From the brains of James Beard award winner/celebrity chef Scott Conant and locally known celebrity chef Stefano Fabbri comes a new Italian restaurant masterpiece. Nestled on a newly formed restaurant row, which sits on 7^th street and spans north from Camelback road, you will find an experience unlike any other in the area. Flavor and comfort are the two driving principles at this hot spot. High backed booth or open-air patio screened by lush green plants are available, but no white tablecloths. This is a local eatery that is looking to serve not only the surrounding community but also anyone interested in a great meal.

The feel is relaxed and elegant at the same time. The menu features signature items from both Conant and Fabbri, but also has some new interpretations of Italian favorites. We have been planning to visit this restaurant since it was announced and were excited to finally get the opportunity. I highly recommend a reservation as to visit on a weekend is difficult for an impromptu dinner trip. There is a complimentary valet that will greet you right off the main steps to the entry, and that is a big help, as there is not much in the way of parking space in the surrounding areas. We were greeted quickly by the hostess station right in side the door, but I caution you to not arrive too early as other than the possibly the bar, there is not much in room for waiting. We were given a seat in the raised bar table area, but there is also a main seating area that would be more convenient to anyone that does not like sitting perched up higher.

We were very pleased with the menu, which ranges from several small dish items all the way to pizza and fresh pasta. We decided to start with the highly recommend Bread Cart ($10 per table) which comes to your table on a cart specifically used for serving bread. You are then given four different kinds of bread with several spreads on a Bread Board. The bread consists of fresh baked options and four different styles. The spreads that are served with your bread are: a delicious mascarpone butter with rock salt, a robust artichoke bomba, an earthy eggplant caponata, and a Parmesan roasted garlic spread. The artichoke bomba was mixed with roast red peppers, which gave it an extra kick. If you are a fan of bread, you will not want to pass this one up. All the spreads added a different experience, but you could eat the bread just straight if you were so inclined. My favorite was the mascarpone butter, as the little pops of salt mixed with the sweet butter and spread delightfully on the bread.

We then ordered two salads to start off the meal, along with one of the many appetizers that are available. The first salad was the Heirloom Tomato salad ($14). The kitchen was kind enough to split both salads, so we could try each with out passing across the table. The tomatoes were very fresh with a tremendous bright flavor. They were sliced up in just larger than bite size portions and then served on a bed of baby greens. The salad was finished off with a shallot vinaigrette and fresh basil. The dressing was the perfect punch to the tomatoes and brightened up the entire dish.

The next salad was the Little Gem Lettuce ($11). It is served Caesar salad style with pieces of baby romaine lettuce. It is then served with dressing and the most perfect soft-boiled egg, with the yolk still runny. When you mix the yolk with the remainder of the dressing and get a bite of the bottarga and romaine, you may think it is the first time you have ever had a really great Caesar salad.

We also could not pass up ordering the Ricotta Fritters ($10). These are light and fluffy little egg shapes of fried ricotta cheese that are served with a spiced honey peperonata. The peperonata is a mixture of red bell peppers, onions and tomatoes, but this one has spiced honey to add a little sweetness to the mixture. The fritters come two to an order, so hard to share if you are looking to enjoy with more than just two people.

We then moved on to entrees, and neither of us could get past the fresh pasta menu to even consider some of the other enticing dishes that comprised the entire menu. Our first entrée was the Ricotta and Mascarpone Gnudi ($25). If you have never had gnudi, this is the place to try it first. It is similar to gnocchi, but instead of the potato it is made with Ricotta cheese and semolina. The result is a lighter, more “pillowy” type of dumpling. This one is served with Lobster knuckles and fried guanciale ragu sauce. The gnudi was so light and fluffy that they just melted in our mouths.   The lobster added another layer of decadence to the dish that made it an experience.

The final dish we enjoyed was the Pasta al Pomodoro ($18). This is a chef’s signature dish and after one bite, you can tell why. It was perfect! The fresh spaghetti style pasta and the rose sauce, intertwine together in perfect harmony. The sauce had a perfect sweetness and tartness, but the pasta was so fresh that you might felt like it is your first time ever-enjoying Italian food.

The serving sizes are not enormous, but you can quickly become full before you know it. The wait staff is quick, but occasionally hard to understand. This became even more apparent as some of the song selections began to have a louder beat. If I have anything that I could see the restaurant adjusting it might be the music, as it does not lend itself to having quiet conversations with the wait staff or your own table. But that is a small sacrifice to endure, while enjoying some of the delicacies that are served up. I can see myself saying we need to go to Mora “mora”.

Location and Website – 5651 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85014; www.moraitalian.com