The Pizza Locust

Anzio’s Pepperoni & Sausage Pizza

Originally uploaded by Gridman.

I don’t remember how long Anzio’s Italian Restaurant has been around, but I remember going there fairly often shortly after they opened. A friend was directing a local little theatre production and there seemed to be a concerted effort to get the cast, staff and anybody else they could find to go along to the newly-opened restaurant. Never needing much excuse to eat pizza, I’d often go along. I honestly cannot remember anything at all about their pizza. That’s hardly surprising, if I added up all the years since I’ve been to Anzio’s (and I’m not going to) the number would be on the high side of 15 years (or more.) Perhaps that’s too long to remember a pizza, but, on the other hand, my father can still describe pizza from the Bottle Cap Inn in Miami from over 50 years ago. Perhaps it takes a truely exceptional pizza to transcend the decades? That said…

We arrived at Anzio’s, kids in tow, sometime after 7:00PM, the parking lot was packed and the cars didn’t appear to be patrons of the BAP Imports next door. Inside the restaurant was busy, but not busy enough to account for the cars outside. The restaurant was broken into a smoking and non-smoking section, the entrance being right between the two halves. We waited quite a long time for a host to seat us, although there was no one in front of us. During that time, we might as well have been standing in the smoking section. My son soon began to tear up and then began wailing – it was the first time he was exposed to that and he didn’t like it. At least he has good sense. Apart from poor ventilation, which spilled over into the non-smoking section, the restaurant was family-friendly. In fact, there we lots of kids there and I got the impression that the clientele were largely local regulars. They apparently have a banquent room in the back, which accounted for all the cars.

After we were finally seated, the pizza took quite a long time to cook, although the menu does warn of a 25-minute wait for pizzas. I had a 9″ pepperoni & sausage pizza, my wife ordered a 9″ thin-crust pizza with junk on it (which they got the order wrong and made with a regular crust) and our secondary pizza reviewer here at Lone Locust had a 9″ pepperoni pizza. (I’m expecting his review within the next couple days.)

The Pizza
Starting at the top:

• Toppings: The sausage was well-dispersed across the pizza, the pepperoni consisted of both slices and schrapnel which appeared to be the remnants of an over-eager attempt to slice the pepperoni as thin as possible. Both toppings were tasty, but neither was exceptional.
• Cheese: The cheese was fine and didn’t appear to be a blend.
• Sauce: The sauce was really the best part. If I had to guess, I’d say they make it fresh. It had a fresher taste more reminiscent of tomatos and oregano than the usual canned restaurant pizza sauce. If it was canned, they must have had a good vintage that day at the packing plant.
• Crust: Here’s where the pizza religious wars begin. Let me start by saying that Anzio’s style of crust is not a style I really care for. They use a buttery, soft dough style. It’s got a slightly flaky nature to it. It reminds me more of rolls or biscuits rather than pizza crust. Some people really like that style, and so, trying to be as objective as possible, here goes: The crust was fully cooked, approximately 1/2″ thick, with a rolled up outer edge, just slightly crisped on the bottom – enough that, after eating the first half of a piece with a fork, you could pick up the second half and eat it properly. I could see how someone find of this style crust would be pleased with it.

Taken as a whole it was a fresh and acceptable pizza. I would like to have seen the “thin crust” that my wife ordered but didn’t get. The question being, is it the same dough pounded thinner or is it a different dough altogether? I suspect the former but I shall have to return to find out.

Anzio’s has at least one “Best of Phoenix” (New Times, people’s choice, I believe) award. I know that, all those years ago, the theatre people I mentioned were attempting a mass mobilization to get Anzio’s voted for, so perhaps they suceeded. I know that in a world where Taco Bell can win “People’s Choice Best Mexican Food”, the people’s choice awards mean more about exposure and name recognition than the quality of the food.

Anzios Italian Restaurant
12418 N 28 Dr
Phoenix, AZ 85029 – 2433
(602) 375-1221

Cost: $0.11 per square inch (Cost is based on smallest pizza available, single topping, pre-tax)

Conclusion: Recommended if you like that type of crust.