FoodieBuddha.com

Last week, I mentioned that a well respected NYC foodie and a local heavyweight were scampering around town to try some of the best Atlanta has to offer.  Yesterday, Ed Levine, the NYC dude of Serious Eats fame, posted a writing by John Kessler, the AJC’s food dude.  Topics included the delicious pizzas that we all talk oh so much about.  Yes, that’s Varasano’s, Antico Pizza, & Fritti, for all you rock dwellers.  Though there isn’t a great deal of “review” details in the post, the article does seem to tip its hat in the direction of Antico.

Kessler goes on to discuss Atlanta’s burgeoning farm-to-table scene, BuHi’s Korean BBQ and ramen, and checks out with a tip of the hat to Woodfire Grill’s Kevin Gillespie and The Hil’s Hilary White.  I’m not sure if Levine actually went anywhere other than Antico and V’s, and his opinion is notably absent from the piece.  Still, it’s great to see Kessler pushing us on the national scene, and it’s a well-written summary piece for anyone trying to get a lay of the land.

[via Serious Eats]

A little over a week ago, as I scuttled home from the office, I took an unusual turn down Hemphill Ave.  Traffic was thick, and I like to keep moving.  So down the side streets I went and as I peeled off of Northside Dr, I noticed that Jaqbo Bakery & Café had a whole new paint job.  Something was up, so I pulled over.  As I got out of my car and approached the building, a small, solitary word caught my eye: Antico.  Jaqbo was no more!  I had, completely on accident, stumbled upon the newfound home for Enrico Liberato (and on day freaking one no less).

The story goes like this: Liberato arrived in Atlanta just a few short months ago.  Brought in to resurrect the tragically bad pizza that was being served up at Riccardo Ullio’s Fritti, Liberato helped put Fritti back on the map.  Some months later, the marriage was over.  It’s worth mentioning that I think the ‘za is a tad better since Liberato’s departure.  Whatever the reason for the split, word around the campfire was that Liberato had teamed up with a Brooklyn native who got his start in this world back in Naples, Italy.  That much was and is verifiably true.  So here we stand.

I passed on the opportunity to immediately share my delight for a number of reasons.  One of them being that I was confident Antico would remain off the radar for at least a few days.  BUZZ … WRONG!!!  Within a few short hours, news of the place darn dun blewed up and foodies, pizza passionistas, and bloggers alike have started talking up the place like a trending topic over on twitter.  While nearly everyone to write on Antico has painted an idealized picture of halcyon times, in true Foodie Buddha fashion, I can’t say everything is peachy.  That’s not to say that this chat of Antico Pizza will approach any semblance of the tongue lashings I’ve been known to hand out.  If you decide not to continue with this post, take this one opinion with you: this pizza is really tasty.

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So while Atlanta has pizza gurus Enrico Liberato and Jeff Varasano, so too does Phoenix.  In that city, Chris Bianco reigns supreme.  Bianco operates the well known and highly regarded Pizzeria Bianco (website).  A couple of aspiring pizzeria owners decided to sit down with Bianco.  What followed ended up being one of the most interesting interviews I’ve seen in some time.  Posted over at gourmet.com, the quotes fly fast and furious and are most certainly not for the faint of heart.