FINAL FOUR: WEST COAST
Winner! Pizzeria Mozza
641 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles, mozza-la.com
Margherita pizza $13, serves 1
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.
Pizzeria Picco
316 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur, CA, pizzeriapicco.com
Margherita pizza $11, serves 1
Delancey
1415 N.W. 70th St., Seattle, delanceyseattle.com
Margherita pizza $12, serves 1
Apizza Scholls
4741 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR, 503-233-1286 apizzascholls.com
Apizza 'Margo'rita (cheese) pizza $10, serves 3 to 4
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FINAL FOUR: SOUTH-SOUTHWEST
Winner! Pizzeria Bianco
623 E. Adams, Phoenix, pizzeriabianco.com
Margherita pizza $11, serves 1
Chris Bianco imbues his pizza with more
heart and soul and serious deliciousness
than any other pizza I’ve had. Why? Because
he knows what delicious is and cares deeply
about every pie he makes. His crust is
perfectly balanced between crispy and
chewy, thick and thin, salty and savory.
Chris is the real deal, a man who lives and
dies with every pie.
Dough Pizzeria Napoletana
6989 Blanco Road, San Antonio, doughpizzeria.com
Margherita pizza $12, serves 1
Mia's Pizzas Bethesda
4926 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, MD, 301-718-6427, miaspizzasbethesda.com
Margherita pizza $13, serves 1
Varasano's Pizzeria
2171 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, varasanos.com
Nana's (cheese) pizza $13, serves 1
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FINAL FOUR: EAST COAST
Winner! Motorino
319 Graham Ave., Brooklyn, NY; 349 E. 12th St., New York City, motorinopizza.com.
Margherita pizza $13, serves 1
Belgian-born, classically trained chef Mathieu
Palombino isn’t your typical pizza flinger.
Yet his neapolitan-inspired personal pies
have a wonderfully puffy high lip (what the
Neapolitans call cornicione) and beautifully
put-together toppings like mozzarella di
bufala, brussels sprouts, smoked pancetta,
fresh garlic and pecorino cheese.
Picco Restaurant
513 Tremont St., Boston piccorestaurant.com
Large margherita pizza $19, serves 2
Di Fara Pizza
1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY, difara.com
Margherita pie $24, serves 4; slice $5
Sally's Apizza
237 Wooster St., New Haven, CT, 203-624-5271
White fresh tomato pie $16.50, serves 3
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FINAL FOUR: MIDWEST
Winner! Final Four: Great Lake
1477 W. Balmoral Ave., Chicago, g-lake.com
Margherita pizza $20, serves 2
You could end up waiting 30 minutes or more
for your pizza to come to the table, but reader,
the wait is worth it. The blistered, crisp crust is
just chewy enough, and Great Lake’s carefully
thought-out toppings seem wild, but really
work, as in the wonderfully balanced bacon,
cream and corn pie.
Stop 50 Wood Fired Pizzeria
500 S. El Portlal, Michiana Shores, IN, 219-879-8777, stop50woodfiredpizzeria.com
Margherita pizza $13, serves 1
Burt's Place
8541 Ferris, Morton Grove, IL, 847-965-7997
Cheese pizza $17, serves 6
Maria's Pizza
5025 W. Forest Home Ave., Milwaukee, 414-543-4606
Large cheese pizza $15, serves 4
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