Be prepared to wait 40 to 45 minutes when you order The Sicilian ($12.95) at Ponzo’s (2515 Bagby, 713-526-2426), but it’s worth the wait. Since it has no tomato sauce, this pizza is known as bianca (white). The dough is hand-thrown, then covered with mozzarella, enormous amounts of fresh, chopped garlic, olive oil, mushrooms and onions, and baked for 20 to 30 minutes. It’s removed from the oven and seasoned with oregano, parsley and Romano cheese, then put back in for another 20 minutes. Fresh chopped tomatoes are added just before it is served. With an extra-crispy, extra-thin crust, this is the closest thing to New York-style pizza in Houston.
This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2007.