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Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix Arizona

12 Mar

Is Pizzeria Bianco the holy grail of pizzeria’s?? Well, it is truly fantastic as well as a James Beard Award winner…and it is sad that the average person cannot fully realize the incredible culmination of craftsmanship that comes together on these pies.

As with all pizza’s it starts with the most important part…the crust. There is a reason some of the best pizza’s in the world are created by bakers, they know dough…the crust is impeccable at Bianco’s…truly a shining star. Thin crispy on the outside chewy and complex on the inside with beautiful charring…so amazing.

The pizza’s themselves are shown below in the photos…they are all quite good in their own way…three with red sauce, three white…House made fresh mozzarella, locally sourced ingredients. But oh the crust.

I have been to some of the best pizzeria’s in the world, and yes this place does live up to its hype. folks who don’t agree, unfortunately don’t have a refined enough palate to discern good pizza, and probably should keep their opinions to themselves…unfortunately I did say.

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Pizzeria Bianco on Urbanspoon

Cafe Ariana, Pacific Grove, Ca

6 Mar

I love the Little PG restaurants. this is a new installment by the owner of the Big Night Bistro. This little wine bar has fresh gelato, and some great little pizza’s all in the little cafe. It is a great spot to stop and have a glass of wine and some nibbles. The pizza is good, napoletana style, as much of a connoisseur as i am it inst anything to write home about, but it is good, just as good as the other pizza in town likely. Give it a shot, you will be glad you did…

Cafee Ariana on Urbanspoon

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Pitfire Pizzeria, Downtown Los Angeles

1 Jan

Pitfire Pizzeria is an up and coming pizza chain that is sort of leading an iconoclast charge against the standard family style pizza chain. Based on an artisan single serving pizza, this concept has been taking off and doing staggering numbers. The food was OK, I mean better the domino’s but still formula fast food-ish in its approach. I would personally prefer pizzeria Mozza if I had the time to drive there. This place however did have a line out the door during the lunch rush…Crazy busy.

Pitfire Artisan Pizza on Urbanspoon

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Roberta’s Pizzeria, Brooklyn, New York

11 Dec

Always on the quest for the perfect pizza, especially in New York, I asked my server during breakfast what her favorite New York style pizza was. She responded after some consideration that we should take the subway to Brooklyn to Roberta’s Pizza. We were well dressed and in Manhattan at the time, so I am not sure if she was messing with us, or if she really just loved the place.

After about an hour on the subway getting on and off and the stations appearing more and more disheveled we finally made it to our stop, which was 1.1 miles from our destination. I was not happy to be walking a mile in Brooklyn, and as there are apparently no cabs in this part of town we walked.

The neighborhoods became increasingly less desirable (much like the subway ride) as we neared the area where the restaurant was ostensibly located. And we finally came to an intersection that my GPS said was exactly where this restaurant was to be found. Looking around I saw some storage lots, what appeared to be an illegal chop shop, transients, but didn’t see a restaurant.

Then as I peered through the graffiti, and in front of what looking like a dumpster, I saw it, a small beaten up sign that read, “Roberta’s”. There was an entrance that looked like I might be entering a whore house, and nothing indicating a restaurant, but we had come this far, so we ventured inside.

Once inside there was a lovely little restaurant, wood fired pizza oven and very respectable pizza and wine list. The food was quite fantastic, and it was fun. They blared underground hip-hop over the radio, and it was, very much so, a Hip little spot. Perhaps I am not hipster enough, but it was quite an adventure. The kicker though, once we got back to our hotel in Manhattan, there was a farmers market going on next door…and there was a wood fired brick oven making up pizza – and sure as hell, it was Roberta’s with a mobile oven. Damn, well at least I got a T – Shirt from Roberta’s to commemorate the experience. Check out the photo’s…

Roberta's on Urbanspoon

Frank Pepe’s Pizza Napoletana – New Haven Connecticut

11 Oct

As many of my readers know, I am on the ultimate quest for the best pizza in the entire world.  One of the pizzerias that I have heard of time and time again as quite possibly the best, is Frank Pepe’s Pizza Napoletana in New Haven.  I finally made it to the east coast and there was no way I was going to be so close to this famed “Clam Pie” and not get my fair share.

As you can see from the photo’s I did make it, and did all the hype let me down??  Heck no.  This place was fantastic.  The salad was basic, the wine was cheap, but the pizza was world class.  The snap of the dough, the cheese, the sauce, the old school coal fired oven.  I am not sure what makes this so good, but this experience was religious.  I wish we had one of these in the central coast because I would be there every day! In the mean time I will just try to replicate that amazing clam pie with the fresh shucked little neck clams.

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana on Urbanspoon

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Lovely’s 50 50 Pizza Portland Oregon

11 Jun

I am a sucker for wood fired pizza done right, and Lovely’s delivers big time.  Cute, quaint little establishment with some serious passion behind the food.  You walk in and there are Stacks of Oak waiting to be thrown in the brick over to fire up your new favorite pizza.  The Crust had good snap, they had a simple yet satisfying menu, and there were some creative pizza’s on the menu.

Lovely's Fifty-Fifty on Urbanspoon

 I could eat a this place every day to be sure.  loved it.  I would definitely recommend this highly to get you out of your family style, or new york style pizza bubble, this is how pizza should be made.  I, as I always do, ordered a Pizza Margarita to start, and then we ordered a unique pie, Oven Roasted Leeks, with Broccoli Raab and young Pecorino – fabulous. 

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