Why, hello! Yes, it's me! And yes, I'm still blogging! I have been away from umommy for sometime thanks to a busy work schedule (like 14-hour a day work days). I'm hoping work will slow down to a normal pace as I've missed this little corner of my world.

And speaking of corners of the world, the other reason I've been absent is that I've just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe with one of my best friends. Just the two of us. No kids. It was heaven.  Eight days of exploring and eating our way through Paris and Cinque Terra, Italy. I'm still pinching myself wondering if it was all a dream.

Rather than go through the mundane travel details, I thought I'd share the culinary highlights of our trip.  It was eye candy on every corner (I gave my DSLR and iPhone camera a good workout). Particularly when we stumbled on the markets on rue Montorgueil in the 2nd. So without further adieu (I'm so french!), here are some of my favorite food moments during our first part of our trip: Paris

Paninis on almost every street corner

Fell in love with storefronts and signs, including this boulangerie

All the produce looked like this on Sunday

 

Fromage of course!

Passed on escargot, but you gotta love this restaurant sign

Chocolate eclair from world-famous Stohrer

Duck confit, foie gras, and more

 

Had one of our best meals at a tiny food stall in Le Marche des Enfants Rouges, the oldest covered market in Paris.

Just love how everything is displayed with care and flair

Cafe au lait has changed the way I look at coffee

Rain gave us a perfect excuse to tuck into a cafe and sip delicious wine

New York is known for their pizza. Chicago is famous for their deep-dish style. And Phoenix? Best pizza in the entire U.S. of A? According to Bon Appetit, The New York Times, Gourmet, Mario Batali and Oprah just to name a humble few, the answer is yes. So I had to find out for myself on a recent trip to Phoenix.

Chris Bianco, owner of Pizzeria Bianco has been serving up his critically-acclaimed pie since 1996. Located in Heritage Square, Pizzeria Bianco is nestled next to family-friendly spots such as the Arizona Science Center, Arizona Doll and Toy Museum and the Phoenix Family Museum. With only a handful of tables, I've read that wait-times can be ridiculous (like four hours!). Thankfully we arrived right after the lunch rush so did not have to wait to be seated.

The exposed brick and dark wood give the restaurant a cozy, casual but sophisticated vibe (read: not your hole-in-the-wall-mom-and-pop joint). I sat facing the brick oven tucked in the corner, watching staff stretch, toss and shuffle pizzas in and out of the oven. The smells were heavenly.


Our server was very friendly and promptly brought us drinks and answered all of our questions. Pizzeria Bianco's menu is small - which I welcomed as I'm terrible at making up my mind when it comes to eating out. The menu consisted of two small plates (apps), three salads, six pizzas and a handful of extras. We ended up ordering local organic greens with red wine vinaigrette, the Margherita (tomato sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil) and Wiseguy (wood roasted onion, house smoked mozzarella and fennel sausage).


The salad was perfectly dressed and the greens were crisp and fresh. It was a pretty simple salad... maybe too simple if it were not for the yummiest olives I have ever eaten.


The Wiseguy is a white pizza. I'm usually not a fan of white pizzas, but this pie has made me a convert. Everything was cooked to perfection and there was not one topping that overpowered another.

My only complaint: it can be pricey. It only comes in one size - personal sized which is about six small slices. The price: $12-$16 for one pizza. My sister ordered anchovies on the side ($5). We got charged an extra dollar for having it on the side instead of a topping (a fair price in my book to keep those things off my plate). I guess with pizza aficionados coming from all corners of the country and proclaiming it to be the best pizza, you can charge whatever you like.

I do not claim to be one of those pizza aficionados, so really not in position to categorically proclaim it to be the best pizza in the country. I will say it was definitely the best pizza I've had so far. Or as my son put it, it was "too good."