In the early ’90s, a mesomorphic V-shaped woman’s man with the mononymous name Fabio garnered worldwide recognition for his appearance on the covers of hundreds of romance novels. With his flowing mane, chiseled physique and aquiline nose, Fabio Lanzoni was lusted after and admired–at least by readers of romance lovers. The idyllic man perceptions were reinforced when Fabio revealed that he cooks (albeit with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, a product he’s been hawking on television for more than a decade).
When I told my Kim, we were headed to the western enclave of Peoria, Arizona to dine at a restaurant called Fabio on Fire, her immediate reaction was “you mean that hot guy on all those book covers has a restaurant.” As a not-so-hot guy perpetually waging war against a middle-age spread, I certainly fall short in any comparisons to the hunky Fabio (thankfully my Kim hasn’t resorted to calling me “Flabbio”). I did console my Kim with the assurance that “there are several “hot” guys at Fabio.” I didn’t tell her they’re hot because of proximity to stoves and ovens (and the 82-degree Phoenix heat on a late December day).
Though somewhat ambivalent about the hot guy Fabio on romance novels, I have a tremendous admiration for Chef Fabio Ceschetti, the chef-owner of the eponymous restaurant diners can’t believe isn’t in Scottsdale. That’s not a slight toward Peoria. It just seems many of the Valley of the Sun’s most highly regarded restaurants are in Scottsdale. Peoria is where Horace Greeley had in mind when he coined the phrase “Don’t go west, hungry man.” Again, that’s not a slight against Peoria. There just aren’t many great restaurants this far west of Phoenix (unless your idea of great restaurants is a phalanx of chains) and the great ones have one commonality–the name Fabio.
Born and raised in Italy, Chef Fabio serves authentic family recipes that have been perfected and protected over generations. Fabio on Fire’s website explains “generations of family recipes were handed down to Chef Fabio by his grandparents, Rocco and Marianna Persio, who originated from the Puglia region in southern Italy.” The Ceschetti family seal is on display on the back wall, a reminder that the Ceschettis are sharing a piece of their family with the community. After being educated in the culinary arts in northern Italy and working for five diamond restaurants in Italy, London and the US, Chef Fabio continued to hone his skills before launching Fabio on Fire in 2013.
One of the first things you’ll notice when you step into Fabio on Fire is a 900-degree brick pizza oven. Pizza dough is made with a starter that his grandfather made and Fabio brought over from Italy when he opened the restaurant. The pizza is reputed to be among the very best in the Valley of the Sun. Meander around the front room and you’ll find yourself gravitating toward the enticing Italian home-cooked desserts on display (the tiramisu is made from Grandmother Ceschetti’s secret recipe). Or you might be drawn to the gelato freezer where a handful of delectable frozen treats are available.
Fabio On Fire’s ambiance is relaxed and family-friendly, with a stylish decor that offers a contemporary spin on traditional Italian aesthetics. The open kitchen design allows you to see the wood-burning oven and the chefs at work, adding an element of entertainment to your dining experience. The menu offers a variety of traditional Italian dishes such as wood-fired pizzas, homemade pasta, and delicious pastries. There is no semblance to Olive Garden at this authentic Italian gem. An October, 2024 segment of “Best Bites” on the Phoenix New Times lauded Fabio’s lasagna, a multi-layered masterpiece “seriously worth the trek across metro Phoenix to find.”
In 2024, Chef Fabio launched his newest venture in Peoria. It’s called Fabio On Fire Gelateria & Panini. The chef’s second Valley concept is located not far from the inaugural instantiation of Fabio’s. It’s casual with a deli vibe. Our server told us the new eatery offers more than a dozen flavors of gelato including a “to die for” lemon. That’s at least eight more gelato flavors than the flagship restaurant serves. Sandwiches are constructed on puccia, a bread made out of pizza dough. It’s reputed to possess melt-in-your-mouth qualities and is “light in the stomach.” The mixture for puccia takes 72 hours to ferment.
