Another Innovative Pizza Parlor Arrives

Apr 17, 1992

John Hinterberger

XX Pazzo's, 2307 Eastlake Ave. E. Pizza, Calzone. Lunch and dinner ($5 to $15) 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Full bar. Major credit cards. Nonsmoking area. Reservations; takeout: 329-6558. --------------------------------------------------------------- History did not treat kindly the three entrepreneurs that started Pazzo's.

"It was just about 18 months ago," John Gunnar said. "The three of us, all former employees of Cucina! Cucina!, decided to start out on our own. As soon as we got the doors open, the Persian Gulf War started and nobody left their television sets for weeks. But we stuck with it."

The idea, he went on, was simple. Cucina! Cucina! was mobbed! mobbed! night after night - and many of its younger patrons ate pizza. Why couldn't they find a bar someplace and do likewise?

Gunnar, Tim Young and Frank Maher found the old, run-down and somewhat beat up J.C. Fox & Sons tavern, a pool and beer joint of tolerable seediness, fashionable to some who wore black leathers and skull-cap bandanas.

The trio tossed out the pool tables, retained a gorgeous solid oak cooler (with "SALOON" emblazoned on a hefty brass plate), installed a pizza oven and waited for the war to end.

Gunnar had been an assistant general manager at C! C!, Young and Maher bartenders. Eventually, they found their stride, polished their baking skills and a clientele found them. Possibly the most impressive sign of Pazzo's level of achievement was the occupational makeup of some of its steady customers.

One night last week when I wandered in, the first three customers seated at the north end of the polished maple bar were off-duty restaurant workers - two from Cafe Sport and one from Cucina! Cucina! All were eating pizzas and nibbling salads, winding down, sipping beer, watching basketball.

There's a lot of pizza to sample: 11 elaborations on the regular menu, three more on the "summer" Fresca menu, and six calzones (the pizza popovers becoming increasingly popular).

"It was funny about the calzones," Gunnar said. "When we started, we figured we would sell about 10 percent calzones to 90 percent pizzas. But now we sell 60 percent calzones."

I am not a calzone fan. If God had intended for goodness to be well-rounded, why did he make the Earth so obviously - like a pizza - flat?

These are not typical pizzas, although they are assuredly flat. Many sport Italian place names - Bari, Salerno, San Marino, the Vatican (!) - and some are more personality-driven - the Sinatra, the Caruso, the Sophia.

My dining companion is not impressed with nomenclatural verve.

"Pizazz," she observed.

"No, pizzas," I corrected.

"Pizazz. Why do people have to take an earthy basic food and turn it into pizazz?" She ruminated. "I hate pizazz."

I do, too. But I liked the pizzas. I have a standard test for a fresh-from-the-oven pizza: How long are you willing to wait until you are compelled to take the first imprudent bite from a dangerously hot, oil-bubbling pie?

In this case, not long enough. I rated the Pazzo Pollo ($7.25 for a 10-inch pie; $14.95 for a 16-inch) two serious blisters.

Pazzo means crazy in Italian. Pollo, of course, is chicken - in this instance, chunks of boneless, marinated breast meat overlaid with mild red onions, black olives, fresh oregano and smoked provolone. (Note: Melted provolone delivers a much more clinging lip burn than mozzarella.) The crazy chicken pizza was excellent and almost worth the injury, which has almost completely healed.

Perhaps even better was the Prato ($7.50 and $14.95), a fresh basil pesto pie with marinated artichoke hearts and tomato slices topped with three cheeses: mozzarella, feta and Parmesan. One complaint (and it may have been due to a too generous application of the feta): The otherwise excellent pizza was a touch salty.

The Palermo usually comes with a mix of Italian sausage and a twice-roasted pepperoni, cheese and black olives ($7.25 and $14.50), but they will hold the pepperoni (which I contend should never be used as a pizza topping, unless you really adore bad burps) and double the sausage. It was quite successful.

Some creations are overinspired and underrestrained: The Bari ($7.95) mixes marinated chicken with a Dijon mustard sauce and pepperoncini, feta and fontina cheeses (a royal start) and crowns it all, unnecessarily, with pineapple.

The concept of the Milano was better than its execution. A lightly seasoned whole wheat crust is kissed with olive oil and whole, fresh basil leaves. Slices of marinated eggplant cover that, and gorgonzola and mozzarella cheeses ooze over the top. A terrific pie, but the crust was underbaked and doughy.

"Brutus killed for this recipe," the menu proclaims of its Caesar Salad. It's no killer, but quite good. Try it tossed with the cubes of marinated chicken ($5.95).

They make the Three Berry Cobbler ($3.75) on the premises, which is good; they top it with Breyer's vanilla, which is better; then they microwave it - which saddens the heart and soddens the cobbler. Get it cold, or oven-warmed.

Pazzo's - it's a likable, affordable spot and yet another innovative addition to the youngish Eastlake dining scene.