pomo pizzeria phoenix

we were in the area to attend an event at the phoenix theater and wanted to check out the downtown scene. for dinner, we tried to scope out the latin place next door but they were closed. pomo to the rescue!!! we walked in to a lively and lovely place, chose to sit at the bar near the oven, and proceeded to be treated to one of our best dining experiences ever. our server doted on us like royalty with a prompt and friendly attitude. the cocktails were refreshing. hubby had the italian spritzer, that enlightened me to the fact that i don't care for campari. to each their own. i can't remember what cocktail i ordered, but had two and they were fantastic. something with gin and blood orange juice. anyhow, i had the bufalopieand hubby had the margherita. both mind blowing. we finished it off with a serving of tiramisu and cannoli. one syllable... wow. in the end i felt like i had spent an evening at a dinner party with close friends.

i have a little soft spot in my heart for tried and true italian food. i have been wanting to try pomo for a year or so now and the opportunity arose when i had a serious pasta craving one wednesday night.

pomo has a large patio when you enter that has cute and pop colored vespas that mark the entrance into the restaurant. the core of the restaurant is built around the open kitchen with the brick oven that acts as a beacon of warmth and good eats. i sat at the bar and was immediately attended to by the bartender who was beyond friendly, welcomed me in, and gave great wine suggestions along with what i should sink my teeth into. i decided on the recommended eggplant parmesan and meatballs. right there in the open kitchen, i spied the chefs making my order ready and firing it in the belly of the oven. 

they have a solid list of wines and the super tuscan is an inky crowd pleaser with cabernet like notes and it went perfectly with the slightly on the acidic sauce which was fresh and honored tomatoes zing. the meatballs were light but flavorful which i look for and the eggplant parmesan was the stand out masterpiece. they do not bread their eggplant but lightly pan fry it and then layer it in with ample sauce and sharp cheese which had me over the moon. the bread provided along with olive oil, balsamic, and other accoutrements was great for sopping up sauce but not particularly toasted, crusted, or noteworthy.

i had a overall fantastic meal which was highlighted by exceptionally enthusiastic and well rounded service. i'll have to stop back in to finally try a firedpiebut until then i'll keep marinating on how fantastic that eggplant was.

on that autumn trip, they visited pomo pizzeria napoletana.  pizza at pomo chris reports: pomo has a certificate that says the oven is made from bricks that come from mount vesuvius ... very good sauce, buffalo mozzarella ... they have two locations so both are worth a visit ... i like more sauce, both overall a goodpie... not quite delorenzo's on hudson, but very good. chris did not describe the crust, but it looks pretty genuine.  pomo is on my list to visit for my next trip to phoenix.      

napoli in the desert. we really enjoyed our experience here. the staff was very attentive and made every effort to to make us feel special. ..and this is a pizza place. we ordered the tomato soup and it was excellent. it came with a crusty bread that was homemade, we ordered one to share and ended up battling for spoon realestate. we also had the carpaccio, a favorite that we rarely have the chance to order. it was the perfect size to share and was a great substitute for a salad as there was plenty of peppery arugula accompanying the thinly sliced beef. the pizza is now on our top 10 list and is easily #1 west of the mississippi. this place only makes pizza according to naples' strict guidelines which means you will not find apiewith pineapples and ham, etc. it is a thin crust 12"piewith a few options for toppings. ours was the don giovanni with sweet red peppers basil and salame. the meal ended with a complimentary creamy limonciello shot for the adults and italian hazelnut chocolates for the kids. we will definitely find excuses to be in downtown phx for sure.