Photos by Richard maack Lasagna Tuscana

The concept is strong, but Joseph Gutierrez’s new rustic Italian restaurant at SouthBridge doesn’t yet live up to its bold menu.

It’s an odd strategy: Take over the lease for a failed Italian restaurant, and put in another Italian restaurant. Yet, for chef/owner Joseph Gutierrez, who moved his Tutto into the former Digestif space mere days after it was vacated last July, it made sense.

Digestif at SouthBridge was a turnkey operation for the authentic Italian experience Gutierrez wanted to offer, down to the wood-burning oven required to craft his crisp-crust pizzas topped with mushrooms and pancetta ($11). It had a fashionable mood, with brick walls, chain mesh curtains and two curvaceous bars.

Gutierrez quickly established an ambitious menu, lengthy and sparked with thoughtful centerpieces, including handcrafted pastas ($15-$17), four kinds of risotto ($17-$21), and “cucina creative” touches like braised rabbit cassoulet perfumed with fennel, garlic, lemon and a dollop of rich mascarpone ($22). Much of the cooking is spot-on, particularly the uniformly exquisite pastas.

Good concept, yes? Except, more than six months later, it seems the transplant hasn’t taken. Over numerous visits, my companions and I had our pick of the tables, be it weekday happy hour or primetime weekend nights.

calamari stuffed with prosciutto, thyme, ricotta and roasted garlic in a spicy plum tomato sauce (front), squid ink risotto (back)

Chalk it up to lack of direction – Tutto doesn’t seem know if it’s high-end or hip, with the middle ground ending up sloppy. Some plates approach fine dining and show the kitchen’s skills, such as a buttery-beautiful pan-seared lobster tail over “straw and hay pasta” (essentially a green and white noodle Alfredo bathed in a silky emulsion of bacon, peas, nutmeg and egg, $32).

Squid ink risotto speaks of sophistication, the rice expertly creamy and lavishly stocked with meaty clams, mussels and calamari ($19). But other dishes are amateur, like the candy-sweet, heavily breaded and sauced chicken breast buried in figs, almonds, raisins and honey ($16).

At times the service is polished, with meticulous attention to bread and water refills, and staff refolding napkins when guests leave the table for a moment. But what am I to think when a cook wolf-whistles from the kitchen to alert a server that an order of peasant chicken stew ($16) is up, or when my servers vacantly gaze at me as I muse out loud over potential wine pairings for basics like lasagna ($16)?  

 For dessert (all $8), Tutto goes mainstream with predictable tiramisu and crème brûlée. Nothing wrong there.  

Tutto’s challenges can be summed up in a calamari appetizer, presented as three steaks rolled around ricotta, minced prosciutto, thyme, and roasted garlic in a puddle of spicy plum tomato sauce ($8). The notion is terrific, bringing rich and surprising flavor with elegantly rustic appeal. Except the chewy bundles are awkward, oozing their insides like a tube of toothpaste when cut.

A fine idea, but the execution needs work.

DETAILS
Tutto
Cuisine: Italian
Address: 7114 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale
Phone: 480-947-2129
Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner, 5:30 to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 5:30 p.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday
Highlights: Braised rabbit cassoulet with fennel, garlic, lemon and
mascarpone ($22); pan-seared lobster tail over “straw and hay pasta” ($32); squid ink risotto ($19)