Executive Chef Rosalio Tarin
Specials, Specials, Specials. That’s the buzzword at Sam & Luca Rustic Kitchen. After four and a half years tantalizing diners with their unique classic Italian menu, owner Dennis Shaw decided to add weekly specials to the fare.
“In addition to our popular standard menu of Old World favorites, we offer two sets of specials each week — our Weekend Specials on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and a different set for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. It gives regular diners a chance to change it up and try a new taste sensation and offers more variety to new diners. We’ve even had customers ask us to make a certain special dish or bring back a previous one,” Dennis said.
Every dish at Sam & Luca is made from scratch by Executive Chef Rosalio Tarin with the assistance of wife Maria, and sous chef and pizza creator Jorge Lopez.
“We are so grateful for our talented culinary staff who have been with us since we opened, and our wait staff is getting rave reviews on social media. We also appreciate our regular diners and UpClose readers who have made us successful,” Dennis continued.
And what are these celebrated specials? Some recent offerings have included: Shrimp & Scallop Fra Diavolo — Sautéed Shrimp and Scallops tossed with Linguine in a Spicy Red Sauce; Cannelloni —Veal, Pork, Beef Mozzarella and Ricotta toppedwith Alfredo Sauce; Osso Bucco — Roasted Pork Shank on a bed of Fettuccini with Natural au Jus; Chicken Giardino — Grilled Chicken on a bed of Penne Pasta, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Broccoli in a Garlic White Wine Sauce.
With cooler weather, the outdoor patio and open garage-door patio bar is a lively place to hang out or enjoy alfresco dining. Happy Hour specials on libations and small bites runs from 3 to 6 p.m. The mixology includes a number of unique hand-crafted cocktails, such as homemade Limoncello Martinis.
On Take-Out Tuesdays, all customer picked-up orders are 25 percent off. Or get 25 percent off bottles of wine priced under $100 on Wine Down Wednesday.
“Sam & Luca is a fun place to work, and we are presently looking for more staff to serve our customers,” Dennis said. “If you are interested in any aspect of culinary work, send us an email at Sam&LucaAZ@gmail.com.
Sam & Luca Rustic Kitchen is one of the “Top 10 Diner’s Choice Winners in the East Valley” according to OpenTable. This prestigious designation is a result of more than 400,000 diner reviews analyzed by OpenTable.
Sam & Luca Rustic Kitchen is located at 1959 S. Power Road on the northeast corner of Baseline Road. Hours are Monday to Thursday 3 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 3 to 10 p.m. For information or reservations, call (480) 659-6716 or visit SamandLucaAZ.com.