Pizzeria Bianco

I went out on a date with a bunch of friends to Pizzeria Bianco's last night. It's only the number one place to get pizza in the nation. Martha Stewart had Bianco on her show on June 6 of this year making lemon focaccia bread. Bianco's also made it to Food & Wine's Go List for 2008. And last but not least Oprah's dear friend Gayle went out in search of the best places to eat pizza in America and guess what? Bianco's made it!
Gayle's reaction:
"One of the things that makes this pizza so special is owner Chris Bianco's passion for his pie. He personally hand makes every pizza—sometimes more than 250 a night! Chris says serving the freshest pie possible is key to his success—so no take out or delivery! Which means, the wait for his "slice of heaven" can be lengthy—but that doesn't stop people from getting in line! "He pours his heart and soul into every pie," says one diner. "You taste his passion for the food."

Chris's strict pie policies go towards toppings as well—you won't find any pepperoni here. Instead, Chris uses sopressata, a pork sausage that he says "cooks down better." Other toppings include caramelized onions, smoked mozzarella and fennel sausage. Gayle's rating? "[It was] unlike anything I've ever tasted. … It had me at hello."

So after getting off work around 7 last night Abby, Chris, Ryan, Rachel, Spencer, Davy, Lindsey, and I drove down to Phoenix to hit up Bianco's. The crew had all gone last year and loved it so this year they made reservations in advance (you can only make reservations with a group of 6 or more) and I got to tag along as Ryan's date. We had a wait of about a half hour (last year they waited for 2 hours!) during which we lounged on the porch of the drink house, which is right next to the actual restaurant. Ryan bought us all Bubble Ups (they are basically a sophisticated version of Sprite/7-Up in cute green bottles) while we waited and we all felt like real southerners as we watched the sun set over Heritage Square where the restaurant is located. We were finally seated and proceeded to order every single kind of pizza, except for one (not that we didn't like the sound of it). Bianco makes every single pizza pie but for that fact we didn't have to wait too long for our food to arrive. We, of course, all sampled one another's food but the one I ordered was definitely my favorite: the Rosa. My favorite part: the chopped pistachio nuts that came on top. Each pie had the most vibrant flavors and they were all so delicious! The wait was absolutely worth it and I definitely recommend Bianco's. If you go, for sure go with more than six so you can make reservations. As we left we passed by Bianco's small brick kitchen and waved goodbye and said thank you. Chris bragged that Bianco even gave him a peace sign :)

Rachel and I on the porch of the drink house

The whole crew at our table (Ryan and I had moved all of our leftovers onto one plate, but for the picture he slid my plate back to me and put a piece on it just so that it looked like we had been eating)

The crew in front of Pizzeria Bianco's

Ryan and me