5 out of 5 Stars
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie. That’s amore.” Or that’s White Pie pizza, which, if you ask me, is synonymous with love.
The chic Denver-based pizzeria opened in the downtown area just last month, and it is a contender for my new favorite pizza joint in Colorado Springs (coming in second to Fat Sully’s).
I went to White Pie with my husband last Tuesday night. The heavenly aroma of garlic and the sight of patio lights drew us in. We were immediately greeted by friendly staff, and we managed to snag an outdoor table.
We ordered a “House Puff,” a rosemary garlic bread, to share. As the name suggests, it was served hot and puffy. I only burned my fingers a little, hastily tearing off pieces and popping them into my mouth. The momentary pain was worth a whole meal’s worth of pleasure.
For our main course, we ordered a Sicilian pie called the Buffalo Bird, which is exclusive to the Springs location. It was a toss-up for me between the Buffalo Bird and the namesake pizza, White Pie, but the Bird won out.
Topped with mozzarella, sriracha buffalo, chicken tenders, pickled jalapenos, red onion, buttermilk ranch and parsley, the Buffalo Bird was just the right amount of savor and spice.
Priced at $18, this dish was large enough to share without it being an extravagant expense. Our stomachs and wallets were happy in the end.
To finish off our meal, we ordered cannoli. These cannoli were an experience in and of itself. It was a perfect concoction of vanilla whipped ricotta, chocolate chips, lemon zest and a chocolate and pepita shell.
I am not Italian so I cannot validate the cannoli’s authenticity. However, I can speak to its overall score on the taste test: it did phenomenally well. This is no surprise as the whole meal did, really.
White Pie’s asymmetrical and crispy “pies” were inspired by New Haven, Connecticut-style pizzerias. All their Sicilian pies are made with a sourdough starter and cold fermented for 48 hours, according to their website.
The White Pie pizza is the restaurant’s best-reviewed pie. The locally renowned pie is topped with crème fraiche, mozzarella, garlic oil, crimini, bacon, sunny egg and pecorino. Do eggs belong on pizza? This dilemma puts the pineapple on pizza argument to shame.
White Pie also has a special brunch menu for earlier guests. This menu includes brunch pies like the B.E.C. (bacon, egg and cheese) and Good Morning Paulie (mashed potato, sausage, sunny egg, walnuts and parsley).
This time being a school night, I did not order a cocktail, but next time I go, I am going to try one of their classic drinks. I am leaning toward the Raspberry Rose, but my heart might take me in another direction (i.e., house red wine).
White Pie offers happy hour from 3-6 p.m. every day and weekend brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
White Pie is located at 330 S Nevada Ave.
