#Amuse 3 @blacksheeppizza bst pies n town. Thin smoky grt ingred’s. Chp sld & #5 pizza=meaty perfect’n. Grt veg stuff 2 goo.gl/RRxvr
— Josh Page (@ILikeFoodJP) October 29, 2012
I love pizza, and I really love really good pizza. So it should come as no surprise that I adore Black Sheep. Nowhere I’ve been in the Twin Cities has better pies—and that includes Lola, Pizza Nea, Galactic, Luce, and Punch (I hear Element is good, but I haven’t tried it). With just the right amount of smoky flavor from the coal-burning oven, the crust is first-rate: thin but sturdy enough not to collapse under the weight of sauce and toppings. The sauce is pleasantly simple, bringing out the bright flavor of properly stewed tomatoes and making the “cheese and sauce” and “tomato and oregano” pies minimalist perfection. The more adventurous offerings combine quality ingredients that meld amazingly. Look no further than #5: fennel sausage, hot salami, thinly sliced white onion, and cracked green olives. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Paired with a chop or market salad and a 1919 Root Beer (or a stronger brew), Black Sheep’s pizza brings the love.
From the Eater Crew
Letta, my meatless mate, says: Veggies! Always ask what the market salad is—always. More often than not, it’s incredibly creative and deceptively simple. Recent iteration: roasted fingerling potatoes and asparagus with feta in a bright tarragon dressing. They don’t premake it, so they can leave meat out as needed. Go early and enjoy a big booth, quick service, and the ever-awesome playlist (I’ve heard everything from Fugazi to Belle and Sebastian in my many visits).
Theme Song
Wilco, “I’m Always in Love”
So I’m an olive hater, this is a real question: what the hell is a cracked olive?
It’s an olive that is cracked or slit so the marinade gets into the flesh faster and deeper. Wow, upon second reading, that sounds a bit perverse.
Love it! I’m a fan of #5 too but we usually get 2-3 pies so I’ve tried them all. When we have relatives come to town, they always ask when we are going to Black Sheep.
I agree – Black Sheep tops my list of best pizza restaurants in the Twin Cities….boy, it’s been a while, I need to get back there.
Josh, I totally agree. Black Sheep is by far the best Pizza in the Cities especially the “cheese and sauce,” with a salad on the side. The mushroom and rosemary is pretty great.
Element is worth trying, but not in the same class as Black Sheep.
Thanks for the tip on Element, C. I know lots of folks think Lola is the best, but I’m not one of them (though it’s quite good).
It’s a good place to take kids, too, because of the high-backed booths and the stash of children’s books behind the counter.
Thanks, Bearing. That’s a great point. Now that I think of it, there are always a few kids in Black Sheep when I’m there–and they seem to enjoy it as much as the adults.
Side note: I’ve also used Black Sheep as a great spot for a businessy type happy hour meeting; I don’t drink, but that doesn’t feel out of place at Black Sheep (and others can have a tap beer or wine), it’s not crowded in the earlier hours, and two or three can share a pizza as an “appetizer” for wherever they need to go next. It’s very handy for my clients in the Warehouse district to just pop over after the day’s business is done.
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I was in Portland and for the first time had a neop. pizza with the optional $2 huge mound of fresh arugula on top. What a revelation!
I am trying Lola tonite, first time, because they have that option. I don’t see it at Black Sheep — though we like their pizza.
Joe and Cath, thanks for the comment. I hope you enjoy Lola. It’s a great place. I highly recommend the roasted vegetable sides (the wood oven gives the veggies a nice char without turning them to mush). I too love a mound of fresh greens on pizza. Thanks again!
I have also been to all of the places you mentioned and Black Sheep is my favorite as well. The crust is perfect! I used to like Punch a lot, but last time I went there, the crust was mush in the middle. I cursed that I didn’t go to Black Sheep!
given this weekend’s gastro non grata and other reports, it sounds like we’ve also got to try red wagon pizza and wisconsin’s “pizza farm” (http://atozproduceandbakery.com/ – we’ll have to try it in the spring as it’s byo-everything but the pizza and for sure byo-seating area…). i see dara grumdahl also writes about another pizza farm… a little bit closer to mpls, which may make it worth investigating, too: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/music_blog/archive/2011/08/dining_with_dar_51.shtml i heart homegrown pizza.
finally, we can all admit fat lorenzo does some awesome cheese work, right?