[Free Food] The hunt for pizza . . . in Memphis

[David Mekeel]

Pizzeria Bianco - Phoenix

Ahhh pizza. I love pizza. You love pizza. Everybody loves pizza.

However, I really love pizza. I have been known to make people wait over six hours so I could have one of my favorite pizzas at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix.  They have a pizza called the Rosa, which is fairly simple with red onion, pistachios, and parmasean. However, the flavor is intense and rich and worth waiting 6 hours for.

I have also made a bunch of colleaques join me on a “Pizza Crawl” after a meeting in NYC. We spent an afternoon in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan hunting for the best NYC pizza. The winner was Grimaldi's, under the Brooklyn Bridge.  They use fresh mozzerella, fresh basil,  real Italian sausage (not the turds you get at Dominos), and fresh homemade tomato sauce, all cooked under a coal fire brick-oven.

My pizza roots go back to Milwaukee, where I grew up with some of the best Italian restaurants in the country. Our favorites were Lisa’s Pizza and Palermo Villa Pizza. Milwaukee-style pizza has a very thin crust with lots of sauce and cut into little squares instead of pie slices.

Grimaldi's

Lisa's Pizza from diningoutmilwaukee.com

Palermo Villa - from facebook

Now I live in Memphis and I married a girl (Susan) who also loves pizza. In fact, we have takeout pizza almost every Friday night. After a long hard week,  there is nothing better than enjoying a pizza, a bottle of wine, and a movie. With no dishes, it is easy and delicious.

Unfortunately, with my high pizza standards, we have had much difficulty in 

finding a good pizza place in Memphis. We have searched high and low, near and far. I have lived in Memphis for seven years and have not found a truly awesome pizza (until recently).

According to the Memphis Flyer “Best of” issue, the best pizza in Memphis year-after-year is Memphis Pizza Café.  I am sorry, but I disagree.  I wish I liked it, as it is near my house and it would make my life easy, but it just isn’t very good. Sauce lacks flavor and crust isn’t very crisp.

We have tried numerous others. A couple times we thought we found some good ones, only to be let down the next week, because they were so inconsistent (Old Venice).  Or High Point Pizza, which is so consistent that we got sick of it after a couple of weeks. Then there was Lavoros off of Summer, which I liked enough but Susan didn’t like the sweetness in the sauce.  I think they have cinnamon in it. Finally, a number of people at work were recommending the Pizza Shack, which is right near my house. I got really excited, until we actually had the pizza which came with a cardboard crust.

Russo's from Commercial Appeal

I was about ready to give up, when we found Russo’s in Germantown. In fact, for the past few months, I have been driving about 30 minutes out of the way into to have their NYC pizza.  Even though it is chain, this place reminds me of the pizza that you can get by the slice on any corner in Manhattan. They sauce is very good and they don’t skimp on it. The sausage is sliced thin length-wise across the pizza. They also have good sides to with the pizza, like toasted ravioli.

Plus, they are neighbors to my favorite wine store in Memphis, Forest Hill Wine Merchants. While waiting for your pizza, go next store and find the wine to enjoy with your meal. Instead of organizing the store by region or price, they have the wines organized by color. The bottles wrap around the store with the darkest reds on the right and the lightest whites on the left. (To be honest, I have never really been on the left side of the store.)  They also have a great high-alcohol beer selection with the hard to find Rogue beers and Belgian styles like Chimay. They even have a wine chiller to cool off a wine in minutes.  My favorite part is there huge bourbon selection, with multiple selections from every major distillery and some hard to find small batch options. The service is knowledgeable and not pretentious. They always seem to have a couple wines available to taste. The only downfall is that is a little pricey.

Okay, now back to PIZZA. Although Russo’s is good, it is still too far away. So my wife and I kept hunting for another location. Now, I am happy to say, I think we found the best pizza in Memphis. Have you been to the Trolley Stop?

The Trolley Stop Market is a not only a restaurant, but an year-round indoor farmer’s market, and craft fair. The ingredients are all local and the best part is that their pizza is delicious. I would assume that the other things on the menu are good as well, but knowing how good the pizza is I haven’t been able to order anything else.

Trolley Stop Market - from facebook

The large pizza is absolutely huge. We normally order a large with half pepperoni and half sausage, all onion.  I like sausage and Susan likes sausage. Being local the meat is fresh and flavorful. Plus, you can actually taste the tomatoes in the sauce. You can just tell l that it was made that day. The hipster service is laid back, but attentive and nice. Plus, they have local Ghost River beer on tap to enjoy while waiting for your pizza. Last night, I had their Copperhead Red Ale. Yummy.

Okay, so I am a bit pretentious myself, when it comes to pizza. I realize that Memphis is not known for being a place to go for pizza. However, I am happy to report after hunting long enough, I found a pizza that can compete with the best pizzas of the Northeast and the Midwest. What makes the Trolley Stop so delicious is not that they are trying to be like NY style pizza, but that their ingredients are local and fresh and you can taste the difference in their food.

If anybody who reads this has some other Memphis pizza recommendations let me, please leave a comment and let me know.

