There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy good pizza in Portland. And the newest addition is Pizzaiolo, making New York style pizza with a Bronx accent. Newly opened on Cumberland Avenue, next to a few dicey convenience stores—hardly of the carriage-trade ilk— it’s also across from the Preble Street Teen Center and the wonderful Schulte and Herr, Portland’s only German restaurant. Urban archeologists might term this as a neighborhood in transition. I wouldn’t hold my breath. Still, I stopped in for a slice earlier in the week and ordered two pies from Pizzaiolo just last night.
Pizzaiolo on Cumberland Avenue
Overall, Portland has a lot of pizza options for such a small city. Bill’s Pizza on Commercial Street is probably the best example here of ersatz Italian-American pizza. I haven’t been there in a few years (and its under new management since my last visit) but I remember it being eminently forgettable.
At the other end are the gourmet pizzas made by Portland’s reigning pizza purveyors and chefs. From Slab’s truly artisanal wedge-style pizza; the thin-crust slices from the ever-expanding Otto, virtually a mini-conglomerate of our local pie set; farm-to-table wood-oven baked Flatbread Company and to the carefully tended pies at Bonobo’s–these have been the premier spots to enjoy pizza with pizazz. Portland’s restaurants shouldn’t be overlooked either. Many are baked in wood ovens to emerge thin- crusted and crisp. The Grill Room, for instance, has fancy-topped 9-inch pies baked in a wood oven.
A slice ($3.50), the Porko, with sausage, mozzarella, sausage, meatballs and tomato sauce at Pizzaiolo
For the casual slice on the go or on the rare occasion when I’ve ordered it for delivery, I think Leonardo’s on Forest Avenue is pretty good–classic Italian-American pizza that’s made with wholesome ingredients such as King Arthur Flour. It’s really a variation on New York style pizza, which is basically a thin-crust pie loaded with tomato sauce and cheese.
