Proof Artisanal Pizza & Pasta Tucson

First time here for the "special' menu for the 2023 Sornoran Restrauant week for $35 each Here is the special menu Choose one item from each course: Salad: Caesar: romaine, romano, lemon, garlic herb croutons, parmesan, Caesar dressing or S.W. Simple: mixed greens, purple onion, heirloom cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado vinaigrette Entrée: Roasted Chicken Chipotle Linguine: cream sauce, chipotle, roasted red peppers, romano, cilantro, roasted chicken, linguine or Speziato Serrano Spaghetti: roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, capers, spinach, red sauce, serrano, spaghetti Dessert: Mango panna cotta or Chocolate flan As a couple we had each one of these. Comments Salads: Caesar salad was a standard caesar salad, croutons were a little lack luster. The Simple mixed greens were really fresh with very tasty cheery tomatoes. Mains: I had the chipotle sause on the side with the chicken linguine. Generous amounts of chicken cooked to perfection. The roasted red peppers were delightful, sweet and softness matching the linguine. Glad I had the kitchen put the chipotle on the side as I could add the amount for my tastes as it does have quite a bit of heat. The Speziato spaghetti was in a red sauce and had a good amount of heat. In my opinion, not quite as good as the linguine. Deserts: Here is the surprize with the chocolate flan which turned out to be a chocolate cake, about 4" in diameter with a 1/4" of flan on top to serve as "frosting". Really great and it was a surprize. The Mango panna cotta was refreshing with chucks of mango. The service was outstanding. We will return. Hint: Check out their happy hour and Sunday's is 1/2 off bottles of wine.

I've been watching Proof for a few weeks now and decided to give them a go for lunch. Kudos to their website and online food photos that look delicious enough to, well, eat! Anyway, I visited Proof at Philip's Plaza in Tucson for a late lunch at around 2 pm. The food: I tried the cheesy bread and the Polynesian Pie. First, the pizza. The pizza is about a 12-inch round and perfect for one person. You can tell this is an artisan pizza by the quality of the pizza crust and the freshness of the toppings. This crust is the perfect delivery vehicle for the toppings: soft, airy, and subdued, which allows the flavor of the toppings to shine. The pineapple, jalapeños, and cheese were fresh, tasty, and delicious. There was also prosciutto on the pizza, but the flavor of this ingredient was oddly absent. Still a great pizza, but I would like more prosciutto flavor. The cheesy bread was also good and had a nice garlic, cheesy flavor. I don't prefer the choice of crusty bread for this appetizer as having to gnaw my way through the bread detracted from enjoying the appetizer and getting to the cheese. Using a softer bread would have been better, in my opinion. Still good, though. The ambiance: Understated decor with both inside and outside seating. I sat outside in the covered seating area. There was a real New Orleans vibe going on because of the blues music playing. It rather took me back to NOLA. Great food in a relaxed, chill atmosphere. It looks like they do karaoke there, too. The service: Spot on, friendly, and attentive. You can tell the staff pays attention to the details and to their customers. So, overall, I very much recommend Proof to people who enjoy great pizza in a good environment. I would have given a 5-star review if the cheesy bread had been better, but that's my thing - I'm sure others like it as it is. Go there, relax, and absorb the scene of a great place.