Tratto — Restaurant in Phoenix

Overall I would have to say my experience was very good. I am a pretty good home cook so I tend to be a bit more critical when eating out. It's hard to find meals out better than what I'd make at home. Going with 4 stars overall because the hype didn't match my overall expectations and its very pricy relative to food costs.

To start with, the reservation system is through open table. I originally made a reservation for 4. We have a couple drop out, so I tried to change on line it with no luck. Tried to call and let them know and they don't answer the phone. Ultimately, it was okay.

The location is in kind of a dingy part next to used car lots in a reclaimed old building. They did a nice job fixing it up, so no problem with the space. Service was excellent.

For me, it's all about the food. Started with a farinata ($12) which was excellent. Basically a chickpea flour crepe with some caramelized red onion. About a 10 inch circular, thin crepe. I will try and recreate in my own kitchen it was that good. I'd probably have hit it with a little minced italian parsley for color as it was visually bland on the plate.

We shared the cacio e pepe ($24 for about 1.5 cups of pasta) which was also excellent. Perfectly al dente. Again, visually bland on the plate. Would probably add some color.

My wife ordered the Halibut with brown butter, capers and roasted lemon ($35 for a 5 oz portion). Fresh and perfectly cooked with well balanced flavors.

I ordered the Pork chops with apples and mustard glaze ($32 for 2, 5 oz chops). Flavorful dish, but it's hard to pull off without overcooking the pork since it's very lean when cut thinly. I'd probably change this up to a thicker cut and serve one, 10 oz chop.

We shared the seared cabbage with pecorino cream and thyme ($16). Very good side dish. It's about half a cabbage, so a decent portion to share.

Finished with a citrus cake with ice cream ($12). Moist and flavorful. My wife tried to order tea with this but they don't serve tea fyi. A bit strange. While Italians prefer coffee, I don't remember having an issue with tea in Sicily or Italy on past vacations.

Again, overall good experience but not perfect. Final bill was $240 for 2 with tip, which seems a bit excessive given portion and ingredient costs. Note, we did both have two drinks...

This was our first time here. Needless to say it was just ok. There are definite pros and cons to this place. Our service was great, but some of the food offerings were confusing and lackluster for the price. We ordered the meat and cheese platter which was mostly all delicious (we were not a fan of the cheeses on the board, but the meat was delicious). The staff was great we did not experience any less than normal service. Although it was not above and beyond stellar it was not rushed or rude as others have described.

Pros: Great atmosphere and decor is interesting to look at, the building is over 100 years old which helps give some charm to this establishment. Staff was attentive and helpful when choosing dishes. Our reservations were for the wrong day, but they were still able to get us in. The Bolognese pasta dish was to die for!! Their pasta is homemade and you can tell, I've never had anything like it. They do have some pastas that are always offered, but you have to ask about them. All ingredients are locally sourced and grown.

Cons: Neighborhood is questionable and parking is lacking. Prepare to park on the neighborhood street and walk, area is not well lit at night. The restaurant itself does not have a lit sign so you have to pay attention where to turn when you get onto Van Buren. Portions seemed off? We ordered the Bolognese Pasta dish and got enough for 2 adults and more, but when we ordered some shrimp ravioli to go we got maybe 10 pieces of ravioli and a bit of sauce? Our second main dish (Secondi menu) was the Ranch chicken. We ordered a whole chicken for $50 but only received 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks and 2 wings so we didn't get hardly any chicken for $50. Not sure why they dont serve the breasts with a "whole chicken". We ordered the apple cake, but they packaged it to go? We were looking forward to eating it warm in the restaurant. Got home, tried it and it wasn't that great. Too much clove and Cinnamon and the Caramel topping tasted very much like a coffee liquor and not Caramel at all. The desserts are not on the menu. Menu changes frequently and they do not post it on their site so when you go you never know what you'll be able to order. If you find something you like you may not be able to...

I didn't like the food, and left hungry which is very disappointing when you spend $200+ for two people.

The half chicken is very small and a la carte with nothing that worked for me as a side. I didn't finish it because it was too much work and I was tired of pulling bones out of my mouth. At the most, there would have been three ounces of Chicken but likely closer to two ounces. They had no potatoes but they had something like grits which turned out to be very unappealing...it tasted like corn meal. I needed to order the pasta to get some sort of feeling of having actually ate but I still left hungry.

The pasta was good but the portion was not enough to satisfy.

For me, I ordered the chicken, the pasta, the side along with some cookie cake and I was still very hungry when we left.

My wife enjoyed her fish and her chocolate cake but we were both underwhelmed. It's not easy to get a reservation here and I have no clue as to why that is aside from their limited hours.

The service was good but at the end we didn't feel the service followed through. After she dropped off the bill, we didn't see her again. No "thank you for coming in..." or whatever. At this price point, follow through with your guests, don't do the "they got the bill, I'm done" and disappear.

The ambiance is nice but nothing unique. Recorded music plays at a good volume.

Parking is atrocious. They say complimentary valet but there's nobody there. We're handicapped but didn't use the handicapped parking as it was coned off for valet, but again, we don't know where they were. In the rain, we had to park down the street when there was a perfectly good handicapped spot by the front. Walking in soaking wet when it's unnecessary isn't a good start either.

We had high expectations but they weren't even close to being met. I feel this place is overrated and too casual for this price point. If front of the house staff can wear converse, you need to drop the prices.

They have a big bar top which is first come first serve. I'd recommend doing that instead of trying to get a reservation. The bar top only had a few people and there were plenty...