Tomaso's on Camelback — Restaurant in Phoenix

5/7/19 - I wish I could grant this establishment more stars but we had such a terrible experience tonight. I know this may not affect anyone's desire to visit this restaurant as it seems to be a very busy place with a good number of regulars. We happened to be on that side of town and I looked on their website and saw they had Happy Hour until 6:30. When we arrived, we verified with the staff at the host stand if happy hour was still in effect and she said it was at the bar. We sat down at the bar which was empty at the time. The bartender approached and I asked if he had the happy hour menu. He said happy hour was over at 6. He showed us a menu and pointed at the time. I told him the hours on the website were different and he just shrugged his shoulders and said it was 6. He then left us to tend to the service bar. I'll just say, he was very unfriendly from the get go. I pulled up the website on my phone just to be certain I did not make a mistake and when he finally came back to us after serving up a few drinks at the service bar, I showed him the website. Again, he just said happy hour was over at 6. I asked if he could honor the happy hour because of the website and the fact that we came there for that reason. He said no because the kitchen would not allow it because it was getting busy; he pointed to the direction of the dining area. I do not like to do this, but I asked if he could see if the manager would honor it since it was a discrepancy on the website. He shrugged his shoulders again and went to get the manager. The manager turned out to be the person who greeted us a the door when we first walked in and told us that happy hour was still in effect. She, of course, honored the happy hour price for us. She was very professional and polite and came around to ask if everything was okay when we ordered food. The bartender continued to be very unfriendly to us and he never asked if everything was okay. We felt very uncomfortable during the entire experience and we did not dare order another drink as we seemed to be a bother to him. Other patrons sat around us at the bar and he was very friendly and attentive to them. Additionally, as my dinner guest finished her wine, there was a huge sludge of sediment at the bottom of her glass. We tried to get his attention but he went about tending to other duties and we did not feel like sticking around. In hindsight, I should have taken a photo and we understand that wine will do that, but still , it was just salt on the wound. After we left, I called the restaurant to get the bartender's name, but I think he answered. When he answered the phone, it was hard to understand his greeting. I apologized that I had the wrong number and he just hung up ... again, very unfriendly. It had been ages since I dined at Tomaso's and my guest had never been there. With plenty of other great authentic Italian restaurants, this is one we will not make an effort to return. I understand this was just happy hour, but this one was certainly not happy by...

I am not exaggerating: this restuarant is the best I have experienced. I have personally been to restaurants connected to 5 star hotels yet this one takes the cake. Exceptional (and professional) staff, savory entrees, and over-the-top manager who goes by Gabriel Mata. I highly suggest you reserve a table because it gives them time to prepare for your best restuarant experience with its adoption of the Italian environment. Additionally, I highly suggest you talk with Mr. Mata about your reservation who will make certain that your dinner is profound. He was patient with my family as we took well over 30 minutes to order yet kept smiling and waiting until we were ready. Then, he would take notice of my date not eating the irresistible meat platters and sent a vegetarian dish towards her. Constantly, he would greet my family with extra dishes aside from our selected entrees in order to share all the flavours from the kitchen. Expect moderately priced items yet not as high as Papadeux but same quality. Everything was professional and practiced. A waiter dropped an ice cube while filling drinks and quickly grabbed it before it left a mark on the table. The silverware and dishes are placed by the formal standards. Gabriel would extract any empty plates and fill glasses without interrupting my family's conversation. There are only 3 pages of the entire menu including the chef's special but they can make whatever to your preference. The staff did this all for a high school student who does not know any better, for a generation that is most likely not impressed by cuisines or dinner restaurants. However, I did. I will eventually come again yet go by unexpectedly in order to test their gratitude towards walk-ins. Overall, if you are need of a restaurant that will impress you and your guests then select this one. Lastly, I would like to include Gabrie's etiquette. I went for a firm handshake as I left. As one who was denied by a host before, that handshake meant more than just a handshake. He cordially accepts his guests no matter what age or culture. Ask for him when you decide to take it...

Every now and again, a friend makes a very good recommendation for restaurants. This was one of those. Our friend, who is very knowledgeable about restaurants and is a budding chef himself, recommended Tomaso's for dinner.

We had a large group, which was pretty promptly seated in the dining area. The waiter was a treat, full of humor and jokes and added to the entire experience. He started with the wine list, showing it to me - apparently as the head of the table. I opted for the Raspberry Martini instead, which he graciously accepted.

From there, baskets of bread started to roll in. You can make a meal of these pretty easily. Hold off though and wait for your meal. You'll appreciate it.

I can't tell you everything that was ordered around the table, but can tell you that one party member ordered the Pasta Carbonara from off menu and it was available, and very good. I had the Chicken Parmigiana, at the recommendation of the waiter. He was correct, as I loved it.

Other members sampled the Eggplant Tortino, Tagliatelle & Langostinos and Ravioli di Michelangelo Buonarotti. Apparently, all were very good. In fact, the only reason this rated a four was because the Tagliatelle & Langostinos were very, very spicy. Too much for my wife. We ended up trading meals, so she finished my Parmigiana and I had the Tagliatelle. It was warm, no doubt. I had worked up a good sweat by the time I finished it. If you plan to order it, be aware of the heat factor. Otherwise, a great place to dine.

It was further enhanced by the fact that our waiter graciously and patiently waited while we split the check up ourselves for...