“There’s no place like home,” Dorothy famously said in The Wizard of Oz. But Melissa Maggiore Meyer makes a pretty close second at Patricia’s Pizza in north Scottsdale.
Is it the brick oven facing the dining room? The wide-open kitchen that embraces the room? The portraits of family? The abiding atmosphere is one of homey warmth and welcoming.
And it is tribute to her parents’ first restaurant, opened in a small town outside New York City on a wing and a prayer but little in the way of experience, which they fondly recalled as “the best time of our lives” and that became treasured family lore.
Whereas Meyer’s first Valley restaurant, The Italian Daughter, was homage to her father, the late esteemed restaurateur Tomaso Maggiore, Patricia’s Pizza is homage to her mother. In fact, the square, New York Sicilian-style pizzas are also referred to as “Grandma Pies.” Their thick crust, similar in texture to focaccia, makes an excellent bed for a variety of toppings, including the alternating stripes of mozzarella and pesto and tomato sauces on the Italian Flag pizza and the mounds of sausage, pepperoni, black olives and red onions piled on the Meat Lovers pizza.
The thin crust is special in its own right, finished with crisply charred edges. One standout is the Yellow Smoked Margherita, with its visually remarkable yellow tomato sauce — fully as flavorful as a red tomato sauce but tempered in its sharpness.
The menu offers up tempting options at every turn. The Arancini — Sicilian rice balls — are very light and crispy and are served with San Marzano tomato sauce for dipping. The Calabrian glaze — sweet but with an unexpected heat — can be enjoyed on chicken wings or shrimp for an appetizer and holds a place as a popular favorite. And, of course, dessert includes tiramisu and Italian cannoli — but also brings forward a lemon torte, Torta Della Nonna, with vanilla and lemon custard filling a shortcrust pastry and topped with sliced almonds, pine nuts and powdered sugar.
Seating includes an indoor-outdoor bar and a covered patio. And Meyer can accommodate off-site events with her portable pizza ovens.
Patricia’s Pizza
32607 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale
(480) 454-7290
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Italian Flag Pizza San Marzano tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, pesto sauce |
Caesar Salad Baby romaine, classic Caesar dressing, pistachios, shaved parmigiano |
Sweet Calabrian Glazed Shrimp Served with blue cheese aioli for dipping; San Marzano tomato sauce available on request |
Did You Know: Restaurateur Melissa Maggiore Meyer honors her family lore and tradition in describing her restaurant as offering “magic and pizza.”
