Pane Bianco and Pizzeria Bianco
Posted by Tazmine Loomans & Ashley Luten on Friday, May 29, 2009
Under: Phoenix Restaurant Reviews
Chris Bianco's restaurants Pane Bianco and Pizzeria Bianco are well known establishments in Phoenix and beyond. We took a critical look at the restaurants independently and discussed the sustainability aspects of both with Chef Bianco.
the food
The food, as many of you already know is fantastic. Much of that is due to using great ingredients. We noticed that many of the items on the Pane Bianco menu are organic. But organic is not a focus at Pizzeria Bianco. Although eating at both restaurants is a real treat, you don't have to feel guilty about it because the menu is generally healthy and has good nutritional value. Chris Bianco's philosophy on food is grounded in strong relationships with local food producers. He uses few ingredients, but has an intimate relationship with each one and intentionally keeps his menu small so he can manage it in a sustainable way.
Pane Bianco serves a small menu of salads and sandwiches. The sandwiches are made with homemade bread baked fresh daily that has an earthy taste and texture which allows the sandwich ingredients to take center stage. Taz's favorite sandwich is the Tuna with Red Onion, Gaeta Olives, Lemon & Arugula which boasts a light but magnificent tuna salad.
Pizzeria Bianco, which was voted the best pizza in the country and in the world by several acclaimed critics, maintains a simple menu of pizzas with traditional and unique ingredients. Ashley's favorite pizza is the Margerita. Unlike the sandwiches at Pane Bianco, at the pizzeria the crust rules and the simple Margerita ingredients of marinara sauce, fresh mozzerella and basil take a backstage role but add the perfect amount of flavor and texture.
Chef Bianco makes a real effort to use local ingredients thereby reducing the energy it takes to produce and transport food. However, we have noticed many imported items at the restaurants that no doubt have a large carbon footprint. But, this is offset by his supply chain practices where food is delivered, prepared, sold and eaten daily so there is not a lot of energy expended storing food nor is there much waste.
the location
Both Pizzeria and Pane Bianco are located in the urban core of Phoenix, adjacent to light rail stops. Both are bicycle friendly and close by to working and residential areas of town.
the dining experience
At Pane the dining experience is purposefully rustic. You order your food in a small interior shop and promptly go out to eat your food at the picnic tables outside, which are mercifully shaded. At the Pizzeria, you end up soaking the sun and the views when you wait for your table, which usually is a 3 or 4 hour saga. Once you get in the Pizzeria, it's probably dark out and you're so grateful to be seated and are anticipating the great food that views become a non-issue. With that said, the atmosphere at both restaurants is very casual and social, a great place to meet the local community.
the building and operations
From our discussions with Chef Bianco, green power or other alternative energy are not part of current operations. But the daylight and partial natural ventilation are important features. The small size of Pane Bianco with the outdoor seating contributes significantly to the energy efficiency of the place. Both restaurants have taken advantage of existing buildings and contain many locally harvested and recycled materials. The packaging at Pane Bianco is probably our biggest grievance. We noted that the packaging is the same whether you eat at the restaurant or get it to go. The items come in a brown bag, wrapped in paper and your drink is usually in a glass bottle. A new packaging strategy is currently in the works and we're looking forward to seeing how it reduces the materials and waste.
Chef Bianco's overarching food waste management plan is to serve really really awesome food so that there's nothing left at the end of the day. With that said, recycling and re-use of left over bread and fresh mozzarella is widely practiced with great results. Also, there are recycling bins at the Pane Bianco location and a special one for the glass bottles.
We didn't see any progressive water management strategies in place, but we suggest that Chef Bianco look into some water-saving technologies and equipment and also train his staff to save water.
the community
Chris Bianco and his restaurants Pizzeria Bianco and Pane Bianco have become staples in the Phoenix community and are champions of the local food movement. The restaurants are assets to the community that have put Phoenix on the national culinary map.
affordability
We feel that the cost of both restaurants is reasonable but Pizzeria Bianco is a much better value, offering world acclaimed pizza and a guaranteed evening out of entertainment at a fair price. Pane Bianco has a little ways to go in the affordability category, but is still a great dining experience.
Both Pane Bianco and Pizzeria Bianco get a rating of Green. Please see our rating system for more information. Considering Chef Bianco's restaurants are not necessarily geared towards being green, he did pretty darn well just based on best practices and his participation in the local food movement.
