Last month my dad and I were in the Norcross area and started to get hungry. Somehow, my dad always knows where to find the best pizza place within a ten mile radius, no matter where he is. He can sniff them out with fantastic instinct, and he’s never given me a bad pizza recommendation. The place he decided we must go for lunch that day was Paizano’s, a quaint Italian bistro on the square in Downtown Norcross. He had gone here with my mom years ago, and it didn’t take much to convince me it was worth the stop. The part that really hooked me was his description of this appetizer that we ordered immediately when we sat down. If you ever find yourself at Paizano’s, I highly recommend you try the Gorgonzola Chips.
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Imagine a huge pile of homemade potato chips, kettle-cooked style. First, they’re smothered in mozzarella cheese until they’re essentially Italian nachos. Then, on top of that the chips are covered in salty, tangy Gorgonzola cheese. It doesn’t stop there, though. The chips come with a side of house marinara sauce that is to die for, and also a horseradish one that my dad was a fan of. These were definitely a unique appetizer; the perfect palate pleaser before our lunch came out.
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Looking over the menu, I had a hard time trying to decide what I wanted to eat. Paizano’s has a pretty extensive menu for a smaller place. Their pastas all sounded fantastic, and they also make salads, wraps, burgers, and entrees. My dad and I decided to split a pizza for the main course. After much debate on which of their tasty varieties we were going to try, we went with the Margherita. This is one of my favorite kinds of pizza, it’s always so fresh and the flavors blend perfectly together. This version was an authentic Neapolitan pie made with marinara, garlic, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and Roma tomatoes.
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Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this place to have anything more than pretty good pizza. The first bite stopped me in my tracks. I’m not a fan of a thin crust, I like the fluffiness of a pan style. Usually this means the bottom is soft and can be kind of chewy. The crust that Paizano’s makes is something entirely different. It’s light, fluffy and airy on the top, but the bottom is toasty and crispy. It crackled as I sunk my teeth in, leaving the perfect bite mark. the cheese and toppings didn’t weigh down the airy dough making up the middle of the slice. It was the best first bite of pizza I've ever had.
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Freshly shredded Basil covered the pizza, everything was so flavorful. The sliced tomatoes were the best part, they added this juicy component to every bite, and made the Basil really come through. The only addition I’d recommend is a balsamic reduction drizzled over the top, but that’s just because I’m a Caprese fanatic. Seriously, this experience changed my perspective on what good pizza crust is. I haven’t had anything like it anywhere else. I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other yummy sounding topping combinations on the menu.
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We had a great lunch! I love spending time with my dad, and he’s one of the few people I can trust to recommend a restaurant without me having to double check the menu to see if I’ll like it. It was a fun little outing while we were in the area! I would definitely come back to Paizano’s. It looked like they did some fun events, too. It reminded me of how Downtown Roswell, and the area seems to be growing and adding more places to shop.
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The restaurants in the area will all plan drink and food specials on the third Thursday of every month for an event they call Tastes of Downtown Norcross. I imagine it’d be a fun crowd! I might have to check it out sometime. If I do, you’ll definitely be hearing about it. Check back soon to see what else I’ve been up to!
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