Why Scottsdale Is So Hard to Beat -- Today's Report: Pizza Picazzo
Scottsdale's Pizza Picazzo -- As the Name Implies, It's a Serious Work of Art
One of the reasons so many people adore living in Scottsdale is the restaurant scene. This is one of a series of reports on some of the best restaurants Scottsdale has to offer.
By the way, I'm kind of a foodie, which is why I feel so comfortable steering this blog from time to time in this direction. I'm also a pizza aficionado -- especially pepperoni pizza -- and today I wanted to report on a lunch I had at a restaurant in North Scottsdale that I think is at the summit of all Phoenix-area pepperoni pizza establishments, Pizza Picazzo. As usual, it did not disappoint.
Mind you, I'm aware that in Phoenix there is another pizza establishment which many serious, non-local food writers have called "the best pizza in America." So says hard-bitten Ed Levine, the author of Pizza: A Slice of Heaven. He was referring, of course, to Pizzeria Bianco in downtown Phoenix. And Ed Levine is not the only one who heaps il massimo acclama on Pizzeria Bianco. Click this link to see a typical over-the-top review of Pizzeria Bianco from the Chicago Pizza Club, billing itself as the Internet's #1 source of pizza reviews. Trust me, there are many more like this.
I only mention Pizzeria Bianco to give you some context for the standard that exists locally for good pizza. But that particular pizza establishment is in a class all its own -- nobody else in the local area really expects to knock them off their fortress atop Mt. Vesuvius.
On the next level down, though, there is a ton of competition, and that is where Scottsdale's Pizza Picazzo fits in. In my humble opinion, it is at the top of that heap. Today I had the pizza lunch combo for $8.25. With this selection you get a slice of pepperoni pizza and either soup or salad (different pizza choices have slightly different prices). As you can see from the accompanying picture, I had a Caesar salad with my pizza.
I do not wish to denigrate the accompanying salad in any way because it is excellent, especially when squeezed with a little extra lemon juice provided by the fresh lemon wedge, but the pepperoni pizza is the main event here.
A crispy brick-oven crust with blistered edges arcs on the curved side. The aromas of tomato and pepperoni immediately race from your nose to the olfactory receptors in the brain. You become aware of an involuntary smile emerging as you contemplate the imminent sensory pleasure. You politely use knife and fork to cut a morsel from the pointed tip. It is like eating art. The underlying crust is crisp but not brittle. The flavor of toast starts to yield to a judicious amount of mozzarella and parmesan, followed by the gentle sweet-tartness of the savory red sauce, then the topping of slightly charred pepperoni with its smoky, porky enjoyment. What to do next -- have a bite of salad? No, not yet. You want another rush from the pizza.
Finally, intermixing the salad and pizza, I am down to the last third of the slice. I pick it up because the crust still has enough structure to prevent drooping. Now each bite has an additional pleasure -- the crust is thicker and slightly more bread-like, and the ratio of crust to sauce and topping has shifted, especially at the very end where the rounded crust yields its most sexy, yeasty finishing note.
The owners of Pizza Picazzo came up with the restaurant's name as a way to make an association with the famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. Their concept was to use the finest ingredients to bring the art of making pizza to a high level. If you asked me, they have produced something extraordinary.
Pizza Picazzo is a casual, moderately-priced restaurant with several locations in Arizona, and now one in Portland, OR. The North Scottsdale location is in the Promenade Shopping Center at Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard (the physical address is 7325 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd.). Telephone 480-990-2212. Reservations accepted for parties of 8 or more.
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