Phoenix Arizona is home to the legendary American pizzeria, Pizzeria Bianco. Opened in 1988, Pizzeria Bianco has become owner and chef Chris Bianco's flagship location. Chris's empire now spans multiple locations throughout several states, and has diversified beyond the brick and mortar, now offering his own line of canned tomatoes and sauce.
The time has come for me to check this place out. Phoenix isn't that far from San Diego, 6 hour drive, 1 hour flight, so heck, let's go for it.
My partner in crime is none other than the Italian Station himself, Msr. Luigi Ottoboni.
Our flight is before 7:00, but we are professionals, so we're ready to roll.
The cattle call has started so let the party begin!
B for back of the bus, pretty much where we belong...
Arrival, rental car, GPS, coffee please, it's all very much needed.
Thanks to the internet we've made our selection for the first stop.
Coffee and maybe a pastry, we'll see what they have.
Songbird Coffee and Tea
A fairly wide range of of options adorns the menu board.
I'm looking a little closer as I type this and I realize that this is mostly illegible. Sorry-not sorry.
We order a couple of pour overs, an espresso for the Guido, and a small scone for us to share. They are obviously focusing on the beverages here (roasting their own coffee and crafting each drink as it's ordered). It's a one person show. It was initially very annoying to have to wait for the person taking the order to then make the order, and THEN help the next person. However, the tables turn dramatically when it's your turn, and your drink is prepared with such love and care and attention to detail.
Well worth the wait,
A nice little morning drink and snack. We enjoyed it outside as the midday temp is expected to rise above 100F
The coffee's were very good and the scone was decent. Very light and fluffy, but a little mild in flavor. Decent, not amazing. TOTALLY worth the stop.
More coffee is required, and the pizza place doesn't open till 11:00, so let's roll.
We're headed to the nearby town of Scottsdale. Travel time is about 15 minutes, through the desert, which is actually very nice (for a desert....)
Echo coffee, a coffee roaster that also offers pastries made in house.
I'm told that the espresso here was better than at Songbird, but it turns out that that's all that's better.
The pastries in the case do not look appetizing at all and the pour overs (yeah, it's a thing) are just mehhhh.
Let's wrap this up and save our appetite for some the pizza.
Peace out Scottsdale
Literally we drive right back where we were in Phoenix, a couple blocks or so from the first coffee spot.
As the dude (Chris Bianco) isn't present for us to question, any details or specific or facts provide from here on out should be taken as truths "at-your-own-risk".
The first, and probably only surprise, is the lack of people lined up or waiting for them to open. True, we are here at 11:00 on a Saturday, but still, I was expecting there to be more than just the 3 other people that were waiting with us. And, the place was never 100% full during our 2 hour visit.
Oven, check (this is an actual real fact).
We are only interested in the pizzas, and order all of them, 6
They are presented below, in order, as they appear on the menu (also below), and as we enjoyed them (again, look below...)
2 cooks, working silently, and efficiently, sharing all pizza related tasks, as one, seamlessly.
The crust is the lightest I've ever tasted. It's crisp on the outside, more so than an authentic Neopolitan, and super airy on the inside. All of the pies were minimally (appropriately) topped and composed of deliciously fresh ingredients.
This one was essentially just tomatoes and sliced garlic. Amazing tomato flavor. Wonderful
Margherita - one of the top 2 pizzas for sure.
Thin and crisp but absolutely holds up on it's own.
Mmmmmmmm
Yes, pistachios. This almost tasted like a dessert pizza even though there are no sweet or sugary toppings. Unique and delicious.
This was the other 1 that was top 2. The caramelized parmigiano and arugula was a flavor combination that I'll long for, till/if I return...
This was the least favorite of the day. The onions were too long and wide and the whole thing just felt a little sloppy, The sausage was also kind of dry.
Not surprisingly we are SUPER stuffed! What sounds good to right now is some hot tea, and to chill somewhere chill, so we head back to Songbird.
How do you know when you are old?
When, on an epic road trip with your buddy, one of the highlights is drinking a cup of tea and reading a book in a recliner in the shade.
Embarrassing, pathetic, but that's kinda what we're known for.
So, the big question is "was it worth it"?
I'm glad to have come and tried the pizza. It's an iconic spot and it needed to be done.
But, I hope to never have to go to Phoenix ever, again. It's not the heat, it's the lack of anything to do. The town seems void of anything interesting or entertaining. I'm sure there's something, has to be because there are so many people there. But, for me, Phoenix is sooo bad that even 1 day is just a bit too much.
DVA
