Master Class
By Karen Brooks
IN 2004, NEW YORK CITY writer Ed Levine asked scribes around the country, including me, to define their town’s edible nirvana for his book Pizza: A Slice of Heaven. My contribution was grim: “Pizza does not drive datebooks in Portland. Does broccoli, much less Thai BBQ chicken, belong on a pizza?”
What a difference a few years make. By 2006, Portland earned legitimate stripes among geeky pie purists and populist eaters alike, as a new breed of obsessive pizza makers merged Old World techniques with new ideas about local sourcing and neighborhood vibes. As we celebrate our city’s pizza rinascimento, these four places define the new pie paradigm.
Ken’s Artisan Pizza
THE PERFECT PIE: Spicy soppressata
French-style bread baker Ken Forkish helped lead Portland into pizza’s promised land in 2005 with experiments at Ken’s Artisan Bakery. By ’06, he’d spun his puffy-rimmed wonders into their own restaurant, complete with a wood-fired oven and a serious Oregon-focused wine list. Today, lines form by 4:30 for crust that’s toasty and dusky with a nice blush of char, a delicate tomato sauce, and a dozen restrained combos, like wild mushrooms with mahon cheese or homemade sausage with fiery chiles. Ken’s spicy soppressata truly elevates the art form, with joyful mouthfuls of crispy cured salami, wild heat, and smoky dough.
304 SE 28th Ave; 503-517-9951; kensartisan.com
Apizza Scholls
THE PERFECT PIE:
Homemade sausage with Mama Lil’s peppers
With a reception as chilly as a warden greeting a recidivist, Apizza wins no atmosphere awards. Still, for pizza theologists, it’s a temple. Owner Brian Spangler channels New York’s Italian-American coal-oven shops through an Oregon baker’s avid heart. Spangler makes dough daily (and when he runs out, he’s done) and uses an infrared thermometer to suss out prime hot spots in his electric oven. The result: muscular pies with char-speckled bottoms that make East Coast devotees swoon. Are they worth the hour wait—and the attitude? It depends on how badly you want the real thing.
4741 SE Hawthorne Blvd; 503-233-1286; apizzascholls.com
Nostrana
THE PERFECT PIE: Margherita
Swollen rim. Thin middle. Crusty and soft. Brightened by San Marzano tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, whole basil leaves, and beautifully bitter black blisters. Served unsliced, always. That’s true Neapolitan pizza, and Nostrana is one of the few places in Portland that lives to get it right. Before Nostrana opened in 2005, food legend Cathy Whims sweated the details in her backyard wood oven. Like Naples’ most-loved pizzerias, she uses a live, slow-rising starter, which she marries to Washington’s Shepherd’s Grain wheat. Something always beckons from the small cast of combos—like homemade meatballs and wild oregano, or a blend of collard greens, cracklins, and an egg. But nothing trumps Nostrana’s margherita—well crafted, simple, and austere, as the pizza gods meant it to be.
1401 SE Morrison St; 503-234-2427; nostrana.com
Lovely’s Fifty-Fifty
THE PERFECT PIE: Something seasonal—like black trumpet mushroom
Think wood-fired California designer pizza, by way of fine Oregon farmers. New Yorkers may cringe, Italians may flee, but Sarah Minnick and oven man James Albee bust out some of the tastiest, most satisfying pies in the city: beautifully bronzed and carefully constructed, light on cheese and sauce. Six whole pies arrive dressed for the weather—perhaps winter squash with soft ricotta, sage, and browned butter, or slivers of black trumpets boosted by parsley, citrus, and garlic. Sure, you can knock off a Tolstoy chapter before your order arrives, but that allows more time to contemplate the luscious ice creams and sides that make this consummate neighborhood pizza parlor a rising star.
4039 N Mississippi Ave; 503-281-4060; lovelysfiftyfifty.com
Published: March 2011
That's Amoré
Nostrana's Cathy Whims on What Makes Pizza Great
“Pizza, to me, has always been very romantic, very sexy. It’s something you share with other people, or maybe just one other person—it’s a social food. You share it on a date, before you go to a movie. It’s informal, and by necessity it breaks down boundaries between people. It’s very primal. It comes straight out of the oven. You eat with your hands. There’s a photo I found just before we opened the restaurant, of a sign in Naples. It says ‘PIZZA,’ and underneath that it says ‘AMORE.’ I look at it every once in a while to remind myself why I’m doing what I’m doing.”
I have to agree with this list. Good stuff.
Breaking it down even further, I think the top two are:
(1) Apizza Scholls: For the classic East Coast thin crust, as described in the article. However, a lot of us don’t have a whole hour to wait for a table to have the wait staff return to tell us that their out of dough. It’s a bandwidth issue, but forgivable when you’re lucky enough to get the pie.
(2) Lovely’s 50/50: Typically, pizza lovers are of one of two camps, the topping folk and the dough folk. Lovely’s seems to respect both, with a crispy/chewy dough (a little bit of salt and a little bit yeasty—thus flavorful) and the toppings are so specific to the season and the location, you never know what you’re offered at Lovely’s until you get there. A very good thing. One of the things that makes Lovely’s genuinely unique.
