T. Roosevelt’s Tavern

This is the former Cuoco Pazzo. I bought Groupons for this place that expired on ⁴⁄₂₀. We went by tonight to give it a try… they’re closed. Thanks for nothing.
Return Factor — 0%

So, they could use some work on the way the place looks and the way it works. There was not much business on the Saturday night that I was here and it really seemed as if I walked in on a «soft opening».
First, when you walk past, you have no effing idea where the effing front door is. Is it on the west or the north side of the building? Why isn’t there a sign? So that you don’t walk around aimlessly as I did– it’s on the north side of the building, facing the parking lot. There’s also no host/​hostess so you walk in and say «hello?» hoping someone answers.
The parking lot right in front of the open windows of the dining room= every time someone pulls in at night with their lights on, it gets real bright and/​or blinds you depending on where you’re seated.
The décor? Damn. It looks like a mismatched set of rustic Alaska, Colorado and Tuscany. There weren’t any barrels and wagon wheels in Italy the last time I was in Italy. There was also an undecorated fake Christmas tree in the center of the dining room.
The menu is all over as well. A few Italian classics alongside some Shrimp N Grits, Meatloaf and Fried Chicken. My head is spinning. Am I at Mr. Cacciatore’s or am I at Marie Callender’s?
The best thing that we tried were the Arancini or the rice balls. Blackened Tilapia was under-​seasoned, carbonara was OK, beer selection was decent and well poured.
Service was not bad but I don’t think I would come back unless they focus the menu and figure out who they are.

This place will be out of business soon.
The place was a ghost town on a nice Thursday evening.
Took my family with the Groupon, which conveniently made no mention of how restrictive the terms were. But OK, it was explained to us upon presenting the coupon. So I ordered a Four Peaks Hop Knot (one of the allowed beers) — «sorry, we’re out». I love IPAs so I asked if they were substituting one of their other beers. Nope! I don’t mind when a restaurant runs out of something, but I do mind if they don’t make a reasonable accommodation with a similar item. My wife wanted a Sierra Nevada (she had seen the logo on the window covering on the way into the «gastropub») — nope, don’t stock Sierra Nevada!
Food was marginal. Carbonara (supposedly a specialty), was nothing special and a little greasy. Mine is 10 times better — expected more as this place used to be a supposedly nice Italian restaurant — you can tell because they didn’t even change the display on the ordering software visible from the table. And my receipt didn’t have the correct name on it! Blue bison burger was good and I’d give thumbs up to the French fries, but if the fries are the highlight of the meal, something is wrong!
Dessert selection with the Groupon was too limited, so we couldn’t get the 2 we wanted to try. And, you couldn’t even pay the difference over «the allowed» amount. Chocolate cake was pretty dry.
Service was a little surly, and no follow-​up by anybody resembling a manager.
Can’t figure how Unilocal gives this place ⁴⁄₅ stars when there’s a bunch of poor reviews, but don’t waste your time here, which is too bad because it’s got easy parking, theoretically a good beer selection, and a nice location, but it won’t survive.

Eww, do not waste your time at all going here. I bought the Groupon they had going…$ 40 for 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, a bottle of wine, and a dessert… what a deal! I just moved to the area and was super stoked to get all that for $ 40, at what looked like a really nice place. I checked out their Unilocal page before buying the Groupon, and the pictures all looked amazing. That charcuterie plate, the yellowtail crudo, foie gras, whole sea bass! YUM. Well folks, those are all pictures of the old restaurant CUOCO PAZZO. These gave me a completely different idea of what I thought this meal would be like. False advertising, and, for my sake, super disappointing.
I ordered the beef stroganoff. It was watery, the pasta was soggy, and the chunks of steak in there had to be from an overcooked steak someone sent back a couple days ago. It was almost ashy in color, really tough, and legitimately looked and tasted really old. I picked out the mushrooms to eat, but lets just say it was hardly touched. My boyfriend ordered the bison burger. He said it was really overcooked, and nothing special. For him to not take leftovers for lunch the next day is pretty rare. We asked for our chocolate cake to go (and gave it to our neighbor). When the bill came, I had shown the waiter my Groupon, and he marked it as used. Now here is where my experience went from never coming back, to writing an extremely negative review (which I rarely ever do). I had asked the waiter if I can leave his tip on my debit card, since I wanted to tip him and I did not have cash. He said sure, I can charge you 1 penny and then you can leave the tip. We left a tip, and never looked back. Until I saw my card was charged $ 97.74 when I checked my bank account that following Sunday. When I was finally able to contact the restaurant (they aren’t open Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday until dinner service) the owner called Merchant services and told me the full amount would be credited back to me within 3 – 15 days. Well just today I had to call up my bank and have this issue resolved for me… it has been almost a month!
Not only was the place empty on a Wednesday night, which is very strange for Old Town Scottsdale, the food was bad, and the service I received after the fact was even worse. I don’t think I would come back to this restaurant even if the food was free. Man that sounds so harsh to say… I love writing fun, happy reviews. Unfortunately, fun and happy (or yummy) was far from what I received.

