Dear
Harlan,
The
restaurant is Pizzeria Vivace. It is located in a non-descript stucco
building with professional offices and retail shops in Tucson. The only thing notable about the building’s exterior
is the name Pizzeria Vivace on a wall
that can be seen from the road. For
whatever reason, I felt it just may be worth trying. I really can’t say what piqued my curiosity. Whatever the reason though, we went there for
lunch about a month ago and were impressed.
So much so that we put it to the “acid test”—a return visit. It seems to be a common malady of the
restaurants here that the quality of the food and service is never quite the
same from visit to visit. At times the
food is good and the service is not or visa-versa. Somehow getting both the
food and the service right, at the same time is just something they are incapable
of doing. As a result of this affliction
we have been sorely disappointed many times in the past when we returned to
other restaurants that we initially enjoyed. Thankfully, this was not the case when we
returned to Pizzeria Vivace. The food was every bit as good as the first
time we were there and the service was still just as attentive and energetic as
before.
On
both occasions we had their Pizzetta for lunch, a six inch thin crusted pizza
served with a very generous salad of chopped romaine lettuce, topped with a
delicious house made vinaigrette dressing.
So far we have tried several toppings with equal success. My most recent
Pizzetta was topped with tender slices
of pepperoni along with fresh Mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce; Linda’s pie
came with thin slices of eggplant, zucchini, roasted red peppers, tomato sauce,
a little pesto and two cheeses: Mozzarella and Trugole. Naturally, we tasted each other’s pie and I
would be hard pressed to choose one over the other. My pepperonis were pleasantly spicy, moist
and tender—very tasty. The combination
of the fresh vegetables with two cheeses and some pesto on Linda’s pie was
wonderful.
Regards,
It
finally happened. I am sure you had your
doubts just as I did all these years; but it really did happen. I actually
found a reasonably priced restaurant here in Southern Arizona that has both good
food and attentive service. Not only
is the food good and worth the money but it is very good. The same holds true for the wait staff. Aside from being attentive they are also
friendly and knowledgeable. Ironically,
this find comes at a time when we will soon be relocating to Providence, Rhode
Island—oh well, better late than never.
The
restaurant is Pizzeria Vivace. It is located in a non-descript stucco
building with professional offices and retail shops in Tucson. The only thing notable about the building’s exterior
is the name Pizzeria Vivace on a wall
that can be seen from the road. For
whatever reason, I felt it just may be worth trying. I really can’t say what piqued my curiosity. Whatever the reason though, we went there for
lunch about a month ago and were impressed.
So much so that we put it to the “acid test”—a return visit. It seems to be a common malady of the
restaurants here that the quality of the food and service is never quite the
same from visit to visit. At times the
food is good and the service is not or visa-versa. Somehow getting both the
food and the service right, at the same time is just something they are incapable
of doing. As a result of this affliction
we have been sorely disappointed many times in the past when we returned to
other restaurants that we initially enjoyed. Thankfully, this was not the case when we
returned to Pizzeria Vivace. The food was every bit as good as the first
time we were there and the service was still just as attentive and energetic as
before.
On
both occasions we had their Pizzetta for lunch, a six inch thin crusted pizza
served with a very generous salad of chopped romaine lettuce, topped with a
delicious house made vinaigrette dressing.
So far we have tried several toppings with equal success. My most recent
Pizzetta was topped with tender slices
of pepperoni along with fresh Mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce; Linda’s pie
came with thin slices of eggplant, zucchini, roasted red peppers, tomato sauce,
a little pesto and two cheeses: Mozzarella and Trugole. Naturally, we tasted each other’s pie and I
would be hard pressed to choose one over the other. My pepperonis were pleasantly spicy, moist
and tender—very tasty. The combination
of the fresh vegetables with two cheeses and some pesto on Linda’s pie was
wonderful. 
I
realize that I am going on and on about a pizzeria as if it is a four or five
star restaurant. However, considering our inability to find a restaurant here
with both good food and good service
for such a long time, my enthusiasm for Vivace’s is not surprising. Other than
that there is not much else happening that is noteworthy. We will be in Providence soon and we are
looking forward to exploring the restaurants in the city and the rest of the
State. So get ready for my missives
about the gastronomic fare in Rhode Island.
Linda
sends her best to your lovely wife Margo and your beautiful daughters, Helen
and Cara.
Bernard
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