Rude highway at Pizza 66
By CRYSTAL PETROCELLI

Wait: We walked in at 7:45 p.m. on a Tuesday and took the banquette table we were offered.

Service: It was an evening to remember, but for all the wrong reasons. The owner, who was the only one working in the vacant Route 66-themed dining room, treated us like unwanted houseguests. Between his bites of salad at the long bar, we saw flickers of thoughtfulness, but raging rudeness was the night’s special.

After pouring our three drinks, the owner/waiter left them sitting on top of the bar about 25 feet in front of us while he paced the room talking on the phone for a good five minutes. Beyond the awkwardness of being the only three people in a restaurant while someone is having a heated conversation in French, there was the insulting fact that he so easily forgot we existed. When he snapped back to reality, he brought over our drinks, but he put my husband’s drink in front of me, and after I moved it he then placed the water I had ordered toward the middle of the table.

When I asked how big a small pizza was, he gave me a Soup Nazi-ish “Look at di wall.” I looked around and spotted the inside of the bar wall where three black circles were painted with an “L,” “M” and “S.” We quickly turned “Look at di wall” into a sarcastic, inside joke. Yep, it was so bad it morphed into entertainment.

Guess what the guy had wedged between his ear hole and shoulder when he brought out our salads? A phone! When his hands were free, he used them to pick at a salad and plate of wings he was sharing with what I surmised was his partner in culinary crime. the chef? not sure who this refers to. bill The only cracked red pepper around was floating in bottles of olive oil on the middle of each table. So I asked if they had dry cracked red pepper and was relieved to hear that they did. Of course, the moment our server walked away, my simple request was dismissed and I never saw a flake.

The only thing that kept this from being an “F” was how nice the man could be when he tried. Every time we said “Thank you” he replied with a “You’re welcome,” which sounds simple but is actually rare in restaurants. Also, he divided our tiramisu in half and served it on two plates to make it easier for us to share.

Meal: The salads were very fresh and generously sized for the money, but I could have used more Caesar dressing and more bite to the balsamic vinaigrette. The cracker-thin pizza crust was very plain, not a lot going on beyond the flour. The Amarillo pie — barbecue chicken chunks, red onion, roasted red pepper slices, Tilamook cheddar, mozzarella and a drizzling of barbecue sauce — went overboard on the cheddar and slim on the sauce, but it was better than the Chicago. The handmade tiramisu was great.

Scene: Both TVs had the sound on — one with the French Open (natch) and one with an NBA playoff game — which competed with the radio’s classic rock. It was annoying. A simple Route 66 road is painted on the walls with the names of cities, but not much else except, of course, the pizza sizes. Tables are adorned with red-and-white checkered linen tablecloths, and the chairs are modern and comfy.

Bathroom break: Clean and spacious with two sitting chairs.

Tab for three: $50 with tip and tax for a small Caesar salad ($3.25), small insalata mista ($4), small Amarillo pizza ($10.50), medium Chicago pizza ($14.50), tiramisu ($4.50) and two sodas ($1.50 each).

If work weren't buying: I would have walked out as soon as I saw our drinks abandoned at the bar.

Pizza 66
10155 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale

Major cross streets: Via Linda and
Mountain View Road
Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Health report: Two major violations on Feb. 2 Kid friendly: Yes Web site: None