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Posted By David Mekeel to Free Food at 10/29/2011 12:25:00 PM

[David Mekeel]

Pizzeria Bianco - Phoenix

Ahhh pizza. I love pizza. You love pizza. Everybody lovespizza.

However, I really love pizza. I have been known to makepeople wait over six hours so I could have one of my favorite pizzas atPizzeria Bianco in Phoenix. Theyhave a pizza called the Rosa, which is fairly simple with red onion,pistachios, and parmasean. However, the flavor is intense and rich and worthwaiting 6 hours for.

I have also made a bunch of colleagues join me on a “Pizza Crawl” after a meeting in NYC. We spent an afternoon in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan hunting for the best NYC pizza. The winner was Grimaldi's, under the Brooklyn Bridge. They use fresh mozzerella, fresh basil, real Italian sausage (not the turds you get at Dominos), and fresh homemade tomato sauce, all cooked under a coal fire brick-oven.

My pizza roots go back to Milwaukee, where I grew up with some of the best Italian restaurants in the country. Our favorites were Lisa’s Pizza and Palermo Villa Pizza. Milwaukee-style pizza has a very thin crust with lots of sauce and cut into little squares instead of pie slices.

Grimaldi's

Lisa's Pizza from diningoutmilwaukee.com

Palermo Villa - from facebook

Now I live in Memphis and I married a girl (Susan) who also loves pizza. In fact, we have takeout pizza almost every Friday night. After a long hard week, there is nothing better than enjoying a pizza, a bottle of wine, and a movie. With no dishes, it is easy and delicious.

Unfortunately, with my high pizza standards, we have hadmuch difficulty in

finding a good pizza place in Memphis. We have searched highand low, near and far. I have lived in Memphis for seven years and have notfound a truly awesome pizza (until recently).

According to the Memphis Flyer “Best of” issue, the best pizzain Memphis year-after-year is Memphis Pizza Café. I am sorry, but I disagree. I wish I liked it, as it is near my house and it would makemy life easy, but it just isn’t very good. Sauce lacks flavor and crust isn’tvery crisp.

We have tried numerous others. A couple times we thought wefound some good ones, only to be let down the next week, because they were soinconsistent (Old Venice). Or HighPoint Pizza, which is so consistent that we got sick of it after a couple ofweeks. Then there was Lavoros off of Summer, which I liked enough but Susandidn’t like the sweetness in the sauce. I think they have cinnamon in it. Finally, a number of people at workwere recommending the Pizza Shack, which is right near my house. I got reallyexcited, until we actually had the pizza which came with a cardboard crust.

Russo's from Commercial Appeal

I was about ready to give up, when we found Russo’s in Germantown. In fact, for the past few months, I have been driving about 30 minutesout of the way into to have their NYC pizza. Even though it is chain, this place reminds me of the pizzathat you can get by the slice on any corner in Manhattan. They sauce is verygood and they don’t skimp on it. The sausage is sliced thin length-wise acrossthe pizza. They also have good sides to with the pizza, like toasted ravioli.

Plus, they are neighbors to my favorite wine store inMemphis, Forest Hill Wine Merchants. While waiting for your pizza, go nextstore and find the wine to enjoy with your meal. Instead of organizing thestore by region or price, they have the wines organized by color. The bottleswrap around the store with the darkest reds on the right and the lightestwhites on the left. (To be honest, I have never really been on the left side ofthe store.) They also have a greathigh-alcohol beer selection with the hard to find Rogue beers and Belgianstyles like Chimay. They even have a wine chiller to cool off a wine inminutes. My favorite part is therehuge bourbon selection, with multiple selections from every major distilleryand some hard to find small batch options. The service is knowledgeable and notpretentious. They always seem to have a couple wines available to taste. Theonly downfall is that is a little pricey.

Okay, now back to PIZZA. Although Russo’s is good, it isstill too far away. So my wife and I kept hunting for another location. Now, Iam happy to say, I think we found the best pizza in Memphis. Have you been tothe Trolley Stop?

The Trolley Stop Market is a not only a restaurant, but anyear-round indoor farmer’s market, and craft fair. The ingredients are alllocal and the best part is that their pizza is delicious. I would assume thatthe other things on the menu are good as well, but knowing how good the pizzais I haven’t been able to order anything else.

Trolley Stop Market - from facebook

The large pizza is absolutely huge. We normally order alarge with half pepperoni and half sausage, all onion. I like sausage and Susan likes sausage.Being local the meat is fresh and flavorful. Plus, you can actually taste thetomatoes in the sauce. You can just tell l that it was made that day. Thehipster service is laid back, but attentive and nice. Plus, they have localGhost River beer on tap to enjoy while waiting for your pizza. Last night, Ihad their Copperhead Red Ale. Yummy.

Okay, so I am a bit pretentious myself, when it comes topizza. I realize that Memphis is not known for being a place to go for pizza.However, I am happy to report after hunting long enough, I found a pizza thatcan compete with the best pizzas of the Northeast and the Midwest. What makes theTrolley Stop so delicious is not that they are trying to be like NY stylepizza, but that their ingredients are local and fresh and you can taste thedifference in their food.

If anybody who reads this has some other Memphis pizzarecommendations let me, please leave a comment and let me know.