Elle M.
Yelp
Probably like many others, I ended up at Tratto after an unsucessful attempt to get into sister restaurant Pizzeria Bianco. But because it has it's own reputation, I was no less excited to secure a reservation while in town.
Chef Chris Bianco is a recognized James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur* with a cult following of his pizzeria, but my experience at Tratto did not match the expectations I had for the Bianco family restaurant experience.
Environment is always important to me, and right away i was very confused. Tratto is an Italian restaurant but the decor was giving small-town antique shop. The interior felt to be in disrepair but spun to try to seem intentional. The ceiling tiles were rusted out and looked like they might fall off. The old wood floor felt almost fragile, like it might crack. The wall decor was completely random and made no sense. I decided to keep my mind open to the experience ahead.
I was with a group of work associates who are equally obsessed with their next meal, and our anticipation was high.
The menu is seasonal and we ordered one or two dishes from each course (antipasti, primi, secondi, contorni and dolce). We felt we had to try as much as we could manage. It gives me absolutely no pleasure to say that each course felt more disappointing than the last.
Rather than detail each course, suffice to say that the courses felt completely forgettable, except for the cacio e pepe which I will only remember as the most disappointing version of one of my favorite meals that I've ever had.
Cacio e pepe is one of those dishes I will ask for at every Italian restaurant to compare it to the last. But here the pasta was undercooked, not al dente, it was chewy and grainy. WHY WAS IT CHEWY? WHY WAS IT GRAINY? One of the defining characteristics of a perfect cacio e pepe is the perfectly cooked pasta and the impossibly smooth cheese (pecorino, parmesan or parmigiana regiano depending on preference). There's a simple explanation for the state of the cacio at Tratto. The proportion of cheese to pasta water was wrong and the timing was way off. Cacio is not a complex recipe, but technique is important. Neither had been carried out well on the night I was there.
The dolce course was the best part of the experience. It was solid and entirely as I would have hoped, but not particularly memorable.
Service was strangely cold and business-like. We had everything we needed at all times, but it lacked any humanity, if that makes sense.
Despite our high hopes, each of us at the table reluctantly admitted our disappointment with the experience.
I consider this my first Tratto review as I plan for a second chance together on my next week in Phoenix.
And while one can order pizza from Pizzeria Bianco and have it delivered out of state, I'll keep my fingers crossed to snag a table on my next Phoenix visit too. I'm not ready to give up on the Bianco experience, yet.
*James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur
A restaurateur who uses their establishment(s) as a vehicle for building community, demonstrates creativity in entrepreneurship, integrity in restaurant operations, and is making efforts to create a sustainable work culture. Eligible candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least five years and they must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past three years. The medallion and a certificate are given to the winning restaurateur or, in the case of a pair or team of restaurateurs who are generally understood to be equal partners in the endeavor, restaurateurs.*