Friday Finds, Pizza!

Today’s post is a quickie but one not to be missed. Over the last few months I’ve met a few transplanted New Yorkers here in Tucson. Without fail every single one of them has told me the best pizza in town was Fiamme Pizza at 4706 E. Sunrise Drive. I did what I normally do and placed that information into my mental rolodex. I know there’s good pizza outside of New York, but most of the time I find myself disappointed. That’s one of the reason’s I didn’t run out and try a slice at Fiamme. As fate would have it, the battery on my phone was overheating and needed to be replaced. So I headed to the only Apple store in Tucson. On my way across town I was thirsty and pulled into a Starbucks that happened to be in the same strip mall as Fiamme Pizza! If it was a sign, the timing was off because I had just eaten and I didn’t want to be late for my appointment.

The phone store was very busy, so busy in fact my phone wouldn’t be ready for at least four hours, which brought me too, you guessed it, dinner time! Fiamme’s is a tiny place with only eight tables. The key to their amazing pies is, of course, the ingredients. They use imported Neapolitan flour, San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and other locally sourced ingredients. Then a southwestern twist is added. The pizza oven is wood fired and uses Mesquite, a hard local wood with a distinct smokey flavor. They use a wild yeast concoction to rise the dough and coupled with the Mesquite the combo is amazing.

They serve many New York favorites like Margherita, Grandma and White slices or you could go for the local , Hatch Green Chili. When I go to a new place I always try the plain slice first. If they can’t do a plain slice, the rest usually isn’t worth trying. The first thing I noticed was the texture of the crust. The wood char was only a slight hint and just enough to bring out the crunchy, chewy goodness that I look for in a pizza. The sauce was also a complement to the crust and the fresh Mozzarella. All the flavors worked together and none overpowered the others. I also ordered the Arugula salad with fresh pine nuts and shaved parmesan, the homemade lemon dressing was a nice surprise.

Other items of note are the Nutella pizza, meat and cheese board, Mexican Coke and a Gelato Panini. Every Monday is half priced Margherita pizza with any purchase and Two slice Tuesday. Fiamme’s is a great place to take any out of town guests that might be thinking Tucson is only about Mexican food. It’s also a good place to go if you’re from the East Coast and feeling a little nostalgic. If you have any questions or comments please leave them in the box below. I love getting your emails and comments. Until next time, Boone Appétit!