Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix AZ

Having touched down in Phoenix only 200 minutes prior and already with breakfast under my belt the next stop on my tour of The Valley would be the most famous of all my gastronomic experiences in the area and, all things being equal, probably one of the five most famous pizzerias in the United States. Opened in 1994 and garnering numerous awards since inception Chris Bianco’s eponymous Pizzeria Bianco reads like a familiar story to most gourmands today with its focus on all that is organic, local, and seasonal with an oven made by hand and a dedicated New York raised pizzaiolo, but to consider what Chris has done and how long he has been doing it in such an unlikely place is something else entirely – natural, organic, and entirely American pies in the middle of the desert since 1988 reads like exactly what it is; a work of passion. The sort of passion that inspires people to wait three hours in the desert sun to sample his pies.

With Chris’ health problems related to too many years of asthma and inhaling flour (…sand blasters get silicosis, coal miners get coal miner’s lung, but I guess we’ll just call this pneumonitis since flourosis and pizzaiolo lung haven’t yet been detailed in the literature) well publicized in recent years and some claiming the pies no longer stack up to their legendary standards plus new lunch hours to help stem the tide (and time) my arrival at Pizzeria Bianco would actually precede the lunch time opening by approximately ten minutes but with free valet readily available I opted to park my car and wait a lovely thirty minutes in the sun while browsing the area until my dining partners would arrive, three new friends who had volunteered to lend their palates and opinions to a guy from the Midwest at Phoenix’s most famous eatery.

With the doors now open and greetings exchange our party of four next made our way into Bianco – at this point half full – and were led to a cozy four-top in the back corner of the room. With tables close and ceilings high the noise level at Pizzeria Bianco is certainly something to contend with even at half capacity, but with service excellent (and provided by another Ohio native none-the-less) we were quickly greeted and presented with menus, silverware, water, and the two daily specials – a salad and an antipasto – before we were left to decide; an easy decision that led to one glass of wine, one salad, and four pizzas (from the six on the menu.)

Sitting and chatting while we awaited our food I found the people of Phoenix (both my dining pals, the service, and everyone subsequently) to be friendly and conversant much like Midwesterners and discussing everything from food to the arts to sports and local housing the first item to arrive at our table would be a loaf of the house made bread along with olive oil. Never one to turn down the bread basket and with the selection still warm I grabbed an end piece from the rustic country loaf and was instantly smitten by the intense crunch of the crust and smoky notes from the oven that laced the open fluffy interior. Excellent on its own and better with the olive oil the bread immediately made me think that regardless of how good the pizzas were I’d definitely be adding Chris’ sandwich shop down the road to my list of “must eats” for future reference.

With bread passed around and conversation freely flowing the salad and wine would arrive next and although I ordered neither I tasted both – the salad a combination of local arugula, spinach, chicory, and apples with a light vinaigrette and the wine a surprisingly fruity yet subtly dry red whose name I do not recall.

Having now sat for perhaps thirty minutes while pies entered and exited the oven being delivered to many around us the time would finally arrive to taste the oft raved pizza of team Bianco as all four of our selections arrived simultaneously covering the table and filling the air with the smells of smoke, yeast, pork, tomato, and basil. With much sharing to be done and pictures taken the next twenty or so minutes would consist of much less talking and far more eating than the previous thirty and beginning first with my selection – well – let’s just say it lived up to the hype as the ROSA with Red Onion, Parmigiano Reggiano, Rosemary, and Arizona Pistachios may just be the best “specialty pizza” I’ve ever tasted. Beginning first with the crust – an expert balancing act between the thinness of a Neapolitan like Lucali and the chewy hole structure of that at Great Lake – it was nearly perfect as the slight char from the wood oven gave each pie a lovely crunch yet pliable interior that could support the ingredients without disturbing them. Moving next to the toppings – no sauce here – just thinly sliced onions, intense salty cheese, crunchy smooth pistachios, and a touch of rosemary to pique everything else. Marvelous.

Moving next to another of Bianco’s signatures, the WISEGUY with wood Roasted Onion, House Smoked Mozzarella, and Fennel Sausage I was pleasantly surprised by the mildness of both the onions and the fennel, both present but not overwhelming, while the slight spice of the sausage floated above the pools of creamy cow’s milk mozzarella. Another well balanced pie, though I do feel it could have done with just a touch less olive oil…a small quibble, to be sure.

For the third choice, the BIANCOVERDE with Fresh Mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta, and Arugula would be the only pizza we modified from the menu description – in this case by adding a $3 supplement of Organic ‘La Quercia’ Prosciutto Americano from Iowa that was every bit worth the cost. Again featuring that same pliable smoky crust but this time topping it first with the trio of cheeses before adding the arugula and prosciutto after it exited the oven this “Salad Pizza” was a valuable addition to the lineup largely because of the quality of the ingredients and the balance achieved by using each lightly. From the smooth mozzarella to the puddles of ricotta and tangy Parmigiano up through the slight bitters of the greens and the powerful saline notes of the pork everything simply clicked though for some the lack of spice was an issue – an issue easily amendable by the red pepper provided on request (try getting that at Una, Lucali, or Great Lake.)

For the final selection, that of the man who’d experienced Chris’ work longer and more frequently than the rest of us combined, there was no way I was going to miss out on the MARGHERITA while I was here and thankfully he’d ordered it (thus preventing me from ordering both it and the ROSA.) With the stars of the show well known – simply the freshest Tomato Sauce with light hints of sweetness, oregano, and garlic plus Fresh Mozzarella, and Basil – this was a no nonsense sort of pie that hit on all cylinders; tangy, creamy, aromatic, smoky, and perfect. While not the absolute greatest Margherita I’ve ever had, a top 5 member for sure and when paired with the rest of the menu, the service, and the setting a pizza definitely worthy of the fame especially considering the fact that Bianco uses all local ingredients including tomatoes from California in the making of his sauce.

Eating, sharing, talking, and then eating some more while the service checked in occasionally to see if we needed anything else our time at Bianco felt much longer than it was and when it was all said and done only four slices remained – two of the WISEGUY and two the BIANCOVERDE – all wrapped up and going home with their respective owners while I took home with me the memories of some of the best pizza I’ve ever experienced and (perhaps more importantly) the experience of meeting with some great people for outstanding pizza in a setting where people have a passion for what they are doing without all the pretense. Yeah Chris didn’t build the oven and furniture by hand like Lucali, and perhaps Pizzeria Bianco doesn’t fly all their ingredients in from Italy like Una, and sure Chris’ health prevents him from being ever present at the oven like Dom at DiFara or Nick at Great Lake but in the end the results are the same…this is some really great pizza well worth going out of your way for.