We used a Groupon for this place last night and hate to say we were a bit disappointed. The place was completely empty at 7pm in Old Town (big red flag considering even the Olive Garden averages an hour wait every night of the week this time of year). But we kept an open mind thinking this could be a «hidden gem»
Our waitress/​host/​bartender was very nice and a little apologetic on the groupon restrictions — lots of restrictions – but we ordered our two appetizers, four beers, two entrees, and desserts from the list.
Beer selection was good, and I was so pleased to have the last pumpkin porter in Arizona (another red flag that they still had some post season). We ordered calamari and arancini as appetizers. Was disappointed that their was an «off» flavor to the rice balls and the calamari were rubbery rings of grease. The grease didn’t stop with my carbonara. What a shame that the delicate handmade pasta would be swimming in oil and soggy bacon. My tummy has not recovered yet from that. In all fairness, my hubby ordered the blue bison burger and he said it was not bad, though he left a quarter of it on his plate (unheard of!). Dessert was another story. The groupon only let us have a choice of pie or cake so we couldn’t get the s’more dessert or the banana crepes… was looking forward to those. We ordered the cake and it was dry and cold.
All and all, would have to say the night out was appreciated but our overall experience was «MEH!». Such a shame that such a cool restaurant does not stand a chance, even in such a great location. Would love to be wrong on this one.

I was hopeful this place would be cool since it is down the street from my studio but it is definitely lacking.
There were only a handful of people in the whole place and the service took twice as long as it normally does in a place that is busy.
The food was so-so…Not impressed…

Disappointed.
I came here on a Saturday night for dinner. There was a live band that took nearly our entire meal to set up. They were testing their equipment and the sound the entire time we were there. While they were setting up, the restaurant was trying to hide how loud the band was by blaring loud music overhead. I do like loud music, just not blaring like we’re at Axis/​Radius while I’m eating.
The service was ok. The drinks took longer than our appetizers. They didn’t even have enough shrimp to fill our one order of coconut shrimp. I had to get up and get my own salt and pepper from the bar after not seeing my server for nearly 15 mins after our entrees arrived.
The food was AWFUL! I ordered the salmon and my boyfriend some handmade pasta Alfredo dish. Mine was just salmon and couscous. Nothing special and bland. The dish wasn’t seasoned. My boyfriend had the same problem with his food, bland. Right after we left I felt sick after eating the little bit of food I did consume.
To top off our «super great» experience we were overcharged for our wine on the bill. At this point we were far too annoyed to say anything and just paid the overage and left. I think its safe to say we wont be coming back. Such a shame too, considering we’ve been looking for a great new place. Stay clear of this overpriced gross food. You would be much happier with basically any other restaurant in Old Town.

I used to go to this restaurant before the owner changed the name. Same owner, same great food, same awesome atmosphere.
We had just gotten back from a trip to Italy and were constantly disappointed with all the Italian restaurants in Scottsdale. Nothing came close to Rome or Sicily until we found T. Roosevelt’s Don’t let the new name fool you. This place is «upscale casual with a forever family vibe»
«Welcoming» would be a good way to put it!
The pizza is UNGODLY AMAZING!
The crust they use is the best crust I ever had on a pizza
The antipasti plate is huge, and has more meats and cheese than anyone could ever want.
The steaks, fish, and pasta are to die for.
I have never had anything I did not LOVE.
Don’t let the name fool you. T. Roosevelt’s has the best Italian food in Scottsdale.
and holy crap! the deserts??? Ridiculous
Pros:
Attentive staff
Amazing appetizers
Great bar
Fun owner
Incredible pasta
Sexy ambiance
Con’s
They don’t do breakfast.
I cannot recommend this place enough!

