The Parlor is a local Italian eatery located in a historic building in Phoenix that once housed a beauty salon for nearly six decades. With a wood oven and a passion for simple and approachable food, a neighborhood hot spot was born, and continues to thrive.
Everything served is handmade daily, including all the breads, pastas and pastries. With a fresh and seasonal menu, comes wonderful food. The menu is ever changing with the seasons and we got to try some new items added for autumn.
For starters, we tried the Arancini, crispy saffron risotto stuffed with provolone and pomodoro. You just can’t go wrong with fried cheese, and these risotto balls had the best creamy cheese centers with perfectly crisp exterior. For salad, we sampled the Mozzarella in Carrozza. The presentation of the mozzarella was unlike any other, with prosciutto wrapped around the salad and resembling a piece of art. The flavor combination was also incredible with the different textures of the fried mozzarella, prosciutto and salad greens mixing together.
From the pizza selections, we chose the Autunalle pizza, which is new on the menu for fall. It is topped with prosciutto, caramelized onion, sweet potato ricotta, fig jam, slivered almonds and arugula. This pizza had lots of flavor going on with the combination of sweet, creamy ricotta, salty prosciutto, and the tartness of the fig jam. It certainly tasted like fall to us, if fall had a flavor.
We also sampled the Risotto di Mare made with carnaroli, Spanish chorizo, shrimp, mussels, piquillo peppers, salsa verde and saffron. The risotto had the same creamy texture as the appetizer. But this dish had a savory spice that followed each bite and kept us coming back for more.
When we noticed Tiramisu was on the menu, and learned it was also made in house, we couldn’t resist. Besides being absolutely delicious and fabulous, the chef added a slight flair with pine nut brittle sprinkled on top that added the perfect crunch. We didn’t know you could make tiramisu even better, but they achieved it and we know dream of tiramisu.
This neighborhood spot is a great place for date night, or catching up with friends. To find out more about The Parlor, visit theparlor.us.