As my 6th of 21 planned stops on my "SD Debut Entree Bucket List".....this was a welcoming, off the path visit for me. To be frank, I am actually a true fan of the midwest deep dish style pizza so to be drawn in for anything but when it comes to a pie.....it takes some strong incentive for sure! (Thanks again Troy Johnson!)
Being a Sunday evening prior to a Monday holiday the place was just as busy as any other normal weekend night I am told by the folks I sat near during my visit. They claimed to be regulars with many visits and many great experiences at B.F. They certainly had their share of menu exposure as well as they were telling me all about the many items I must try!
This visit was all about my seeking the Sergio classic style Italian pizza. Mozza cheese, prosciutto, arugula and parma cheese round this thing out. And of course it's all done in their certified VPN clay oven using imported specialty flour for their pizza dough.
Despite the super busy evening with a line well out the door and pizza boxes flying out the door by pick up customers, I was able to grab a seat at the 7-8 seat side patio table area they have adjacent to the main outside dining space. I placed my order (with an authentic Italian server for that matter!) and had my pizza in front of me within 15 minutes which was good time for how busy it was.
Pictures show this looked great. Texture was good but the center section of the pie could have used a wee little bit more time as it was still quite soft vice the rest of the crust which was perfectly crisp with not a spec of burnt spots. The crust has a nice unique flavor all on its own I found unlike anything you would ever get with a delivery joint. The real praise I offer for this pie is the simple flavor combo of fresh ingredients. The cheeses, meat and red sauce work wonderfully to really please the pallet well. Not super cheese heavy, not weighted under tons of meat, not too salty, not too greasy, not too anything, just right as Goldilocks would say.
This pie was the perfect size for sharing on date night (or just me and my bottomless pit) as the crust is not so thick and dense that its a meal by itself. Again, as a deep dish Chicago guy when it comes to"best pizza" its hard for me to rank this kind of pie up there with those. But as for anything outside that domain, this does rank as a pizza I would not hesitate to have again.
If this pie/visit is any representation of the food/service quality then I feel I need to venture out more often to places like this for return visits to satisfy both my ethnic genes and culinary desires at the same time with some solid Italian eats. Now go hit up this SD Better Bite and make your nonna proud! MANGIA!
