Alcantara Vineyards - Arizona Wine Growers Association

Rubee’s Restaurant Spotlight . . .
The Parlor Pizzeria - A Retro & Rustic Pleasure
By Christina Barrueta
F
irst impressions portend good things to follow at
The Parlor Pizzeria. Approaching the entrance,
an herb and vegetable garden runs the length of
the walkway, promising fresh ingredients. An outdoor
fireplace for cool winter evenings divides the shaded patio
with misters for warm summer days. The Parlor Pizzeria
stands at the site of a mid-century beauty parlor and great
care has gone into the renovation, repurposing existing
materials and preserving much of the design aesthetic. The
cozy bar takes advantage of reclaimed wood in surfaces
and ceilings, while a wall in the dining room features a
retro concrete starburst sunscreen original to the building.
There’s no mystery as to why this family-owned – father
and son, Dan and Aric Mei – restaurant is a local favorite.
This inviting pizzeria offers reasonable prices and a hip yet
rustic atmosphere, with food to match.
A pizza counter with beauty parlor stools is a prime spot to
watch the wood-fired brick oven turn out fragrant pies with
a puffy, blistered crust. Feeling creative Check off the “Make
Salsiccia Pizza
Your Own” menu to choose toppings from four categories:
Proteins such as apple-wood smoked bacon, calamari or
roasted chicken; feta, gorgonzola, or ricotta cheese; fresh
arugula, artichokes, or grilled
vegetables; herbs such as
sage, cilantro, or rosemary.
Want the decision made for
you Choose one of the nine
signature pizzas. I love the
earthiness of crimini and
oyster mushrooms on the
Funghi with goat cheese,
truffle oil, and a sprinkling of
minced chives. The Salsiccia
with grilled radicchio, sage,
and tangy grape saba wins
Meat & Cheese Selection
me over with “Parlor Blend” sausage specially made by Schreiner’s
using Aric’s grandfather’s recipe. If you’re lucky, there may be a
seasonal addition. One recent summer special was topped with corn
puree, spicy crème fraiche, cilantro, and smoky roasted chiles.
The make-your-own option extends to cheese and charcuterie. On
one visit, we shared prosciutto, sopressata, and speck (a cold-smoked
prosciutto), along with a blue-veined Shropshire, bucherolle goat
cheese, and mozzarella made in-house, all arranged on a wooden
pizza peel with wedges of grilled rosemary flatbread and ramekins of
basil pesto and peperonata. The delicious sweet-tart peperonata was
especially good. I wanted to eat it by the spoonful and, in fact, I did just
that with creamy bucherolle. Fritto misto delivered light, crispy rock
shrimp and calamari with romesco, a classic Catalan sauce of pureed
chiles, tomatoes, and thickened with nuts; here they use almonds.
Arancini arrived as three golden bread crumb-coated, fontina-filled
rice balls sitting in a pool of pomodoro with the perfect touch of
garlic and a gentle chili kick. Another highlight was a bruschetta
special. Making use of summer’s bounty, grilled bread was topped
with sweet corn and summer squash, punctuated with the saltiness of
ricotta salata, and garnished with a drizzle of romesco.
Frito Misto
Salads range from a classic Caesar to a heartier
grilled steak panzanella with mixed greens and
focaccia croutons. On one visit, we polished off
a beet salad of arugula strewn with multicolored
roasted beets, slivers of fennel, cubes of avocado,
and anchored by a disk of walnut-encrusted goat
cheese. Four juicy Parlor Burgers are offered,
including one with bacon and gorgonzola mixed
into the patty, all with ingredients piled high on an
airy house-made bun with a smear of garlic aioli.
Sandwiches also showcase quality ingredients
and fresh baked bread. An Italian Deli Grinder
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