In this crazy busy world, sometimes there is nothing better than a big, soothing bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. You know the kind, where the sauce has chunks of real tomato and bits of fresh basil leaf; the al dente noodles curl around the fork; and there is no stinting on the meatballs, dense and beefy and glistening in more sauce. A shower of fresh grated Parmesan, some more fresh torn basil, and life is good.

This is what I find at Cucina Cucina Modern Italian, open since January at the Arizona Center in downtown Phoenix. Indeed, the bowl comes with a half dozen meatballs, dense and herby and beefy ($13). The "modern" is a misnomer, since the menu offers classic renditions of favorites like carpaccio ($14), calamari fritti ($11), chicken Parmigiana ($15) and osso buco ($30). Yet that's a good thing, since one of the best things about a really nice chicken Parmigiana is its simplicity of juicy bird, golden crust, gooey mozzarella and a bed of spaghetti, all ladled in pomodoro sauce.

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Source: http://www.azcentral.com/