Review: Apizza Scholls

In Portland, Oregon, a veritable melting pot of tree-hugging hippies, tech-savvy yuppies, organic food junkies and white trash, a pizza revolution is beginning to take form, and the most popular iteration of this burgeoning pizza haven must certainly be Apizza Scholls.

Nestled between a chocolate shop and the Bar of the Gods on hip Hawthorne Boulevard, Apizza Scholls dishes out whole pies to legions of local fans seven days a week (5pm - 9:30pm Monday thru Saturday, 4pm - 8pm Sunday). Such is the enthusiastic fervor surrounding the pizzeria that lines can form thirty-strong or more an hour prior to opening on Fridays and Saturdays, making a simple walk-in-sit-down-and-order an impossible affair on busy weekends. To-go orders are available only Monday through Wednesday, but after that, expect a long wait if you're not there when the doors open.

After the moment of heart-stopping elation that comes when the hostess calls your name, you're ushered to one of the ten or so tables in either of the dual dining rooms. Décor is sparse, with simply painted walls adorned with the occasionally piece of framed artwork. It's really nothing special. But you're not here for the atmosphere, you're here for the eats!

Thankfully, Scholls has several beers on tap to get you nice and buzzed, all at $4.50 a pint (except for the Schneider Hopfen-Weisse at $6), as well as nearly 30 more bottled. Several red and white wines are also readily available, along with an impressive array of Boylan's soft drinks.

The menu is as expansive as the drink list. Beyond the usual house and Caesar salads ($7 and $8, respectively) you'll find some delicious antipasti options, such as an assortment of delicious cured olives ($5), a veggie plate with roasted red peppers, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry peppers, Fior di Latte, and grilled artichoke hearts ($10) and a meat plate with proscuitto rosa, salame Gentile, soppressata, salame Siciliana, and mortadella ($10). Your best bet is the House Antipasti Plate, which offers a hearty mix of both the meat and veggie plates. All of it is cured to perfection and a steal at $12.

And that brings us to the pies, and what pies they are. Unabashedly New York-style, pizzas at Scholls are large 18-to-20-inch discs with a well-charred, crisp crust that holds up well to the toppings, whatever they may be. The air pocket-filled cornicione is bubbly and perfect, with a nice crisp outer crunch giving way to a light, chewy center. Owner and head pizzaolo Brian Spangler closely monitors every pie in his electric oven with an infrared thermometer gun, watching them char under controlled 700°F+ heat and making sure each one comes out perfect. As far as I can tell, he has succeeded every time.

Scholls neophytes should begin with their version of the margherita, known here as the 'Margo'rita ($20). Atop the impeccable crust you'll find a vibrant tomato sauce, a mix of both fresh and aged mozzarella, pecorino romano, plenty of fresh garlic, olive oil, and basil. The garlic and aged mozzarella meld in the oven and give every bite of this pie a solid punch of salty, garlicky goodness.

Even better is Apizza Scholls's incredible Sausage Pie ($20). Hefty chunks of sweet fennel sausage (made in-house!) are scattered in perfect balance over the plain pie, and after repeated trips I can safely say I have never had a better version of it. If and when you come to Scholls, do not pass this one up. It is absolutely delicious.

Though I am not the biggest fan of white pies, Apizza Scholls's New York White Pie ($22) is the best I can recall ever having. Here the red sauce is eschewed for layers of mozzarella (both fresh and aged), pecorino romano, fresh garlic, herbs, black pepper, sea salt, and olive oil. Bring an additional element to the white pie with the Bacon Bianca ($22), which adds house-made bacon. The bacon brings out the flavors in the cheese, herbs, and garlic, and is a revelation.

For a simpler white pie with even an even more complex flavor scheme, the Tartufo Bianco ($21) is the pizza of choice. Here the garlic, herbs, and olive oil of the New York White are swapped out for a healthy pour of truffle oil. I don't love truffle oil, but for whatever reason it clicks here. Like the other pizzas, it's very good, and worth seeking out for the discerning foodies in your party.

Scholls offers a single item on their dessert menu: It's-It Ice Cream Sandwiches from San Francisco ($2). These tasty little sugar bombs are composed of a scoop of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies and dipped in dark chocolate. They're good, but after stuffing your face with three or four large slices, chances are you won't have room for them.

If you're in Portland for any reason and consider yourself a fan of pizza, you would be remiss to skip Apizza Scholls. A Slice of Heaven author and Serious Eats founder Ed Levine named it one of the "Top Five Pizzerias in America," and if you can withstand the sometimes hour-long wait to get inside, you'll soon see why.

OVEN: Electric

RECOMMENDED: House Antipasti Plate, Sausage Pie