Sexy Roman opened inside Scottsdale's W Hotel in June, replacing Sushi Roku, a popular destination for a luxe night out. The Italian restaurant is the centerpiece of the Old Town hotel. It comes from Alliance Hospitality Group, a Los Angeles-based company also behind Phoenix’s Flint by Baltaire.
While the new restaurant stays true to providing an elevated experience, not every dish rose to the occasion during a recent visit.
The entrance to Sexy Roman is in the same covered entry on Camelback Road that guides guests to the hotel lobby. Its doorway is framed by rich-grained olive wood and angled slats of glass that are backlit in red, a signature color used in touches throughout the interiors.
Once inside, we breeze past a glowing wine wall and check in with the host. There's a luxe lounge alongside the bar decked out with olive wood paneling and dark, veined stone. While the lounge is moodier, the dining room pops with refracted light coming through the windows.
The tables are largely occupied by couples, though there are large tables that could hold a crowd, including one under an opulent glass chandelier. Touches of oxblood red continue throughout, from the lights tucked into the beveled tray ceiling to the bowties worn by the servers. One carries a comically oversized red pepper grinder across the dining room, a rare maximalist element in an otherwise sleek, understated space.
The bar menu includes several classic cocktails, Italian beers and a deep wine list that explores Italian vintages as well as bottles from other parts of the world. We start with Sexy Roman’s renditions of a spritz and a Negroni. Both are vibrant, floral takes. The spritz, which arrives in a towering wine glass filled with a berg of chipped ice, uses limoncello and an aperitif that add bright notes of citrus and hibiscus. The Negroni, served in a red, etched rocks glass, is a light and bright twist thanks to the use of strawberry gin and rhubarb.
Complimentary lavash and cheesy batons arrive with our drinks, along with a tomato jam that has a rich, roasted flavor with a hint of Calabrian chile. It’s a vibrant condiment that builds anticipation for what was to come.
Our order started with arancini. When cracking into these fried orbs, the saffron-infused rice grains are vibrantly yellow and encase a gooey taleggio. While nicely made, the pair of two-bite pieces is decidedly twee for $13. At least there are crackers and jam.
Next up was a mix of pasta, fish and veggies — all served à la carte. The centerpiece of Sexy Roman’s menu is its housemade pasta.
We opted for the burrata-stuffed tortellini. The pasta is rolled thin and tightly folded around the tender cheese. The rich short-rib ragu underneath adds some needed acidity. We would have loved more of that sauce on the plate.
The grilled branzino is streaked with a vibrant basil pesto. The fish was both delicate and had crackly skin along the perimeter. The pesto offered a fresh, herbaceous pop of flavor. Unfortunately, it also caused the skin at the center of the fillet to become flabby, making it hard to cut and unappetizing. We ate around it, trying to scrape the last bits of pesto from that skin.
No matter, we thought, the eggplant caponata could provide some zest alongside the fish. Sadly, the dish was more akin to a rustic ratatouille of eggplant, tomato and onion stewed in tomato sauce than the expected sweet-sour relish with verve and personality.
Tiramisu is finished tableside with a drizzle of coffee crème anglaise and grated chocolate.
Sara Crocker
The dessert, much like the restaurant, has elements that make it fun and entertaining. We'd come back to order another round of cocktails and explore the other pastas on offer. But for the investment required to dine at Sexy Roman, there's an expectation that every dish will taste as good as it looks. On our visit, that wasn't the case.
Sexy Roman
Spuntini: $9-21; Pasta: $28-51; Entrees: $42-82; Sides: $14-16; Desserts: $12-21; Cocktails: $19-237277 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale
