A Big Pizza Pie

Pizzeria Bianco. Critics (and who are these mysterious people, anyway?) contend it’s the best pizza in the WORLD. That’s right, friends, better than Italy. Better than Little Italy. Better than your little Italian grandma used to make. Certainly better than anything delivered to your front door.

As pizza enthusiasts and general gastronomes, we were unwilling to merely accept the findings of unnamed critics. We traveled all the way to Phoenix, AZ, to experience Pizzeria Bianco and decide for ourselves whether or not it was worth the wait.

In fact, waiting almost a lifetime to eat there is nothing compared to the three hour plus wait that is part of the Pizzeria Bianco dining experience. It’s the first time we’ve waited in line to earn the privilege of waiting in line for food. And, so, we waited one hour to put our names on the waiting list in order to wait three more hours for a table. This is, by all definitions, insanity.

We talked two friends into joining us (who may no longer be friends after waiting four hours for dinner). We made friends with the other people in line around us. We made friends with their friends. And, no matter how many friends we made, we all secretly wondered if winning lottery tickets were delivered with each pizza. After all, why else would you put yourself through this?

Well, Pizzeria Bianco did not disappoint (although there were no winning lottery tickets involved). We were wild about the olive oil with the house made country bread and the Pizza Rosa (Red Onions, Parmigiano Reggiano, Rosemary, Arizona Pistachios). What was even wilder was that we realized we have our own “Pizzeria Bianco” right here in Indianapolis called Pizzology.

Why do we believe that something from far away is always better? This principle holds true whether we’re talking about consultants (do you ever notice subject matter experts never reside in the same town as their clients – it’s called the 50 mile rule) or food (cheese from Italy or cheese from Indiana). Maybe it’s that going away helps you appreciate what you already have at home.

Either way, we agree with Dave Barry’s comment, “Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.”