Hi, everyone!
I’m cautiously starting to feel a little better. Still in some pain, but my appetite is partially back, which I’ll happily take as a good thing. Thank you guys for all the messages of support — they’ve gone a long way while I’ve been so bummed out.
Today’s edition of the newsletter is for paid subscribers, but it has multiple parts, one of which will be before the paywall kicks in. That’s because it was something I’d been working on before I started feeling like crap, and it’s more of a news piece than my typical food feature, which’ll come in after the paywall. So don’t forget to upgrade today.
The owner of Ragadan, Danny Sweis, is opening up a pizza shop called A Pizza Pie.
The storefront is located at 4449 N. Broadway, so it’s just up the block from Ragadan, his stellar Jordanian diner.
It’s actually been in soft-open mode with an official opening date of tomorrow, June 3rd. That brown paper you see on the window in the photo above is now gone, as I snapped this at the beginning of May. Customers have already been quietly able to order pizza through walk-ins, and the staff has been able to practice making pies.
When Sweis originally told me he was opening the spot, it sort of caught me off guard. Pizza’s such a far cry from falafel and burgers that I almost couldn’t imagine him making it. He invited me to visit in early May as he was building out the space to preview what he was up to.
But Sweis isn’t working on creating an artisan pizza spot, which I think is wholly refreshing.
The boutique pizza movement has been wonderful to see around town, but A Pizza Pie is aiming for a much different angle: affordable pizza. Pizzas are available in 10” and 16” sizes (14” for gluten-free), and when I say affordable, I mean, none of the whole 16” pizzas will be over $20, at least for now (you never know with today’s economy). Sweis isn’t hoping to reinvent the wheel in terms of toppings, either; you can create your own pie, or choose one like a Meat Lovers, Hawaiian, Chorizo and Pineapple, and a Supreme.
The crust is of a sturdy medium thickness, which means it can stand up to plenty of toppings without falling apart (think chain pizza style), but it still stays light and crisp at the same time.
Part of the formula is that Sweis was able to find a Middleby Marshall conveyor oven, which makes cooking a cinch, and fast.
Plus it means cooks don’t need special training to use it. For me, learning how to fire pizza in different types of ovens back in the day took quite a bit of practice, and the learning curve felt steep. I ruined plenty of pies before I got proficient at it.
But I did learn something really cool as I previewed the space, too. Sweis will be using Stanislaus tomato products, as well as Grande cheese, both of which are well-regarded in the pizza making world. I can vouch that those suppliers make high-quality stuff, which means these pies are going to have a good base to start with.
There’ll also be a few salads and chicken wings on the menu, with thin crust coming later this year (this is going to be a while due to equipment constraints). And you’ll also be able to get pizza by the slice. A plain cheese slice will go for $3.50, a pepperoni or sausage $4, and a specialty slice will be $5.
Sweis wants A Pizza Pie to be a community pizza place, where families can get an easy weeknight dinner without having to dig too deep into their wallets. Or the type of spot that can provide churches or schools with bulk orders for events, as that dual-level conveyor oven helps with efficiency.
The storefront is pretty small, with 14 seats, so you will be able to sit and enjoy your food there if you like. But I have a feeling business will mostly be takeout and third-party delivery. The restaurant is starting off on Uber Eats with plans to join DoorDash in the future. Looks like Uptown’s getting a new family pizza place, and one that’s meant for any day of the week — not just a special night out.
I didn’t think it was fair gatekeeping the news from all of you, which is why I made the top portion free to read. The second part of the newsletter is all about a totally different kind of restaurant, a Greek one, but it exists quietly in a part of town that’s not known for Greek food at all.
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