Welcome to the first edition of Dig it Dining, where I – your columnist and food fanatic – will cross the corners of this slice of southwest. I’ll rank and review Arizona’s latest and famous restaurants by posing a simple question… do we dig it?
By Madelaine Braggs | Rose Law Group Reporter
Now while I reserve the right to be wowed by more Italian restaurants in the future, there’s definitely an oven in Downtown Chandler that is my new favorite place to fix a craving for sauce and bread. Here’s my review of Craft 64:
With great happy hour and late-night specials, it was easy to pick a few appetizers and a pizza, paired with draft brews. We went with the fig, prosciutto and mascarpone bruschetta, the meatballs, garlic bread with marinara, and a pesto pizza that also featured generous slices of prosciutto.
I’ll come out and say I enjoyed the fig bruschetta just as much as a similar order at another famous bruschetta chain Postino Annex, maybe even liked it a little more simply because the bread was noticeably seasoned and artisan. It was slightly more toasted, buttered and herbed than the bruschetta bread at Postino, which can have a simpler taste, be fluffier and chewier, with a harder crust.
The crunch on this bruschetta and garlic cheese bread was delicious, covered in melted provolone, parmesan, basil, oregano and dipped in fresh marinara. The marinara consistency was much better than any store jar, not too chunky or watery.
However, not even the sauce could make me totally fall in love with the meatballs. This may be a preference thing, but they were a little dryer than I would have hoped. But redeemably, the texture paired well with the mushrooms that also cooked in a tomato sauce in the skillet the meatballs are presented in. Still pretty yummy overall.
What makes or breaks a good pizza is its dough. It shouldn’t need a lot of seasoning to cover up bland bread, it can be simple. On first bite of the Pesto Genovese pizza, what’s instantly recognizable is that familiar little bit of charred finish at the bottom from a wood fire. These wood-fired pizzas are made in Mugnaini wood-fired ovens imported from Italy. Quality you can taste.
Then we get flavors of provolone, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, topped with prosciutto, basil, and house pesto sauce. For those who like spicy pizza’s, the Honey Bee might be a good pick, featuring mozzarella parmigiano-reggiano, pepperoni, jalapeños, local mesquite honey and tomato sauce base. When I go back, I want to try the Carne, with fennel sausage, spicy soppressata salami, and pepperoni. For the desert, I’ve got my eye on trying that tiramisu.
Craft 64 promises “a neighborhood gathering place, whether you’re coming from out of state or down the street, enjoy a casual farm-to-table dining experience.” With an emphasis on supporting local agriculture, the restaurant sources farm-fresh and organic ingredients from Mclendon’s Select Farm in Peoria to “support, celebrate, and sustain local.”
Bonus tip: There’s a Scottsdale location too.
You can tell the Craft 64 kitchen is fueled by love for Arizona and good eats. For this I say, “We dig it.”
