As J. and I continued our negotiations for our winter trip, I knew that there were some boundaries that I could not cross. Hawaii was definitely out. I tried suggesting a possible European excursion, but J. wouldn’t have it with the sinking dollar and the 16+ hour flight. I also suggested Mexico, but J. wasn’t keen on that either. Still, there was a slight budge on J.’s part regarding Alaska and I was quick to capitalize on that small in road.

All these negotiations and discussions really made us hungry, but J. also wanted to so a bit of driving around the Valley. As fate would have it, we stumbled across a good-sized restaurant in North Scottsdale that had an intriguing name and looked welcoming. As we pulled into the strip mall, I told J. that the place was probably a pizza joint, but there were no complaints issued, so I took that as a sign that it was okay to take a chance.

We parked and entered into 3 Tomatoes and A Mozzarella. It certainly was a pizza place and the open kitchen and the pizza oven staring straight at us as we entered. The interior was welcoming as well as bright from the sun streaming into the dining room. We were quickly seated by the south-facing window and handed menus and told our server would be with us in a few moments.

Upon arrival, our server brought us water and offered to take our drink order. J. ordered an Iced Tea ($2.00) and I had a Diet Coke ($2.00). We also asked a few questions about the menu and then sat back trying to decide if we wanted to split a pizza or each get an individual one.

When our server returned, we had made up our minds and decided to each get a pizza. J. started with a half order of the Spinach and Arugula Salad ($5.50) followed by the Potato Pie Pizza ($13.50) on Whole Wheat crust ($1.00 add on). I chose a half Caesar Salad ($5.00) and the Pepperoni Neapolitan Pizza ($11.75). We also requested and order of the Focaccia ($2.50).

Only a few moments passed before our Focaccia arrived. The plate of bread was quite substantial and the bread was fresh and soft. We each grabbed a slice and I liked the chewy, salty crust which was a pleasant counterpoint to the slightly sweet bread. J. also liked the bread and we were happy with the flavor and the serving size. What failed to impress us, however, was the small ramekin of olive oil and balsamic vinegar that sat alongside the bread. While they were both decent enough in taste, the cup was far to small to use for dipping and the vinegar had settled to the very bottom. We almost didn’t notice the vinegar until we reached the end of the bread. I think if they had a different cup for each sauce, that would have been more appealing.

We had only gotten through about half the bread when our salads arrived. J.’s Spinach and Arugula Salad was huge. For a half serving, this was a meal in itself. The salad contained spinach, arugula, Gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, mandarin oranges, and prosciutto. The entire mixed was tossed in a caramelized onion vinaigrette. J. liberally sprinkled black pepper on the salad and was ready with a fork. There was a bit of silence as J. finished the first bite. Then, the moment of truth had arrived. “Needs more dressing, but otherwise pretty good.” I took a small bite and the flavors were quite good and a nice mix. I did remark to J. that the dressing had a good flavor, but was quite lacking on seasoning.

My Caesar Salad was traditional with plenty of Romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, croutons, and plenty of Parmesan cheese shavings. I liked my salad much more than J.’s because the dressing was tangy and salty with a balance of flavors. I particularly liked the fact that they didn’t skimp on the Parmesan shavings, which really highlighted the salad. I also was pleased that both our salads were sufficiently chilled to give them a solid crunch factor.

As we waited for our pizzas, we discussed our vacation plans further. I held back from bringing up Alaska, but I threw out a couple of other options as J. did. Off the list were Disney World, most of Florida, Chicago, and New York City. There was some interest in a Southern trip through Charleston and Savannah. We also had some mild interest in New England. So, things were getting there, but we still hadn’t made a final choice.

We decided to table the discussion when J.’s Potato Pie Pizza arrived. The 12″ disc was still slightly bubbling and the aroma was wonderful. I liked the look of the pie particularly as you could see the potatoes along with the bacon, onions and sauteed spinach. J. sprinkled on a bit of the container of Parmesan cheese on the table before enjoying the first piece. The pizza got a good review from J., but there were some things that needed fixing. The first was the fact that the pizza was quite light on the seasonings. From the sauce to the potatoes to the spinach, there was nothing to enhance the taste. J. mentioned the noticeable absence of salt. What was a serviceable pizza could have been much better with just a hit from the salt shaker. J. did, however, love the whole wheat crust.

My Pepperoni Pizza was another 12″ pie. The pizza, like J.’s was searing hot and I was happy to pick a few of the numerous pieces of pepperoni off the pie and nibble on them while the it cooled. My first bite was a lot like J.’s: the pizza was good, but I was very disappointed that even the sauce seamed bland. The crust was delicious and the pepperoni was very good, but the whole thing seemed to have gone through the desalinization process. J. and I were perplexed at the absent hand of seasoning in the kitchen. Whatever the reason, it really kept the finish products from being a winner.

Due to our ingestion of the plate of bread and our salads, we could only finished a few slices of our pizzas. Our server was quick on the ball in offering up a container to box our pizzas. Along with that box, we requested our bill. The final bill was $46.69 which included tax. We felt that it was a fair enough value. Our server was polite, professional and friendly and we had no complaints about the service.

As we left to head back to Phoenix, I told J. that 3 Tomatoes and a Mozzarella was okay, but the seasoning issue had me underwhelmed vis-a-vis the pizza. J. concurred and wished it had been a better meal. I found the meal okay overall, but really wanted it to be better. The kitchen needed to be a bit bold when it came to its pizzas. A few tweaks here and there and I could find myself going back to this restaurant.

When we arrived back in Phoenix, I asked J. where we were on the vacation issue and was told that we were very close and that we should wrap it up by the end of our next meal so we could make reservations and plan our budget.

I then sprung into action and stated, “Well, Alaska is cheap in the winter.”

J. didn’t say a word one way or the other, but I knew I had a bargaining chip.

3 Tomatoes and a Mozzarella
7605 East Pinnacle Peak Road
Scottdale, AZ 85255
Dress: Casual
Hours: Sunday through Monday – 5 PM to 9 PM; Tuesday through Saturday – 11 AM to 9 PM.
Notes: Cross streets are Pinnacle Peak Road and Miller. An additional location is in Las Vegas, NV.
Alcohol: Full bar service.