As is my custom, I usually take others with me when visiting a restaurant for the purpose of writing a dining review. The deal is we all have to order something different so we can get a broad spectrum of taste experiences. This tends to involve a certain amount of sharing.
Usually, there is a consensus and I write my review considering the comments of my dining companions. Thus, while I am responsible for my reviews, most are a collaborative effort.
This has also been true since beginning our search for the Best Pizza In Tucson a year ago. However, as we narrowed the field, consensus was lacking. So, several of us circled back to re-review two top contenders: Grimaldi’s Pizzeria and Tavolino Ristorante Italiano. Essentially, we were comparing these two with our recent very good experience at Pizzeria Bianco Downtown.
We have already published our Grimaldi’s and Bianco’s reviews, so this is the last of the three.
Tavolino’s is a very fine Italian restaurant. Almost as good as Vivace’s. I’ve dined there 4 times now. Twice I had an excellent pasta dish; twice I had pizza. In total, I have experienced portions of 5 Tavolino pizzas. Unfortunately, my second experience was not quite as good as the first.
Five of us dined at Tavolino’s in mid-November 2014. We ordered three 12” pizzas. One was half pepperoni; half sausage and mushroom ($12). One was their Boscaiola: sausage, artichokes, mushrooms, mozzarella, fontina, & pinenuts ($11). The third was their Gamberetti: shrimp, goat cheese, mozzarella, spicy tomato sauce ($11).
Personally, I thought the crusts were under-cooked by a minute, thus those with red sauce were a bit soggy. In other words, these three were not baked as well as those Ms. Sue & I enjoyed two months ago.
For example, the first pizza was not hot when it arrived at our table. Moreover, the pepperoni topping was sparse. As a restaurant critic, I see no excuse for either deficiency. Nevertheless, I am compelled to tell you that these were not issues on our first pizza visit to Tavolino’s.
Otherwise the toppings were generous and generally very good, except the shrimp didn’t work as well as we had hoped. None of us much cared for it.
Comparing what Sue and I experienced at Tavolino’s about two months ago, I was disappointed; but Sue said, of the three, she still liked Tavolino’s pizza best.
Even the sauce was not as flavorful as I remember from the first time. Seems last time the sauce had a bit more garlic and salt. If I wasn’t so tired of pizza, I’d go back a third time betting that my second visit was an anomaly.
Sue placed Tavolino’s best and Grimaldi’s third. Neighbor Roy thought the opposite and said Grimaldi’s was the best, and Tavolino’s pizza #3, leaving Bianco’s in second place.
Karen, Rosemary & I disagreed with both. With so much dissension within my tribe of distinguished pizza-tasters, I was beginning to see why the online reviews of Tucson pizza establishments are all over the board. Of all the American comfort foods, the humble pizza pie is perhaps most subject to individual preference.
Moreover, I’m thinking that some of the inconsistency in online reviews might reflect the inconsistency of the product. Perhaps on any given day, one pizzeria can bake an outstanding pizza, and the next day, that same pizzeria with a different chef or kitchen staff, not so great. Anyway, that’s my working theory.
Nevertheless, you will have to wait a week for the final ranking and our choice for Numero Uno: The Best Pizza In Tucson.
Tavolino Ristorante Italiano
2890 E Skyline Dr, Tucson, AZ 85718
(520) 531-1913
