Mora Italian - second review

Mora Italian
5651 N 7th St

Phoenix, AZ 85014


This is my second review of Mora Italian. Our group had a 7:00 reservation and were promptly seated. Two of us started off with a Sangria Mora. A nice, light way to start the meal.

We again ordered the bread cart and everyone enjoyed it immensely. Next was the Salume and Cheese platter. It not only had some excellent salume and cheeses, but also had some wonderful chutney with toasted almonds as well as an excellent fig jam. The highlight of the platter was a small pile of thin sliced Iberico Prosciutto, which many consider to be the finest in the world and which I would not dispute.

Next came the Frito Misto and the Octopus. The Frito Misto is served with a squeeze of lemon which is perfect with it and the Octopus is so tender that one cuts it with the side of a fork instead of with a knife. Our waiter suggested that we try a new dish that was just put on the menu - Mussels. They were truly amazing - sweet, tender and swimming in a sauce that was so good that I soaked bread in it and took it home with me!

The Burrata was, to be honest just fair, and could have done with a nice drizzle of good olive oil on it, but the Gnudi were obviously made in heaven and transported to our table. If I were on death row my last meal would be a double portion of the Gnudi.

We ordered the chef's signature dish which is the Pomodoro Spaghetti. The pasta was very obviously hand made and the pomodoro sauce was absolutely wonderful with just a hint of spice added to it.

We also ordered a Margherita and a Soppressata pizza, but were too full to eat them and instead took them home.

Service was excellent, as was cleanliness. If nothing else, a visit to the bathroom is an essential visit, as they are like nothing I have ever seen anywhere else. Each person has their own, private, individual bathroom!

New items ordered this time were the Mussels, the Salume, and the Spaghetti Pomodoro.

Dings - same as last time - the music is much too loud, often drowning out conversation at the table and requiring the waiter to repeat things for us.

5 Stars

The Habit Burger Grill

The Habit Burger Grill

1817 E Guadalupe Rd

Ste 102

Tempe, AZ 85283

Companion and I were in the mood for burgers for lunch and decided to try a new place. We were promptly greeted from behind the counter with a nice big smile and a cheery hello.

We both ordered the #2 Double Char ($8.15) which includes fries and a drink. Companion added cheese and bacon to his sandwich. I asked for well done fries.

They have a drink bar where you can select whatever you like to drink. This was the first place I have ever seen that has pomegranate lemonade, which was a real treat.

We found seats and loaded up on napkins as well as ketchup for the fries and some salt. Unlike many burger places they do not season their fries, which I prefer to the usual salt shower used in some places.

In due time our burgers were brought out. Big, juicy burgers that oozed when you picked it up. The fries were excellent, and crunched when I bit into them. It was nice to get my food made my way instead of being what they thought I would want.

Companion’s burger was loaded with bacon and had cheese dripping off of it. Neither of us minded getting our hands a bit soiled eating such a big, excellent burger.

The place was spotlessly clean and a member of the crew even came by to make sure our lunch met our satisfaction.

The menu had quite a number of selections on it all of which were at an excellent price point. I’m already planning my next trip there to have the Tri-Tip Steak or the Portabella Char.

Dings - only one - they only cook their burgers medium or well done, and I prefer mine rare or medium rare.

4 stars