Review: 'Zza Pizza + Salad - Bee Cave (Austin), TX

What's your Holy Grail of Pizza? A trip to New York City to eat legendary pizza at Lombardi's or Totonno's or Patsy's in East Harlem? Perhaps it's authentic Trenton tomato pie at the oldest continuing pizza operation in America, Papa's Tomato Pies. 

"Il Greco" slice from 'Zza

Maybe you want Neapolitan from the star-powered pizzerias that launched legit Naples-style in America, Mozza in Los Angeles or Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix. No shame in seeking out deep-dish from the deep bench of pizzaioli in Chicago, like Louisa's or Pizzeria Due.

'Zza Pizza + Salad, Bee Cave TX

For me, I had two pizza styles to chase down. One was Detroit style, and though I still haven't been to iconic Buddy's in Detroit, I've had superb Detroit style. It's hard to beat the Detroit squares made at Norma's Pizza in rural Mannheim PA, open only on Tuesdays, and I now live close to Austin's Via 313, and their squares are flawless.

Order at the counter - 'Zza Pizza + Salad

My white whale, though, remains St. Louis style pizza. Haven't been to St. Louis in 20 years, and have no relatives or conference locations there. But my curiosity was raging about this peculiar pizza.

The "STL Summer" pizza

What makes St. Louis style unique? Kenji Alt-Lopez, who knows food better than anyone, says that it's not so much pizza as "a big, pizza-flavored nacho." Provel cheese (which is a blend of processed cheeses including cheddar, Swiss, and provolone), oregano-heavy sauce, and a thin, crackery, unleavened crust cut party style into small squares. Many call it an "acquired taste."

The "Il Greco" pizza

Well, if the mountain will not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain. In this case, St. Louis pizza has come to the Austin Suburbs in the form of 'Zza Pizza + Salad. When I first learned of the imminent arrival of 'Zza, I confused it with Zaza Salad & Pizza of Arkansas, an upscale fast-casual pizza place. But Zaza still has only two Arkansas locations.

'Zza looks very much like a Blaze or Mod or &Pizza type of fast casual chain, but there are only two locations: the original in St. Louis, and the brand new outpost in Bee Cave, TX. I visited on a weeknight to get a couple of pizzas to go, and there was quite a bit of activity both in takeout and families dining in.

A slice of  "STL Summer"

The menu is simple: nine kinds of creative " 'zzalad" offerings, ten specialty "pi'zza" choices, and opportunity create your own pizza or salad. 

I was here, of course, for the St. Louis pizza, so one of my selections was the STL Summer pie ($9) with provel, onion, jalapeno, spicy sausage, and parsley. For the other pizza I chose a white pie Il Greco ($9) with mozzarella, zucchini, sun gold and kumato tomatoes, feta, 'zza-tar, basil, and olive oil.

Underside of crust, cooked on perforated pan

Each pizza looks like a miniature Roman style, elongated ovals, cut into squarish slices. Ian Froeb, food critic at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, says this is "the first fast-casual pizzeria where the crust is more than a ballast for your toppings." While the crust is very thin and shares that characteristic with St. Louis style, it's not crackerlike. It is a dense and chewy flatbread with a crisp exterior. Quite delicious, even if not quite pizza crust.

The STL Summer pie was delightful. I was really stoked about finally trying provel cheese, but it was a subtle ingredient. This processed cheese has extra fat and water added to it to enhance its melting quality (like Velveeta or, as Kenji notes, the creamy glop that comes with nachos). It had a remotely smoky quality, but in general it blended nicely with the herb-y tomato sauce.

Close look at the Il Greco

The white onion and the jalapeno slices added a mild kick, but the wow factor came from the sausage. Plenty of legit pizzerias add pre-cooked sausage in slices, pellets, or crumbles, so it was a special delight to find big chunks of real sausage here. The spicy sausage, the smoky cheese, and herbal sauce played together nicely, riding on that dense, chewy, cornmeal-coated crust. 

The Il Greco pie hit all the same highs. Delicious chewy flatbread, and impeccably balanced toppings. I often avoid "veggie" pizzas because the toppings tend to be bland and they add unwanted moisture. But here, I could not resist the mix of two superb tomatoes - the kumato hybrid and the sun gold cherry. 

Zucchini could have been ruinous, but it all came together, sublimely seasoned with the " 'zzatar" spice that I suppose mimics Lebanese zaatar with thyme, oregano, marjoram, toasted sesame seeds, and salt. It was an ideal combo of flavors and textures. 

Photo from https://www.zza-pizza.com/photos

Every pizza here is $9 or $10; other adventurous varieties include the Big Island Musubi with glazed pineapple and Spam and the Thai Dye with sweet-chili chicken, peanut, and cilantro. Salads range from $9 to $11 with familiar offerings like Cobb or Cesar, and exotic choices like a poke bowl or the 'Zza'lafel with felafel and Greek yogurt dressing.

 It is pizza? It is flatbread? Is it pizza-flavored nachos? Whatever you call it, it is scrumptious, and easily the best "fast casual" pizza I've had, edging out &Pizza for that distinction. I now have *four* highly worthy pizza joints within ten minutes of my home. Spicewood and Bee Cave are the new Brooklyn and Queens.