Do You Believe In Love…

I found it at Los Angeles’ Pizzeria Bianco and starting humming the Huey Lewis and the News hit while savoring delectable, perfectly charred thin crust pizza.

I am not married to geographically desirable pizza.

I have indulged in great New York pizza and actually, some of the best pizza I have ever chomped down on is in New Haven, Connecticut at Sally’s Apizza and Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana.

Pizzeria Bianco is in a stand alone, creative category.

The Bianco pizza revolution began in Phoenix in 1987. Who knew that handcrafted wood-fired pizza made in Phoenix, Arizona would be a top contender.

Finally, Chris Bianco’s Pizzeria Bianco has arrived in Los Angeles to great fanfare.

It is located 20 miles from my pizzaless town.

I drove the 45 minutes in traffic to the Row Downtown LA development which is the former site of the  defunct American Apparel factory.

I went for lunch because you cannot get a reservation for dinner. I tried and tried and tried and, ultimately,   failed.

We parked in the conveniently located two hour free parking garage, lined up and waited about 15 minutes and finally the pizza fantasy became a reality.

I had studied the menu beforehand and quickly checked the boxes…Green, Meyer lemon, the special, a burrata ciabatta bread sandwich and a citrus salad.

Counter-service lunch involves big New York-style slices, sandwiches and specials like thick slabs of Sicilian-style pizza.

They give you a number and deliver the items to the table in takeout boxes.

There is indoor and outdoor seating for approximately 80 patrons.

The interior is all Chris Bianco’s vision… industrial chic with very personal touches.

Paintings by his father, Leo, are proudly displayed.

Close friend, Jimmy Kimmel, gifted Bianco with an authentic pizza sign and the beast of a pizza oven was hand built by a friend.

The outrageous Green Slice is comprised of caciocavallo (firm, dense mozzarella that is stretched and hung and aged for several months), spinach creme sauce and parmigiano Reggiano with an amazing crust ($6).

The Meyer Lemon slice is tangy and delicious with red onion, fontina cheese and rosemary ($6).

The Special Sicilian-style pizza slice was thick and fluffy, although not my favorite style  it  is  still  very  tasty.

The daily special with broccoli was unbelievable ($6).

The creamy Burrata Sandwich on outrageously crispy ciabatta bread was gooey and delicious ($12).

The refreshing Market Salad is made with radicchio, shaved fennel, frisée with thick slices of Satsuma Mandarin and sweet Cara Cara oranges. The lemony citrus vinaigrette was a perfect accompaniment for the pizza slices ($14).

The dinner menu features several of Bianco’s signature pizzas, including the legendary Rosa with red onion, parmigiano reggiano, rosemary and Santa Barbara pistachios ($25).

One of the contributing factors to the exceptional pizza is the dough made with organic flour. It’s fermented for 18 hours, giving it a delicious yeasty tang.

Pizzas are made with Sicilian oregano, San Marzano tomatoes, purified water, mozzarella that Bianco learned to make at Mike’s Deli in the Bronx and makes fresh daily, sea salt, fresh yeast cake and a little bit of day old dough.

There are plans to move the window service to another section of the Row and have formal lunch and dinner service at the established location.

A new chef is on board and there should be additional delectable items.

I was hoping for a New York branch, but there are no plans.

James Beard award winning restauranteur and chef, Bianco is very impressive. He is smart, creative, generous of spirit and very present in his highly successful restaurant business.

Pizzeria Bianco serves delicious, innovative pizza. It’s not fabulous NY, LA or Phoenix pizza is just plain great pizza.

Obviously, Pizzeria Bianco is a top tier bucket list must.

Pizzeria Bianco 1320 East 7th Street Los Angeles, California. Open for lunch Tuesday-Saturday 11am-3pm. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday 5-9pm. Reservations on OpenTable.com. Parking available in Row DTLA lot with first 2 hours free.