Four Corners: Fratelli la Bufala

Nikki BuchananMarch 3, 2023
Share This
Photo by Alyssa Buruato
Photo by Alyssa Buruato
Scottsdale
Fratelli la Bufala  

Opened: December 2022
Fratelli la Bufala (“buffalo brothers”) is a Naples-based chain of pizzerias with outlets all over the world, but this tidy, upbeat spot in McCormick Ranch (only the second in the U.S.) outclasses most owner-operated one-offs. The menu’s mainstays are wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza and mozzarella — both the familiar cow’s milk variety, and the richer, tangier version made from water buffalo’s milk. Croccantino Caprese ($14), a riff on the traditional Caprese salad, makes an excellent opener, combining tomatoes and arugula with mozzarella breaded in couscous and deep-fried to a gloriously nutty crunch. Neapolitan pizza is terrific, too, thanks to a light, tender crust offering char and chew without a trace of soupiness at the center. The margherita di Bufala DOP (a classic topped with tomato sauce, Parmesan, basil and, in this case, certified buffalo mozzarella, $18) is a perfectly rendered classic, while a messy polpetta burger (saucy meatballs tucked into a “bun” of oven-blackened pizza dough. $13) brings Pane Bianco to mind. Finally, rigatoni salsiccia e friarelli (perfectly cooked pasta, bittersweet broccolini and sage-scented house-made sausage, glossed in butter and Parmesan, $19), is — like everything else — straight-up delicious.

Wild Card: Chocolate-napped profiteroles, French cream puffs with Italian origins.

7300 N. Via Paseo del Sur, 480-687-7784, flbofarizona.com

logo-phx-2019

For more than 50 years, PHOENIX magazine's experienced writers, editors, and designers have captured all sides of the Valley with award-winning and insightful writing, and groundbreaking report and design. Our expository features, narratives, profiles, and investigative features keep our 385,000 readers in touch with the Valley's latest trends, events, personalities and places.