We all have our “go-to’s” when it comes to restaurants, whether it is a go-to for Sunday brunch, to celebrate birthdays or anniversaries, or when guests are visiting. My go-to for each of these occasions is Virtù Honest Craft, Chef Gio Osso’s award-winning farm-to-table Italian eatery tucked along a quiet street in Old Town Scottsdale. And now there are three go-to options, with the opening in January of 2020 of Pizzeria Virtù, and most recently Piccolo Virtù, which has already garnered rave reviews from loyal Virtù fans and newcomers alike.
Gio Osso may have been born and raised in New Jersey, but he has Italy in his veins. His parents immigrated from Calabria, an area in the toe of Italy known for its spicy, hearty cuisine and abundance of seafood. During yearly visits to Calabria, he explained, everything revolved around food. “From an early age, I had a passion for food. And still, to this day, we can be eating breakfast and the next question is, ‘What do we want for dinner?’ It’s a lifestyle; it’s part of our culture.”
Osso chose a career in culinary arts early, working in restaurants at 13 and attending culinary school with the dream of starting his own business. Did his dream initially include Arizona? Well, that may have been serendipity, following friends out west who had similar dreams. In fact, the idea for Virtù, he explains, started with a trip to Italy, where he realized he wanted to open the kind of restaurant focusing on local, seasonal ingredients, where he could “change things all the time…where the guests could come back two or three times a week and experience something different with each visit.”
Virtù Honest Craft opened in 2013 to immediate success, being crowned the most awarded restaurant in Arizona during 2013 and 2014. “It was nice that my hard work and thought process was recognized because there were a lot of people…who would say that it’d never work. But, we made it work, and in a big way.”
The list of awards Virtù and Osso have won is long, but includes Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America, a James Beard Best New Restaurant semi-finalist, and an Arizona Culinary Hall of Fame Chef of the Year. Howard Seftel, the acclaimed dining critic for the Arizona Republic for 15 years, awarded Virtù with Appetizer of the Year for his pulpo (octopus)–charred octopus with lemon chickpeas, arugula, fennel and Calabrian chile butter–which was, Osso explains, “what put us on the map.”
The opportunity to expand the Virtù brand came in January of 2020 when a former employer, upon retiring and closing his restaurant, offered Osso the opportunity to buy a space on the 6900 block of Main Street, only a few blocks from Virtù. But a mere six weeks after opening Pizzeria Virtù, the pandemic hit. Osso admits, “That was a hard pill to swallow. We had just opened, and then we were shut down. It was a tough, tough time. But, again, we made it work.”
With Pizzeria Virtù, Osso elevates the perception of a pizza restaurant. He explains, “I want to show people that [eating at a pizzeria] could be different…better…special.” Pizzeria Virtù offers pizzas showcasing ingredients, in Osso’s words, that are “different and that highlight my background.”
For example, the Reggio pizza–with n’duja (spreadable pork sausage), tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, spicy sopressata, and pecorino–represents “in a nutshell,” says Osso, “specifically where my family is from, and is filled with my spirit.” For another favorite, he took inspiration from a simple street-food sandwich to create the Erbazzone pizza, with mozzarella, smoked pancetta, garlic, spinach, ricotta, and lemon.
In addition to a choice of approximately 8 pizzas, Pizzeria Virtù offers five pastas–-like the spaghetti alla chitarra with garlic, oil, and chiles mudicca—plus a handful of Piccoli Piatti (or small plates), including classics like bruschetta, polpette, and carpaccio. Osso explains that the menu is somewhat limited due to the size of the kitchen, but he has plans to expand and modify it to increase menu offerings.
The idea for Piccolo Virtù, interestingly, was born out of COVID. In order to navigate the changing business climate Osso had transitioned the Virtù dinner menu from an à la cart to a three-course prix fixe menu. “We didn’t change anything when it came to the food..we still had a similar menu; we just changed the way you dine.” While not limited to three dishes, Osso explains diners can have up to five or six courses if they like.
However, not everyone enjoyed the three courses. Osso took this feedback as an opportunity to expand his brand and to appeal to a wider range of customers, and in December of 2022, in the former Nonna Urban Eatery space on Main Street, he opened Piccolo Virtù.
As the name would suggest, Piccolo Virtù brings much of what Gio Osso is known for and what he calls his “Italian spirit.” The appetizer section has several small plates including 8 to 10 selections of crudo, salads, appetizers, pastas, and the main courses feature a mix of individual and large-format entrees, all à la carte. Pro tip: large groups might be interested in ordering the Spanish suckling pig, which must be done 48 hours in advance. Explains Osso, “We can recapture the guests that don’t like the three courses by doing the similar style of Virtù food at a different location.”
The crudo is a specialty of Piccolo Virtù. Says Osso, “One [crudo] dish is an ode to Nobuo Fukuda (James Beard award winning chef of Sea Saw and Teeter House fame) because he’s one of most amazing chefs I have ever been around. He had a dish with white fish I loved so much that when he shut down…I did my own version. I take thinly sliced branzino, pouring hot sesame oil on top so it almost sears it, and top with crispy shallots.”
Speaking of the cocktail and wine program, Osso tells me, “The whole idea behind Virtù is that of a complete experience, from the minute you walk in the door to the minute you leave…you have to have a very strong service team, plus a very strong wine program, and a diverse cocktail program.”
At Virtù and Piccolo, you will find more boutique wines from across the globe, and at the pizzeria there is an all-Italian list. In choosing the wine, Osso says, “I like to represent small producers.” For the cocktails, Osso aims for “simple elegance, well-balanced with ingredients that speak for themselves, [many] with Amaro.” In fact, Virtù boasts the biggest Amaro selection in Arizona, with 140-150 bottles. “Overall, I want a flavor explosion when you’re drinking or when you’re eating food, but I want it to be that simple.” Simple, elegant, and well-balanced… three words that perfectly sum up these three distinct and special concepts in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale.
Written & Photography by Marci Symington
Virtù Honest Craft, 3701 N Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ
Pizzeria Virtù, 6952 E Main St, Scottsdale, AZ
Piccolo Virtù, 7240 E Main St, Scottsdale, AZ