:Pizzeria Bianco

The restaurant was originally opened by Chris Bianco in 1987, in a grocery store which is now AJ's Euro-Market & Deli located in central Phoenix. He moved locations once before Pizzeria Bianco found its home in downtown's Heritage Square in 1996.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rJxWXKk-mw&feature=player_embedded#at=35 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/_rJxWXKk-mw |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|title=local food|date=July 3, 2009|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}

Bianco was born in the Bronx, and grew up in Ossining, New York.Levine, E. [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/07/dining/the-road-to-pizza-nirvana-goes-through-phoenix.html "The road to pizza nirvana goes through Phoenix"], The New York Times, 2004-07-07. Retrieved 2010-02-12. He had asthma as a child, forcing him to stay inside, where he watched his aunt cook. At age 13 he began working at a local pizzeria. In 1985, he won two plane tickets anywhere in the United States and, on a whim, chose to go to Phoenix. When he got there, he felt connected to the place, and stayed. He began making mozzarella in his apartment and selling it to Italian restaurants. Later, Guy Coscos, a specialty grocer in Phoenix, offered him the opportunity to make and sell pizzas in the corner of his store. Bianco's pizza was popular and he realized he could make pizza for a living. He went to Italy in 1993 to improve his pizzamaking. In 1994, he returned to open Pizzeria Bianco at Town & Country Shopping Center in Phoenix. In 1996, the restaurant moved to 623 East Adams Street, the historic site of Baird Machine Shop in Heritage Square. Bianco also operates Bar Bianco, located next door to the pizzeria in Heritage Square, and Pane Bianco, located in Midtown Phoenix.

Bianco cites Alice Waters, Suzanne Goin at Lucques, Mark Ladner at Del Posto, and Mario Batali as chefs who have inspired him.[http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/interview-chris-bianco "Interview with Chris Bianco"], Food & Wine, n.d. Retrieved 2010-02-12.

Bianco described his pizza to Ed Levine in The New York Times, “There’s no mystery to my pizza. Sicilian oregano, organic flour, San Marzano tomatoes, purified water, mozzarella I learned to make at Mike’s Deli in the Bronx, sea salt, fresh yeast cake, and a little bit of yesterday’s dough. In the end great pizza, like anything else, is all about balance. It’s that simple.”

The menu is short, generally consisting of two appetizers, three salads, and six pizzas.{{cite web |url=http://www.pizzeriabianco.com/menu.html |title=Menu |publisher=Pizzeria Bianco |accessdate=2010-02-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301140545/http://www.pizzeriabianco.com/menu.html |archivedate=2010-03-01 }} Pizzeria Bianco uses a wood-burning oven. Since opening, Chris Bianco has made nearly every pizza himself, sometimes making 250 a night. He and his staff make the mozzarella fresh each morning. Bianco's dough is made by hand, and ideally he lets it ferment for 18 hours. The herbs are from a garden beside the restaurant.Rose, J. [http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/altss/printstory/frontpage/18294 'World's best' pizza in Phoenix], Tucson Citizen, 2006-07-12. Retrieved on 2010-02-12. The vegetables are from the local farmer's market. In January 2010, Bianco announced that he was taking some time away from pizza making for health reasons (the wood oven and flour in the air was aggravating his asthma). However, Chris Bianco's brother Marco will continue to make the dough and for the time being Horacio Hernandez, Bianco's assistant for 15 years, will cook the pizzas.Seftel, H. [http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/dining/articles/2010/01/27/20100127chris-bianco-no-more-pizzas.html Chris Bianco no longer making pizzas], The Arizona Republic, 2010-01-28. Retrieved on 2010-02-12.{{cite web|last=Levine |first=Ed |url=http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/01/chris-bianco-is-not-retiring-just-taking-time-off-each-week.html |title=Statement from Chris Bianco Regarding Absence from Pizzeria Bianco | Slice Pizza Blog |publisher=Slice.seriouseats.com |date=2010-01-27 |accessdate=2010-02-19}}

Pizzeria Bianco is a small establishment, with a maximum seating capacity of 42. The pizzeria only takes reservations for parties of 6–10. All other patrons are seated on a first come, first served basis, resulting in long lines and waits commonly up to four hours, which can frustrate newcomers. Chris Bianco has said, “it is ridiculous that it’s four hours, but it’s 23 hours to fly to Australia,” saying that some good things "just take a long time." Patrons often line up starting at 3:30 pm, an hour and a half before opening time. There is no take-out or delivery.

Pizzeria Bianco has been rated as the best pizza in the United States by Bon Appétit,[http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-specials/top-american-restaurants-bon-appetit-picks-the-best/index.html "Food Network Special: Top American Restaurants: Bon Appetit Picks the Best"]. n.d. Retrieved on 2010-02-12. Vogue,Rose, J. [http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/food/articles/0621bianco0621.html "The prince of pizza: Chef Bianco's pies are best in the world"], The Arizona Republic, 2006-06-21. Retrieved on 2010-2-13. Rachael Ray,Seftel, H. [http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/dining/articles/2010/02/12/20100212bianco0212.html "Pizzeria Bianco bestin the nation, says 'Rachel Ray'"], The Arizona Republic, 2010-02-12. Retrieved 2010-02-12. and Andrew Zimmern,{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelchannel.com/videos/best-brick-oven-pizza-joints-0180579|title=Best Brick-Oven Pizza Joints|via=www.travelchannel.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelchannel.com/videos/best-pizza-ever-0180581|title=Best Pizza Ever|via=www.travelchannel.com}} and has also been recognized by Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey,[http://www.oprah.com/food/Quest-for-the-Best/3 The Oprah Winfrey Show], 2006-11-01. Retrieved on 2010-2-12. GQ,Richman, A. [https://www.gq.com/food-travel/alan-richman/200905/pizza-american-pie-25-best "American pie"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091016231742/http://www.gq.com/food-travel/alan-richman/200905/pizza-american-pie-25-best |date=2009-10-16 }}, GQ, 2009-05. Retrieved on 2010-02-12. and GourmetAmster-Burton, M. [http://www.gourmet.com/restaurants/2009/05/chris-biancos-pizza-philosophy "Chris Bianco's pizza philosophy"] In 2003, Chris Bianco won the James Beard Foundation Award for best Southwest Chef (the only pizza chef to have won a regional award)[http://jamesbeard.org/index.php?q=news_and_features_worth_waiting_for_pizzeria_bianco "Worth waiting for: Pizzeria Bianco"], JBF Notes: The James Beard Foundation Newsletter, 2008 Oct/Nov. Retrieved on 2010-02-12. and the restaurant received a nearly perfect Zagat score of 29 in 2000. Pizzeria Bianco was featured in Peter Reinhart's book American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza.Reinhart, P: American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza. Ten Speed Press, 2003.

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• {{official website|http://www.pizzeriabianco.com}}

Category:Pizzerias in the United States

Category:Restaurants in Phoenix, Arizona

Category:Companies based in Phoenix, Arizona

Category:1987 establishments in Arizona

Category:Restaurants established in 1987