My wife and I went here for happy hour on a Thursday evening and were disappointed with the customer service we received. Let me start with them advertising ½ off draught beer and wine by the glass. It began when I ordered a Dogfish 90 Minute IPA which there was clearly a problem with as both the server and bartender were pouring tasters to taste it. Regardless, they served me the beer with zero mention of a problem. After trying the beer I called the server over and reported that it was extremely flat. To which he replied «I was affraid of that. The keg is out of CO2.» Okay then, thanks for serving me a flat beer that you tasted and knew was bad!
Alright then, well Ill have the Odell Double black IPA off the menu. «No sir we are out of that beer.» Okay, then Ill take the Odell Double Pils. The server disappears and comes back to ask if I want the 12 oz or 17 oz. I reply «well since it is happy hour ill take the one that is on happy hour.» To which the server replies «that beer is not on the happy hour menu.» Perfect so the Dogfish is bad, the double black IPA is gone and the double pils is not on happy hour. «Il have the the 4Peaks Pumpkin Porter sir.» Luckily my beer arrives!
Now ordering appetizers. They are completely out of wings so no parmesan or the other flavor they had. Bummer. Luckily the ribs they had were great! A great cherry cola sauce. Also, the red pepper slider burger with grilled onions was delicious. No complaints with the taste of the food. Just surprised they are completely out of wing which made up 2 of the 8 items on their happy hour menu.
Then, when the check came we were charged full price on the beer to which the server came back and said «that pumpkin porter you ordered was NOT on the happy hour price.» Really! I asked 2 times for beers that were on the happy hour price and when you greeted us you mentioned that we were seated in time for happy hour. Also, you guys were out of my first 2 beer selections and had to decline me on another that again wasnt on the happy hour price. Plus the wings we wanted you guys also didn’t have. Then we were inadvertently charged non-​happy our prices on the ribs that needed to be corrected.
Lastly, as my wife and I were discussing the rather unique (awful) service we received the owner overheard us walking out and asked «Did we have a problem with something??» Really? You are gonna charge after us and ask if there was a problem when we are halfway to our car? After explaining the whole beer fiasco and the confusion they create with «happy hour prices» on select draughts the owner didn’t apologize once for anything (lack of advertised druaghts, lack of wings, incorrect charges) and basically sent us on our way. Im still not sure what beers are on Happy Hour prices because the server won’t let you know and there is zero clarity in the actual bar. Super disappointing experience.

Ever since the Pasta Bar closed down i have been on the search for a local Italian joint with a very welcoming menu… and Cuoco Pazzo delivered!
The menu is unpretentious. The service is very friendly. The owner comes out to check on his guest and strikes a conversation.
What keeps me REALLY coming back is that the food has great flavor and doesn’t even try. I’ve been to restaurants where you taste the food and its like they are trying very hard to make it taste amazing. At Cuoco Pazzo it comes together very nicely.
Definitely a must go.

Off the beaten path, but worth the visit! Nice, relaxing space with great, attentive service. The food was quite tasty and very reasonably priced. The grilled chicken with asparagus, proscuitto and taleggio cheese with a side of rigatoni was delicious! Start with the arancini too… yum!

I was worried at first because there was no host to greet me, but the food and service quickly changed that.
Devon was polite, and held a great conversation. It was a slower dinner, but the environment still felt great. I started with the bruschetta special which tasted fantastic. The sauce and food itself was fresh, which I am very picky about.
I had the rabbit entrée’ which surprised me. The rabbit was tender, and the pasta is made in house and I could tell. The portion was plentiful and I felt like I got my money’s worth.
It’s definitely a place you can bring a date or guests to and enjoy good food in a nice environment. I would have given 5 stars but the music confused me, (Italian restaurant playing Hawaiian music at dinner time???) and I found a bone in my rabbit which I was told is common when eating rabbit.
Side note, for the first time eating rabbit, it was extremely delicious. Kudos to the chef.
Overall, this place was good. It’s a little pricier than surrounding restaurants, (expect to spend between $ 60 – 100 for two people) but worth it. Enjoy.

