Phoenix: Pizzeria Bianco

Pizzeria Bianco is one of the most famous restaurants in Phoenix. It happens to be just two miles from the airport. That made it easy to decide what to do first when I arrived in town. I arrived at mid-afternoon, normally a slow time for restaurants. Bianco is so popular that you have to wait even at the down times. The hostess told me to expect a half hour wait but she very graciously worked me in after about five minutes.

I started with a plate of green and black olives. Both tasted great and provided different textures (green is firmer). They come bathed in an amazingly flavorful olive oil. Even if you aren't a crust person, try dipping a little of your pizza crust in the leftover oil.

This is the sonny boy pizza. It's topped with salami, something that one doesn't often find on pizzas. This extremely fine salami gives a very meaty flavor without being heavy. Of course, the crust is superb. It's just the right thickness with a few wonderful burns.

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Asheville NC: Luella's BBQ

Luella's is a nouvelle BBQ outfit on the north side of Asheville. It is nestled among the trees in a lovely neighborhood. The restaurant has lots of windows for inside seating and plenty of outside seating. Service was courteous and amazingly fast. This is a combination plate with pork and brisket. Both were very moist and tender. For the pork, I tried both the mild and hot vinegar sauces. To my surprise, I preferred the milder one because it didn't assert itself too much. I enjoyed the spicy tomato sauce for my brisket. The hushpuppies were very good. The fried okra was fresh out of the fryer and excellent. The slaw was of the vinegary variety, which I usually enjoy, but this version is heavy on the white stuff and didn't have quite enough variety in tastes for me.

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Pressure Cooker Candied Ginger

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