A couple joints that seem to have escaped mention:
Signal Station Pizza: Not necessarily original thin-crust pizza, it is the closest thing in this town that truly reminds me of the imperfect (read: homey) pizza-as-street food slices I used to get in my hometown of Brooklyn.
Nicola’s on Lombard: While the pizza there is pretty good I think the real gem here would have to be the entrés! All over my home town of Brooklyn there are little Italian restaurants where you can get baked ziti, chicken parmesian and a killer lasagna that inspires one to trade Manhattan Island for $24 in clocks and feather boas. You get the same homey quality at Nicola’s and it’s a diamond in the rough, sitting across the street from a Taco Bell and the same bioregion as the Portsmouth Club, the latter of which I recommend one NOT go to for food.
Caro Amico, the way Portland was introduced to pizza 50 years ago and nearly as good as Monte Carlo was. And while Papa Murphy’s may be a bit to homogeneous for young foodies, it’s a local company celebrating 30 years in the Metro, dishing out 50,000 pies a week. This is Portland Pizza.
All good pizza for sure and MUST mention W’Yeast pizza cart on 50th! I think they are the best! Great pizza, wonderful down to earth owners, and a self locomotion discount.
Apizza Scholls link is incorrect
How could you miss Extreme Pizza in Hillsboro? Fresh dough made daily, 9+ vegetarian pie options, soy cheese, etc. Much better than Schmizza or Hot Lips!
I dunno, guys… Without Blind Onion on your list, I have to doubt the credibility of the whole study. I have never had pizza I enjoy more than the General at the Onion which is at 33rd and NE Broadway. And I have been loving pizza for waaaay too many years.
I agree with Ralph, and I am wondering why Pizza Roma didn’t make the list? Best crust in town hands down!
Pizza Roma?! It is exactly the kind of place the “middling cheese-and-grease parlor” phrase in the article is talking about, and that’s being generous. Your shilling benefits no-one.
Amalfi’s didn’t make the list???? they have been making fabulous pizza for about 50 years right there on NE 47th and Fremont.
Lucca on NE 24th & Fremont has amazing Pizza. It has to be up there with the Hidden Gems.
Other good local spots you fail to mention: Tributes, Pizza Oasis, Silver Dollar. All three are much better than Schmizza…just choose one.
I also think NY NY Steaks & Pizza on SW Barbur is highly underated. Almost as good as Escape From NY.
After Apizza and Ken’s, I would have to vote for Firehouse…surprised that no one else has mentioned them for their Neapolitan style pizza.
However, I have yet to taste a slice in this town that even comes close to good NYC pizza. Escape from NY only gets the dripping grease factor…their dough and sauce are terrible…
The Al Forno Ferruzza,has delicious,thin crust sicilian pizza and cannolis…They also make Lasagne very often, and delicious…..They also have salads to die for,and scarpettas…..Go Go Go…..and by the way they are from the Adirondack Moutains,and make and sell Maple Syrup from there…..
I know cause I eat there a lot…..Oh and they have entertainment often
Pretty good list! The soppressata is definitely the best pizza at Ken’s, and the sausage & peppers is definitely the best pizza at Apizza Scholls. True, I’d swap out Nostrana for Firehouse, and the fact that Pizzeria Depokos was omitted while Pizzicato, Hot Lips, Pizza Schmizza, and Flying Pie inexplicably made the list is bewildering, but overall, good job, Karen!
Unfortunately, Pizzeria Depokos was on hiatus when we wrote this story, so we felt we could not include it. But do check out their wood-fired pizza. According to the blog, plans are afoot to reopen soon: pizzadepokos.blogspot.com
Thanks for all the great comments and suggestions. Keep them coming!
I agree with Lisa…the pizza at Firehouse is terrific, especially the one with their fabulous fennel sausage. Great crust with the perfect puffy, charred edges. Yum!
Dantes pizza window for that late night new York style fix..one of the best in town.
Take me to Tribute’s. Sooooo underrated.
Does anyone know of a place in the Portland area that makes real Chicago style pizza?
Wow you guys really missed the boat excluding the newest wood fired pizza kitchen (in St Johns) Girasole. I would argue they are among the best in Portland.
Really? I’ve been at Apizza Scholl’s a bunch of times and they were always friendly. Did you maybe catch someone on an “off” night?
I agree with Kristin, where is Wyeast on this list? They make amazing pizza, out of a cart, and the owners are so friendly and neighborly.
Posy: Alas, Girasole was not open during the writing process. We’re curious to hear reports .. so please send them along everyone.
@Justine
No shit! I have been to APizza Scholls many, many times and have never been treated rudely. Yeah, the wait can be long, but any longer than Ken’s? And there’s a reason the wait is long—-best pie in the city.
No Lucky Lab?
Sorry, but they’re not Top 10, but definitely Top 32.