We had a groupon here, so we gave it a shot. The food was good and the ingredients were of good quality, but the flavor was just so-​so. At full prices it wasn’t such a great value for the money, the portions were somewhat small and the salad was boring.

Want to be clear — this review was for Cuoco Pazzo, NOT the tavern that replaced it… (they automatically changed the name, but didn’t start a new review page)…I really miss Cuoco Pazzo and wish they wouldn’t have closed… review below:
Been here three times now, and if this review were based strictly on the first two visits it would receive a full five stars. The food was outstanding — we made sure to compliment the chef — the service was prompt and friendly, a great drink menu, and really nice ambiance. I highly recommended this place to out-​of-​towners, or just to people who had never been there.
However, on my most recent (and third) visit, we noticed that this place had started to slip a bit. It was very empty on a Saturday night — which probably isn’t a good sign. Despite how empty it was, the service was very slow and it took surprisingly long for simple items like a bowl of soup to arrive. They’d done away with their cocktail list on their drink menu too. The food, when it came, was still just as good, but it seems like they’d cut back — and it showed.
Really rooting for this place since their food is so good and I had two really good experiences there.

This is my saddest one star rated review ever only because the food could have actually been very good since everything was nicely flavored but what I received I find UNFORGIVABLE.
We started with a cheese plate and the first thing I noticed was the cheese all appeared to be cut far in advance from our ordering. The Tallegio cheese was also unlike any Tallegio cheese I’ve ever tried with a much milder taste and firm texture, disappointing but the real problem was THIS CHEESE WAS NOT CUT FRESH TO ORDER.
I went with the seafood special and it was so dry it was as if it was a left over that was over cooked again and it was a filet of fish that was cut in half resulting in an approximate three oz. portion for $ 29. I do note the sauce my fish was in was very good and the vegetables of carrots and matchstick asparagus were good BUT MY POTATOES were shriveled up and over cooked and when you cut them BROWN rings were threw them like old reheated over cooked potatoes. THREE OZ. OF DRY OVER COOKED (possibly multiple times) FISH with OLD SHRIVELED BROWN potatoes. I’ve reheated fish at home and it is never as good as fresh made but NEVER WAS IT CLOSE TO THIS DRY and I note the potatoes are not acceptable either.
My husband’s pork shank was WORSE and was an unhealthy ICE COLD in the middle. The heirloom bean ragout seemed like canned garbanzo beans with some lentils and DIDN’T SEEM like a Heirloom bean ragout. I do note the sauce the beans were in was well made.
Our waiter did check on us and I told him about the dry fish and my husband told him about the Ice cold center of the shank. Our waiter did offer to reheat the pork shank but my husband he declined as he felt it would have taken so long it would have ruined the meal even more so.
When we received the bill, $ 12 was removed from the cost of my husband’s pork shank. I was surprised no-​one from management said a word to us. Our waiter also forgot to give us a bread basket but that wasn’t a big deal but have to add that because I am upset over the food they felt is OK to serve.
I don’t know if they are like this all the time or not but for sure I’d NEVER go back.

The food is pretty good. They give out bread and herb infused olive oil that is delicious. Seems like they add extra salt to the oil to bring out the flavors more because its not as bland as it usually is. The proportions are weird because you probably get about a quarter cup of oil and a hunk of bread that’s as big as a large man’s fist. I dunno, felt a little bad wasting all that oil.
The clam and fennel sausage appetizer was very good. The sausage adds a brawny taste to the clams and broth. Again, I wished we had some extra bread to sop up some of the broth with. Approx. 2 cups wasted there.
I got the carne pizza — its good and I enjoyed it, but not sure if its the sweet sauce but when you first bite into it, it tastes like a familiar cheap pizza (think Lil Caesars, Peter Piper, I couldn’t really put my finger on it), but the flavor becomes fuller and more «quality» later on. Its a bit hard to explain. The meats on the pizza was fantastic and I do believe the cheese is good. The crust is fluffy and chewy, however, can use a bit more flavor.
We also got the farfelle that was a special — had artichoke hearts, olives, sausage, and mushroom in a dark brown sauce. The pasta was al dente, and home made. Overall it was good, however it is an odd mix of strong and sometimes overpowering flavors. I do believe I can get into it though.
All in all, this is probably my favorite Italian place in Old Town. The prices are a bit hefty, but I’m pleased with the portion sizes. We will definitely go back, but mostly reserve for special occasions.

