The best pizzeria in the U.S.? It's not Mozza, according to 'Every Day with Rachael Ray'

Ed Levine and Adam Kuban of the pizza blog Slice crisscrossed the country to find the best pizza in the United States in the March issue of "Every Day with Rachael Ray," which hits newsstands this weekend. The article says Levine and Kuban "scouted 64 pizzerias in 25 U.S. cities before slicing down the competition to 16, then trekking a total of 11,000 miles to check them out." Pizzerias were judged on service, toppings and "the interplay of crust, sauce and cheese." The four finalists, announced last month, were Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, Motorino in New York, Great Lake in Chicago and Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix. 

Of Pizzeria Mozza, this is what they had to say: 

Mozza chef partner Nancy Silverton was already legendary in L.A. for her work at La Brea Bakery. No wonder her crusts have all the chewiness and rich flavor of artisan bread. And when that base is topped with one of the inventive combinations of ingredients (the pizza with peppers, olives and oregano is especially good), you can't go wrong. Some pizza purists ding these pies for being too bready -- as if that's a bad thing. You won't leave a scrap behind.

They explored "dynasties" (DeLorenzo's in Trenton, N.J., and Sally's Apizza in New Haven, Conn.), underdogs (such as "Cindarella stories" in Portland, Ore., and composer Brandon Pettit's Delancey in Seattle), and "storied rivalries" (Sally's vs. Pepe's). (Totonno's in Brooklyn had burned down and wasn't included in their search, but it has since reopened.)

In the end, they deemed Chris Bianco's Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix as the best pizzeria in America, and maybe even the world. 

-- Betty Hallock

Photo: Nancy Silverton at Pizzeria Mozza. Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[jerry]

Some great choices. Maybe now we can stop this baseless myth that there is something magical about NYC tap water.

[David Honig]

A much better review, one that actually looked at pizza in Italy (what a bizarre concept, considering Italy in a review of the best Italian food in the world), can be found at Palate Press: The online wine magazine, here- http://palatepress.com/2009/12/the-pizza-review-2009/

[Siempre Barca]

How can the Slice bloggers claim that Pizerria Bianco in Phoenix is arguably the best pizzeria in the whole world? Such a statement is like the Patriots calling themselves World Champions when they have only played stateside teams! Or the Yankees calling themselves World Champions when they have not played neither Cuban nor South Korean neither Japanese nor Dominican Republic teams for this "world" title. Did the Slice bloggers go to North, Central, South Italy or Sicily or Argentina parts of the world before they make the probable statement that Pizerria Bianco is arguably the best pizzeria in the world?

[MaryAnn]

And they are correct. Pizzeria Bianco is THE BEST. I am from California and go to Phoenix every spring and Pizzeria Bianco is ALWAYS a must. I've tried Mozza and there's no comparison. In fairnes to the other two Motorino and Great Lake, I have not tried them.

[Stuart Jasper]

Pizzeria Ortica near South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa has the best pizza anywhere. Not only is the crust superb but the toppings are authentic and of exceptional quality.

[Leslie Sarna]

I have to agree! I live in LA and go to Mozza all the time and love it, but I have been to Pizzeria Bianco twice and it's by far the greatest pizza I've ever had in the world! It's worth going to phoenix just for the pizza!