials carry new concepts to the desk. Steak served with creamy risotto attracts envious glances from surrounding tables because it’s introduced to 1 fortunate diner. A slab of Mascarpone Cheesecake does the identical.
One of the simplest ways to kick off a meal at this gem of a neighborhood joint is with a starter. The Arancini plate contains 4 golden-fried risotto balls encrusted with breadcrumbs and begging to be dunked into an accompanying spicy pink marinara sauce served on the facet.
When reduce into, the arancini launch a breath of steam earlier than delicately falling aside. Cubes of cheese stretch to carry delicate rice collectively because the creamy insides combine with the brilliant tomato sauce. The sauce brings acid and spice. The rice provides starchiness and creaminess. The fried exterior lends a satisfying crunch to the peerlessly balanced chew.
That is the type of dish that enhances a restaurant like Mimi Forno Italiano completely. The restaurant is in tune with the neighborhood, its neighborhood, and its clients. The arancini are the right begin to a multi-course date night time extravaganza. Or, they’re a unbelievable possibility for a pair sitting on the bar sipping glasses of wine and sharing a snack.
They’re comforting, scrumptious, and have a means of constructing you’re feeling at residence, whether or not or not you have got ever been to Italy.
Mimi Forno Italiano
3624 West Baseline Highway, #174, Laveen Village
602-368-4612
mimifornoitaliano.com