Coming up next:
The interview with Chris Bianco
An interview with the Sustainability Director of Aramark Food Service on ASU's campus.
A review of Bruce Brown's Catering.
the food
The food, as many of you already know is fantastic. Much of that is due to using great ingredients. We noticed that many of the items on the Pane Bianco menu are organic. But organic is not a focus at Pizzeria Bianco. Although eating at both restaurants is a real treat, you don't have to feel guilty about it because the menu is generally healthy and has good nutritional value. Chris Bianco's philosophy on food is grounded in strong relationships with local food producers. He uses few ingredients, but has an intimate relationship with each one and intentionally keeps his menu small so he can manage it in a sustainable way.
Pane Bianco serves a small menu of salads and sandwiches. The sandwiches are made with homemade bread baked fresh daily that has an earthy taste and texture which allows the sandwich ingredients to take center stage. Taz's favorite sandwich is the Tuna with Red Onion, Gaeta Olives, Lemon & Arugula which boasts a light but magnificent tuna salad.
Pizzeria Bianco, which was voted the best pizza in the country and in the world by several acclaimed critics, maintains a simple menu of pizzas with traditional and unique ingredients. Ashley's favorite pizza is the Margerita. Unlike the sandwiches at Pane Bianco, at the pizzeria the crust rules and the simple Margerita ingredients of marinara sauce, fresh mozzerella and basil take a backstage role but add the perfect amount of flavor and texture.
Chef Bianco makes a real effort to use local ingredients thereby reducing the energy it takes to produce and transport food. However, we have noticed many imported items at the restaurants that no doubt have a large carbon footprint. But, this is offset by his supply chain practices where food is delivered, prepared, sold and eaten daily so there is not a lot of energy expended storing food nor is there much waste.
the location
Both Pizzeria and Pane Bianco are located in the urban core of Phoenix, adjacent to light rail stops. Both are bicycle friendly and close by to working and residential areas of town.
the dining experience
At Pane the dining experience is purposefully rustic. You order your food in a small interior shop and promptly go out to eat your food at the picnic tables outside, which are mercifully shaded. At the Pizzeria, you end up soaking the sun and the views when you wait for your table, which usually is a 3 or 4 hour saga. Once you get in the Pizzeria, it's probably dark out and you're so grateful to be seated and are anticipating the great food that views become a non-issue. With that said, the atmosphere at both restaurants is very casual and social, a great place to meet the local community.
the building and operations
From our discussions with Chef Bianco, green power or other alternative energy are not part of current operations. But the daylight and partial natural ventilation are important features. The small size of Pane Bianco with the outdoor seating contributes significantly to the energy efficiency of the place. Both restaurants have taken advantage of existing buildings and contain many locally harvested and recycled materials. The packaging at Pane Bianco is probably our biggest grievance. We noted that the packaging is the same whether you eat at the restaurant or get it to go. The items come in a brown bag, wrapped in paper and your drink is usually in a glass bottle. A new packaging strategy is currently in the works and we're looking forward to seeing how it reduces the materials and waste.
Chef Bianco's overarching food waste management plan is to serve really really awesome food so that there's nothing left at the end of the day. With that said, recycling and re-use of left over bread and fresh mozzarella is widely practiced with great results. Also, there are recycling bins at the Pane Bianco location and a special one for the glass bottles.
We didn't see any progressive water management strategies in place, but we suggest that Chef Bianco look into some water-saving technologies and equipment and also train his staff to save water.
the community
Chris Bianco and his restaurants Pizzeria Bianco and Pane Bianco have become staples in the Phoenix community and are champions of the local food movement. The restaurants are assets to the community that have put Phoenix on the national culinary map.
affordability
We feel that the cost of both restaurants is reasonable but Pizzeria Bianco is a much better value, offering world acclaimed pizza and a guaranteed evening out of entertainment at a fair price. Pane Bianco has a little ways to go in the affordability category, but is still a great dining experience.
Both Pane Bianco and Pizzeria Bianco get a rating of Green. Please see our rating system for more information. Considering Chef Bianco's restaurants are not necessarily geared towards being green, he did pretty darn well just based on best practices and his participation in the local food movement.
Coming up next:
The interview with Chris Bianco
An interview with the Sustainability Director of Aramark Food Service on ASU's campus.
A review of Bruce Brown's Catering.
In : Phoenix Restaurant Reviews
Tags: "pane bianco" "pizzeria bianco" "central phoenix" "pizza" "cenpho"
