From Judy Hedding,
Your Guide to Phoenix.
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People just have to let me know. They go to a restaurant in the greater Phoenix area, and they either loved it or hated it--there's not much in between! I created these pages so that you, the visitors to About.com Phoenix, could have your say. As for the rating, one star is the worst, five stars is the best.

Now, a word of warning--every once in a while I'll get a review from someone who has a specific agenda in mind. A really bad review might be from a disgruntled employee. A really good review might be from the owner or manager. Unless I specifically mention that I have edited a review for some reason, you see the comments posted here exactly as I received them.

Reviews of Sassi

Submitted by: Italy Dude
Rating: 2 stars
Date: May 2008
Sassi is one of the most beautiful restaurants I have attended. That, however, is where to favorable comments end. I live in Italy and while I don't expect Italian restaurants to achieve what real Italians achieve, this was one of the worst meals I have ever had. The art of Italian cooking is simplicity. At Sassi, their pasta sauces were so goopy and oily as not to be edible. Our waitress had not a clue about Italian food. If you truly understand and enjoy real Italian food, this is not your restaurant

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Submitted by: M
Rating: 2 stars
Date: April 2008
I had high expectations for Sassi, but the food was disappointing. I ordered lamb three ways: the chop was excellent; the ragu was tangy, not my taste, but tender and well executed; the lamb patty was too salty, hard, and unimpressive. The side-dish of greens was too salty to be palatable. The squash that replaced it had a nice buttery-sweet flavor, but was undercooked! The appetizers (pizza, caprese, proscuitto) and desserts (semi-freddo and tartufo) were good, but not worth the price. I was comforted (a little) by knowing the food was local and organic, the wonderful ambiance, the slow pace of dining, and the friendly wait-staff.

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Submitted by: Abbie
Rating: 1 star
Date: May 2006
Although the building and views were beautiful, we had a terrible experience at Sassi last weekend. Our reservation was at 7:30 & we walked in at exactly that time. We were told to look around for a few minutes while two people left, but ended up waiting for over 45 minutes to be seated. After finally being seated, we immediately ordered the chef's special menu. The waiter returned 30 minutes later & asked us what we would like for dinner, saying he had gotten lost. We did not receive any food until after 9pm. The dinner took forever (at one point they served us the same thing for a second time) and we finally had him pack up the desserts to go - by that time it was after 11pm! After complaining, the manager did comp us the price of one dinner. However, I would never go back nor would I recommend it to any of my friends. The people around us leaving also commented on how bad the service was. I was very embarassed to have taken my parents there visiting from out of town.

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Submitted by: Maria Czerniak
Rating: 1 star
Date: April 2006
We recently dined at Sassi with our friends who were visiting from Chicago. The restaurant and the groungd were just beautiful. The food was not. I was so very disappointed. We started with Insalata Caprese. I never seen such a poor presentation. A whole ball of Mozzarella placed in the middle of the plate. Can they show a bit more respect for the food and for the guest? The server told us that mozzarella was made in house while the bus person told us it comes in already done. The entrees were even less impressive. The lamb dish (lamb 3 ways) was very tastless and it was a total of about 4 oz of meat (for $35). The pasta with veal al Ragu was so blend and it barly covered the bottom of the big plate (it had total od four tiny pieces of veal - for $20). We communicated our disappointment to our server but we said it was the southere Italian food....a poor excuse for tastless and blend food. Desserts were not good at all. I never seen such a sorry excuse for a chocolate sauce in my life. As a chef I was so offended it made so sad. How is this posibble?

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Submitted by: Rita
Rating: 1 star
Date: April 2005
My husband and I WERE regulars until recently. The food has become inconsistent and lacks passion. My favorite dish used to be the porchetta, but now it always looks and tastes different each time it arrives at the table. But one of the final factor in not dining at Sassi anymore is the lack of respect that management gives to their employees. After dining there now about 15 times, I can see why their staff is unhappy. Makes us feel uncomfortable.

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