Lisa and Susan: Be sure to check out our write-up of Firehouse under the Hidden Gems category! Definitely one of my favorite pizzas in town as well.
Hey all—
Thanks for the great comments—and, yes, we were bracing ourselves for the deep (deep-dish?) passions pizza stirs. Choosing among Portland’s great pizzas is kind of like choosing favorites among one’s own children…if one had hundreds of children, which would be weird and would kind of take us off on a different sort of story…
BUT ANYWAY: Sorry if we missed your favorite in this admittedly unscientific celebration. Keep the tips coming.
Good Neighbor Pizzeria has a 14 inch real chicago style pie on the menu.It takes 25 min but worth the wait.One on the cooks is from Chicago.800 Ne Dekum st
To add a comment regarding the lack of Chicago-style pizza in Portland, it really depends on what is meant by Chicago-style. Most Chicagoans actually eat Chicago thin-crust far more than the ‘famous’ deep-dish. And, this being the case, there was in fact a mention of it in the article with Eddie’s Flatiron Pizza. It saddens me that a style of pizza popular to millions is only mentioned as a ‘complete dismissal of accepted pizza-cutting norm [by] defiantly [slicing] its round pies like a checkerboard.’ Portland Monthly, this is hardly defiant. I grew up outside Chicago eating nothing but square slices of delicious thin crust. Thanks for the recommendation, though, albeit without knowing what it was you were referring to. There is more out there than New York…
Dove Vivi has the best, most original pizza I’ve ever had. It’s not in the traditional style but delicious in every way. This place is a fantastic hidden gem in a tiny corner of NE 28th & Glisan.
These are all REALLY thin. No thanks! For mid crust, I like Dove Vivi and still can’t miss with the chicago style med crust at Flying Pie on Stark> Would love to have someone open a deep dish Chicago pie restaurant but not sure the Portland consumer would go for it.
I have been eating Amalfi’s pizza since it opened in the 1950’s; have lived in Chicago and visit the pizza, Cubs and relatives in Chicago often—Amalfi’s is so good when they used to offer anchovies as an option even an all anchovie pizza was good.
Muddy Rudder is great!
The place that needs to be added to the list is of course, Escape from New York Pizza. Its been a mainstay for 20 plus years here in Portland and they just make good New York style pizza (channel Ray’s pizzeria in NYC and you’ll know what I mean)
You gotta try to understand!
ER, I for one would love to have a Gino’s or na Uno’s here !
Iorio. Best Italian. No question.
i would have to say, gladstone pizza is right up there… needs a little help with the ambiance, but they make a mean pie. i love the selected winners too!
The Mississippi Pizza Pub? Really? No mention? Love their crust and the Greek Geek is so good… it’s in a whole other class of pizza. Mmmm.
The never-ending swooning over Apizza Scholls continues to amuse me. Is it good pizza? Undoubtedly yes. Is it worth waiting over an hour for? Absolutely no way. If this was all about good pizza, instead of hipster wagon-riding, the place that was Wildfire, then Carboni’s, on MLK would never have closed. I will add, without any fear of it being deluged by hipsters (Multnomah Village being as remote as Siberia to them), that the Northwest at Lucky Lab is one of the greatest pizzas I’ve ever had, even though I don’t usually like pies lacking a tomato-sauce base. Their Village Vegan is delicious, too. If you appreciate a non-wood-fired, traditional hand-tossed crust, LL Multnomah’s is hard to beat.
Fun convo and super-surprised to see no one has mentioned Di Prima Dolce on Killingsworth. For me its easily the best, most authentic NY-style pie in Portland.
What, no Stark Street Pizza Company? They’re been in business for nearly 50 years. This family establishment is famous for their thin cornmeal crust, homemade sauce, three cheese blend topping and fresh ingredients. Not to mention they have the largest and simply the best salad bar in the city.
Huge omission on your part. Maybe they’re not foo-foo enough for the list but if you’re looking for a really good meal then SSPC is the place to go.
Number one is definitely Ken’s Artisan Pizza..quality of food, atmosphere, wine list, and service.
Number two is Apizza Scholls…quality of food and service.
Number three is Mia Famiglia in Oregon City…quality of food, atmosphere and service.
I live in Silverton (don’t ask me why) and drive to Portland or Oregon City every week to eat at one of these three establishments.
Hammy’s is the best, open til 4am, delivers and has the best, freshest toppings. They are the only place I can add Pinons (pine nuts) to my pizza or calzone!
I Love HAMMY’S PIZZA
What about crossing the river to the ‘Couv? Juliano’s Pizzeria has a great pie that is loaded with toppings. One slice and you’re done. Get it with garlic – oh, so yummy. Lots of great beer on draft, too. Been around 20+ years. Cool casual environment.
The 32 best slices? Seriously? Try counting them again. Not like you’re supposed to be professionals or anything.
Another great “we tried our best” moment, brought to you by the city of Portland.
ESCAPE FROM NY? Anyone? Holy…what? I am amazed that there are all of these foodie snobs out there in my hometown but no one can remember a real straight forward good slice of pie? Whatever.