Shortly after you’re seated, your server will ferry over a basket of Fabio’s complimentary bread, the ciabatta Pugliese. It’s a dense but airy bread with a velvety crumb. It’s meant to be dredged through the accompanying olive oil and balsamic mix. This bread is sliced thick and has excellent absorbing qualities for the olive oil and balsamic dip. My Kim normally asks for butter, but found the dip mixture more than satisfying. We polished off the bread and dip mixture well before our appetizers arrived, indicative of how good it was.
Fabio’s menu is replete with items imported from Italy. Among them is bufala mozzarella which is available as a starter or as a pizza topping. The former is served with prosciutto di Parma and arugula. This form of fresh mozzarella cheese is made from water buffalo milk (not cow’s milk), and is widely considered to be one of the best mozzarella varieties (it’s my favorite). While buffalo milk mozzarella and burrata cheese may appear similar at first glance, they have distinct differences. Buffalo mozzarella is a simple, smooth cheese with a slightly tangy flavor, while fresh burrata is a luxurious, creamy cheese with a soft, runny center. As a starter, the bufala mozzarella is incomparable, especially if you wrap the cheese with the whisper-thin prosciutto.
Though there’s no way this gastronome would ever visit an Italian restaurant and order a salad, my Kim isn’t as crazy about pasta as her pasta passionate paramour. My favorite salad ingredient tends to be salad dressing, especially rich, thick, stinky blue cheese. It’s a wonder she’s been able to tolerate me for nearly forty years. The pear salad (arugula, pears, cherry tomatoes, toasted almonds, shaved Parmesan, lemon vinaigrette) may give me pause to consider salads as an entree. Nah, it’s not quite that good though as salads go, it’s pretty good. The pears are out-of-season so they’re not nearly as sweet and soft as they otherwise might be. My Kim asked for spinach to be substituted for the arugula and raved about how much better the salad was.
Fabio Lanzoni would probably never admit to enjoying butternut squash. It’s not a food “real men” don’t admit to enjoying. Take away my man card if you will. I love butternut squash. Rarely a squash season goes by without me having enjoyed it as a soup, salad or especially ravioli. Fabio on Fire’s version of butternut squash ravioli (homemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta and butternut squash plus amaretto served with sage cream sauce and prosciutto di Parma) is among the best I’ve ever had. Unlike some which skew toward the sweet side, it’s the sage cream sauce that’s most prominent. Now, that’s a good thing. Sage is a vastly underutilized seasoning. With ravioli this good, a larger portion would have been greatly appreciated.
While my butternut squash ravioli entree may have been on the parsimonious side, my dessert was generously portioned. That dessert goes by the unique name of Diplomatica and it’s made with puff pastry, Italian pastry cream and a dusting of powdered sugar. It’s an absolutely delicious dessert that brings more than a hint of elegance to a meal. It’s delightful both for its crispy texture and its deliciousness. The puff pastry is light, thin and as delicate as gossamer wings. You’re no doubt interested in how this dessert got its name. Torta Diplomatica was often served at important events and gatherings, such as diplomatic receptions and state banquets. A fitting name for a fabulous dessert.
For my Kim, Italian desserts typically start and end with gelato, as many scoops as a goblet will hold. Our server must have taken a real liking to my Kim because her steely vessel held three generous scoops of chocolate gelato with chocolate chips. If this is indicative of Chef Fabio’s gelato-making skills, he’s a gelato genius. This gelato is dense and rich in deliciousness. Travelers who have visited Italy boast that the only true gelato is made and served in Italian gelaterias. Skeptics believe this is resultant from a “placebo effect”–that the act of eating something Italian in the motherland makes it better. If gelato in Italy is better than the gelato made by Chef Fabio, it must be next to heaven-made.
Fabio on Fire may be on the western outreaches of the Valley of The Sun, but it’s so good that aficionados of Italian cuisne make the trek to Peoria.
Fabio on Fire
8275 W Lake Pleasant Parkway #101
Peoria, Arizona
(623) 680-5385
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LATEST VISIT: 21 December 2024
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$$
BEST BET: Pear Salad, Bufala Mozarella and Prosciutto, Butternut Squash Ravioli, Diplomatico, Chocolate Gelato
REVIEW #1437