PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An upcoming book is set to name Portland as the best city for pizza in the country.
Modernist Pizza, written by Nathan Myhrvold and Francisco Migoya, will be released in October. BloombergQuint first reported on the news.
According to BloombergQuint, the authors mention Apizza Scholls and Ken’s Artisan Pizza among other local spots, such as Scottie’s Pizza Parlor on Southeast Division.
“We’re absolutely setting the bar for the best pizza in Portland, if not the Northwest getting mentioned as far as best pizza in the country,” said Scott Rivera, who owns Scottie’s. “So, totally wild and kind of unreal.”
Rivera says the mention is an honor after living in Brooklyn, N.Y., a place well-known for its pizza scene, 10 years ago. After moving around for a couple of years, he settled in Portland and opened his pizzeria in 2015. He says Portland is an active pizza scene and ready to compete with bigger cities nationwide.
What sets his pizza apart?
The restaurant owner credits wild yeast culture for a unique flavor along with a special baking method – baking their pizzas twice.
“One of these decks is running at a high temperature – 720 degrees… but that high temperature doesn’t make such a crispy pizza. So, we kind of figured out that pulling that pizza out, giving it a minute to rest and then putting it back in the oven at a lower temperature, helps kind of solidify this crispy bottom on the crust,” explained Rivera.
Red Sauce Pizza on Northeast Fremont in Portland was also highlighted by the authors.
When asked what sets their pizza apart, owner Shardell Dues said, “We use really great flour, which is important and paying attention to how the dough reacts every day. We keep a dough log, and we’re just really in tune with what we’re doing.”
Despite the honorable mention, Dues added that she believes the best pizza is still in New York. The pizzeria owner says most restaurants mimic the pizza style out of the East Coast state.
Myhrvold and Migoya visited over 250 pizzerias and traveled 100,000 miles tasting pizzas across the country. The book will include 3 volumes and a recipe manual.