"Brick-shaped" may not be a term typically applied to food. At least, not lovingly. That is, unless you are talking about lasagna. For anyone who shares Garfield's passion, it's disappointing when ordering lasagna results in a plate of flat pasta with just a few layers swimming in sauce. On the other hand, when a server drops off a brick of the layered dish with sharp corners and a few inches of height, it incites both a sigh of relief and a gasp of excitement.

At Fabio on Fire, the revered West Valley restaurant led by chef and owner Fabio Ceschetti, the lasagna is a showstopper. It's also an unusual iteration. The layers here don't include pasta trading off with meat and cheese. Instead, the brick is almost solid pasta. Sheets and sheets are stacked tightly with just a whisper of sauce in between. The meat and sauce is added afterward, as a rich bolognese used as a base and topping.