Tomaso's celebrates 10 years in business with special menu

For fall and the holidays, as well as in celebration of its 10-year anniversary, Tomaso’s has come out with a fixed-price, three-course menu of heartier dishes for $35.

“It’s something a little bit different and more exciting,” said Lorenzo Bianchi, executive chef and manager for the restaurant. “We want to spice it up a little bit and stand out from the crowd.”

Diners can choose one of three appetizers: Sicilian antipasto, lobster bisque soup or black mussels fra diavolo. Entree choices include Surf and Turf, a 4-ounce fillet in a port reduction sauce topped with gorgonzola and grilled scallops with pesto mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. Lemon scampi and butternut squash ravioli with an amaretto cream sauce and fresh vegetables, and the Mediterranean mixed grill, which is herb and parmesan encrusted lamb and chicken drizzled with pesto and served with roasted potato and sauteed vegetables.

“Ten years and we’re still here, it says a lot, especially in this economy,” Bianchi said. “The success is being consistent. Good food, good service, people keep coming back.”

The restaurant, located at 7131 W. Ray Road in Chandler, is family owned and focuses on not being just another chain. Tomaso’s serves traditional dishes where everything is fresh and made from scratch.

“It’s still good and it’s healthy. That’s what people think about Italian food: it’s heavy, heavy, heavy. No, it’s not it’s more than that. As long as you’re being creative with your ideas you can make it inviting,” Bianchi said. “There’s nothing wrong with pasta as long as you put the right items in it and healthy items. It doesn’t always have to be cream, cream, cream. Something light like olive oil or garlic, it’s just being creative that’s all there is.”

In addition to its entrees, Tomaso’s offers an extended happy hour from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, featuring $6 appetizers, $6 martinis, $5 wine by the glass, $2 domestic beer and $3 imported beer. The restaurant is versatile enough, Bianchi said, to entertain a romantic evening out for two to a large corporate party.

For more information, call (480) 940-1200 or visit www.tomasos.com.