With apologies to the beloved breakfast burrito, pizza is quickly becoming the preferred delivery system for a.m.-friendly fare at the Valley’s top breakfast and brunch hot spots.
by Marilyn Hawkes | Photo by Angelina Aragon
Scramble (three Valley locations, azscramble.com) offers four 12-inch brizzas ($16, pictured), all featuring crispy hand-tossed crust, scrambled eggs and creamy hollandaise sauce, but with different toppings: the AZ Sunrise (loaded with turkey bacon, fresh spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, then crowned by thin slices of buttery avocado), the Gouda (covered with smoked Gouda and applewood-smoked bacon), the Chicago (local M.A.D. Sausage with hash browns and two kinds of cheese) and the Toluca (lit up with chorizo, bell peppers and jalapeño cream cheese). Scramble executive chef and general manager Brittany Apodaca recommends brizza to customers looking for something new and fun to try for breakfast. “It’s the best of both worlds – pizza for breakfast,” she says.
The origins of breakfast pizza are murky, but many pizza afficionados point to Casey’s General Stores, a Midwest convenience store chain that began making the savory morning pies in 2001. The Original Arcadia Tavern (3950 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, 602-314-6221, arcadiatavernaz.com) recently introduced a 12-inch breakfast pizza ($16.95) on its weekend brunch menu and it’s been a huge hit, according to Square One Concepts COO Tracy Frazier. The Tavern’s gluten-free and vegetarian version is perched on a surprisingly tasty cauliflower crust blanketed with a combo of melted provolone and mozzarella cheeses, chunks of golden breakfast potatoes, fluffy scrambled eggs and a shower of snappy tomatillo salsa. Need a shot of protein? Add bacon or sausage for $2.
Over in Scottsdale, Pitch Pizzeria (two Valley locations, pitchpizzeria.com) puts out a pair of head-turning breakfast pizzas ($25) during weekend brunch hours. Created by executive chef Manny Cariño, the Good Morning Pie is festooned with garlic-perfumed fennel sausage, thin rounds of pepperoni, tangy San Marzano tomato sauce, bits of potato and fresh mozzarella topped with perfectly scrambled eggs and scratch hollandaise sauce. Meanwhile, the Bacon Me Crazy sports crispy bacon, melty mozzarella, peppery hash browns and cloud-like scrambled eggs with a shot of lush chorizo gravy and a drizzle of cherry pepper aioli. Both coal-fired pizzas are robust affairs meant to be shared, but you can also order them by the slice ($8). Deviously, Cariño occasionally offers a special breakfast pizza topped with caramelized apples and streusel. Pizza-breakfast love connection, completed.
