Ristorante Giuseppe

This no-frills, BYOB restaurant stuck in a Scottsdale strip mall doesn’t seem like much, but inside awaits a neighborhood Italian joint that serves comforting classics. Pick whatever you want – like lasagna, linguini clams (red or white), or chicken cacciatore – for your main meal, but try the bruschetta first. Italian garlic bread is topped with eggplant rollatini or peperonata. There are also specials like Pasta Alex, a cardinale-pesto sauce with roasted garlic and spicy Italian sausage, and linguini puttanesca with anchovies, olives, onions, and capers. The star of the menu, however, has to be the veal pasta. Extra-tender nuggets of meat are bathed in a light tomato sauce with carrots and mixed into al dente spaghetti. Ristorante Giuseppe also serves homemade desserts like cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake, tiramisu, tartufo, and cannolis.