Category: pizza

Every so often a restaurant comes along that’s all the rage. Usually it has a celebrity chef in the kitchen, some unique concept or cuisine or delicacies. They tend to be trends for a year or two until the next one comes along. Rarely is all the rage about something simple say…. pizza. Yes, pizza. Dough, tomato, cheese & sometimes toppings. Phoenix has a lot of really good pizza establishments, some award winning and some just really good. Most have their claim to fame of wood burning oven, coal burning oven, ingredients direct from Italy, locally grown ingredients, etc, etc.

Along comes Pomo the most recent entry into the Phoenix pizza scene. It was brought to my attention by a friend of mine who does not like pizza because he remembers his days studying in Italy and the pizza he had there. Phoenix has never had the traditional very thin crust that needs to be eaten with a fork and knife. He’s been there no less than 10 times and I’ve been there 3, but who’s counting. And Pomo has only been around for less than 3 months.

Located at The Borgata in Scottsdale(Scottsdale Rd. & Rose Ln.) in a spot that has been a revolving door of restaurants in years past, Pomo is sure to see that the revolving door has stopped revolving. The generous menu of antipasti, insalate(salads), panini(sandwich) and pizza’s. 14 pizza’s with sauce and various toppings and 6 Pizze Bianche(white pizza)and something you don’t see very often, fried pizza.

Owned by native Italian, Stefano who had a desire for true authentic pizza of his homeland. So authentic so it’s certified by Vera Pizza Napoletana Assoc. following there guidelines and that of Italian government and European Union. Do they take there pizza seriously or what in Italy! Pizzas take only 60-90 seconds in the 950 degree wood burning oven. Most of the ingredients…flour, tomatoes, bufala mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil & Parmigiano Reggiano are imported from their respected regions in Italy.

Upon my visits we’ve had for starters caprese(mozzarella ,tomatoes & basil), bruschetta(homemade bread,tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and even tried a frita(fried pizza). The thin crust and quick frying really gives this a unique taste and way to eat folded dough, cheese & sauce.
As for pizza’s on one visit we kept it simple with Regina Margherita($11.95) San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil and Parmigiano Reggiano. we also enjoyed Bufala($16.95) using the same ingredients as the Margherita except the mozzarella come from buffalo milk, not cow’s milk. and yes you can taste the difference. On another visit we chose the Donna Rosa($15.95) a white pizza using homemade pesto sauce and topped with roasted shrimp. mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. On of my favorites is the Capricciosa($14.95) which is topped with artichoke hearts,prosciutto sauteed mushrooms,cotto(ham)and Gaeta olives. Molto bene, molto bene!!

On 2 occasion we saved room for dessert and we tried tiramisu($7.95) an Italian classic that is light, fluffy and soaked in espresso. I would also recommend the Croccante($7.95) a nut basket filled with mascarpone cream and topped with fresh, seasonal fruit. It reminded me of a toasted almond bar that I loved as a youth.
Pomo also has a diverse, mostly Italian wine and beer list and some mostly Italian spirits.

So sometimes all the rage can be targeted at something so simple and easy that it gets often overlooked. It’s a good thing Pomo is opened 7 days a week from 11am-9pm Sun.-Thurs and until 10pm on Fri. and Sat. Pomo is located at 6166 N. Scottsdale Rd. in Scottsdale 480-998-1366.
4.5 corks out of 5 corks!!
Ciao!