I’ve generally been unsatisfied with delivery pizzas in Portland. Well,for that matter, pizzas in general. I’ve found a few I like, like the one at the Silver Dollar Bar on Broadway in down town, and the slices at the take away outlet for Pazzo {Pazzoria), on Washington near Broadway.
Tonight I ordered delivery from a local chain, Bellagios. They started in 1969, and have grown to 14 locations in the metro area.
Their “mantra” is to provide “the very best”, and that starts with freshly made dough and sauce daily.
Why had I been reluctant to try them? A silly reason. I like to order online, not on the phone. I don’t want to hear “…..pizza, hold please….”, and have my call forgotten, or have some guy’s scribble turn my olives into onion because the pie maker can read the order. I think online ordering eliminates some portions of human error, and Bellagios started their online ordering recently. (Start your online order here).
I ordered a large “Butcher Block” pizza, a large spinach salad with raspberry vinaigrette, and an order of cheese sticks, with pizza dipping sauce. The Butcher Block toppings include Mozzarella, Salami, Pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, Italian Sausage. The cheese sticks, like most places, is pizza dough with cheese, sliced lengthwise.
The total was about $30. The arrival time, noted in a confirmation email, was about 45 minutes out. The driver arrived earlier than the appointed time, and was courtesy, and the order was complete.
The pizza crust was a little thicker than my preference, but very good, nonetheless. The edges were bubbled crispy, and the middle was chewy. The crust had a buttery flavor. The meat toppings were of higher than expected quality, with a special note about the Italian sausage, which actually WAS Italian sausage, and not something like “Sysco Meat Crumbles #3). The pepperoni and salamis were grand, and the Canadian bacon very thin sliced. The sauce on the pizza itself was fine, rather non-descript, but the pizza sauce that came with the cheese sticks was firm, tomato-y and flavorful. I couldn’t tell it it and the sauce on the pizza were the same.
The topping ingredients were atop the cheese, so with slices having a nominal amount of “hang”, an occasional meat slice ended up in my lap. Minimal, tho. They were more than generous with the quantity of meat toppings.
The salad ingredients were crisp and fresh. I especially like the cherry tomatoes. (May have been grape tomatoes, they looked like tiny Romas). The kitchen had followed my orders exactly as to what salad ingredients to leave out, and the dressing was on the side in a plastic cup.
The cheese stick crust was considerably thinner than the pizza crust, and awash with a very strong garlic flavor, with was fine with Mrs. BDB and I. I might challenge them next time to make my pizza (yes, there will be a next time) with the cheese stick crust.
My personal ultimate pizza test is how good a slice is after sitting in the box on the counter overnight, and Bellagios passed that test with flying colors. Munching one now at 5AM, it is more than fine.
Bellagios offers a gluten-free crust option, made with rice flour, that might be interesting and should be very crisp, at least other fried rice flour products I have consumed locally have been. The gluten-free pies only come in 10″, must have something to do with the dough’s stretchability.
Bellagios menu is online here. In addition to pizza, cheese sticks, and salads, they offer calzones, and grinders (subs).
My only complaint folks is no green olives on the menu! Other than that, it’s a damned fine pie, folks. You’re my new standard for home delivery!