This was a real random visit. My friends walked by and saw this place and said they would return. Knowing me very well, they told me about this «new» place they stumbled upon.
A gem it was! Exotic ingredients they had, but since we’re in AZ, which has the tendency not to have an open palate; they had no choice, but to give up the beef heart and tendon dish. Booooo! Hopefully, it comes back someday since their menus change up daily. We ordered some drinks, but they didn’t have any Kronenbourg beer! Not to worry, our great serve gave me another option — Kudos! If you don’t have it give me options! He offered me a Forst from Italy I guess and I totally appreciated it! That’s service my friend and to be on the ball our drinks and food came all at the right timing.
We ordered the Grande Antipasto and boy was it grand! Took a picture, which is rare. I never take pictures of my dishes, but this was a worth a shot and worth the purchase. I’m not too familiar with the cheeses, but it was good! We also ordered a Carne Pizza — meaty indeed it was and the dough was soft and yummy!
Overall, food and service was A+ in my book. I think the only thing I would switch up is the furniture. The chairs were not comfortable. However, the ambience was real relaxing and chill. Some class and a tad bit of home feeling. — Enjoy!

If you want to take impress someone, I would suggest Cuoco Pazzo. The ambiance is very bright and glowing with a red-​brick type of aura and surrounding. The place is very well lit and bright, and it gives an extra «umph» to the restaurant. The service from beginning to end was amazing. Our server gave incredible suggestions, and he was constantly checking to see how we were doing, even though we were deep in conversations. I appreciate that because its easy to lose track of what you may want or not want.
I wish I took a picture of the menu or special items, because I can’t remember the exact name of the dish. I would highly suggest ordering from the special menu, which is on a blackboard near the side of the restaurant. We had a $ 40 Groupon and ordered 3 nice dishes. Great experience overall!

The bf took me here for our anniversary and it was perfect. Great Italian food with an atmosphere where you feel like you are part of the family. The staff was friendly and it immediately reminded me of Osteria La Buca, one of my favorite places in LA when I lived there.
We split the Ceaser salad which was tasty but they could go a little easier on the dressing. Then I got the Black Tagliolini which I HIGHLY recommend. It’s a seafood and pasta dish in one and it’s delicious. My bf got the Fettucini. Then we ended our night with gelato and cheesecake. Tasty!
I thought this was a hidden gem and now looking online I’ve found it opened up only a couple of months ago and the chef is from Prado at the Montelucia. My man did great! This is exactly where I would want to eat on our anniversary. Can’t wait to take my friends and visitors here and try other dishes!
Oh, and you wouldn’t think so because it’s not really typical of Italian places, as most are focused only on wine, but their beer menu is one of the best I’ve seen! Bonus!

I went here for lunch today as I had a groupon and had been wanting to try this restaurant for awhile. People aren’t lying when they say the place runs slow… we were there for at least an hour at lunch time with only 2 – 3 tables occupied. The BF and I started with the mozz and tomato salad and it was really good… the ratio of the amount of cheese/​tomato/​bread was a little off, but the flavor was good. For entrees I had the meatball calzone and the BF got the burger without onions. Well, the calzone was a typical calzone, nothing great, nothing bad. The burger is like an italian version of a burger… the meat is thick and almost tastes more like a meatball. They forgot to put bacon on it even though it is included as written on the menu. The fries were boring and tasted like they came from the grocery store. We got dessert (had 40 $ to spend!). We ordered the chocolate torte and it was alright. The torte itself did not taste like it was fresh or made in house… the chocolate sauce and coffee flavored whipped cream was good.
The thing that really irked us (other than the food just being alright) was that the waiter was super involved with a table that came in after us… he was at this table almost the whole time, really going all out for them, but did not try very hard with us (probably because we were not ordering as expensive meals). Additionally, the owner (?) went around to the other tables, as did the chef, but no one came over to our table. Maybe because we are young or don’t look like the typical scottsdale clientele, or maybe they just simply forgot, I don’t know, but we felt like that was not so nice. Was it bad? No, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good enough for me to want to spend my time or money going back here again.