That's the Chicago way! That's the Chicago way! (August 27, 2004)

Patxi's impresses with its authentic Windy City pizzas

By Elaine Rowland

Pizza is a lot like politics. People are partisan about their favorites, and they're not easily convinced otherwise.

So fans of Chicago-style, deep-dish pizza who've been pining for the real thing in Silicon Valley will be thrilled with the arrival of Patxi's Chicago Pizza restaurant. Traditionalists who favor Italian-style, crispy crusts will appreciate Patxi's thin-crust pies, too.

It's those hard-line, third-party, chewy-crust eaters who won't be satisfied, because they won't find the classic suburban-American pizza (a la Round Table). But if you're undecided, give Patxi's a try; you might find a new candidate for dinner.

Patxi's (pronounced "paw-CHEES"), located on Emerson Street in Palo Alto, has the moxie to proclaim itself a Chicago-style pizzeria. It pulls off this feat in a modern incarnation of an old, Windy City setting, with tile floors, jazz music, plate glass windows that flood the small dining room with light, and black-and-white cityscapes, courtesy of Oakland's Barloga et Fils Gallery. Reminiscent of a big-city pizza restaurant -- not a "pizza joint" -- Patxi's is an old-style eatery.

Getting the fundamentals right is key to pizza purists, which partner/chef Francisco Azpiroz, a.k.a. "Patxi", understands after more than a decade of cooking for and managing two locations of Zachary's Chicago Pizza in the East Bay.

Azpiroz and business partner William Freeman, who brought a financial background to the enterprise, opened Patxi's this past May, after extensive studies of Chicago pizzerias. Azpiroz cited Giordano's and Edwardo's, two of the most famous pizzerias in Chicago, as part of the inspiration behind his menu, as well as Zachary's.

To say that Patxi's serves only pizza, salad and drinks sounds deceptively modest, because the menu is a moderately complex matrix of pizza options: wheat or non-wheat, deep-dish or thin crust, pre-configured combos or creations using your favorite ingredients (except avocadoes; that's just not right).

I ordered the Chicago-style "Special" with wheat crust (12"; $19.20), in deference to my favorite mid-Westerner. My husband declared it the "Best Pizza West of Lakeshore Drive," based not only on taste, but the requisite crispy crust underneath -- tricky, considering how it's made. Patxi's lines the pan with dough and fills it with sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and mozzarella, then covers this with a thin layer of dough and -- two inches above the starting point -- a spicy tomato sauce. The flavors meld with a half-hour of cooking. The result is a hearty, crispy and delicious pizza.

My mid-Westerner did, however, qualify his appreciation by saying Chicago pies use more sausage (proximity to America's meat-processing center being a factor). But the "Special" did sweep the cold-pizza-for-breakfast primaries held the following morning.

On another visit, I brought a chewy-crust partisan with me. He ordered a 10-inch, thin-crust "Favorite" ($13.35), piled with pepperoni, mushrooms and black olives, but was so enthralled by the other options he also added Canadian bacon and garlic. The thin crust isn't like Chicago, New York (thin but soft), or typical delivery pizzas (thick and chewy).

It's more like traditional Italian: simple, crispy beds for flavorful toppings, such as olive oil and basil. The pizza didn't drown in sauce and cheese, staying crispy, though it didn't win over the chewy-crust fan. Being a swing voter, I thought it was a very flavorful pizza -- but not because I lack convictions.

These fresh, hand-made pizzas require 20 to 40 minutes to prepare, but there's no finger food to tide you over. If you can't wait that long, a small crispy salad on a chilled plate can amuse two people until the pie arrives.

My spinach salad ($4.25) consisted of unbruised baby spinach without a trace of sand, red onions, bacon, crouton chunks and choice tomatoes. Patxi's tasty Greek salad ($4.25) was comprised of crunchy cucumbers, feta cheese, bell peppers, red onions and pitted Kalamata olives over mixed greens. Unlike many Greek salads, this one was not overloaded with onions.

The attractive bar serves everything from wine ($5.25-$9.25/glass) and beer ($3-$4 in a frosty mug), to soft drinks such as Stewart's Root Beer ($1.95) and coffee ($1.45). It's one of the nicest, most affordable places in the neighborhood where you can enjoy a glass of wine, say, before a show at the Aquarius Theatre. Masi Modello from Italy ($5.25) may be Patxi's least expensive red, but it has nice cherry notes that stand up to a pizza.

With its affordable menu, Patxi's will likely attract students and other folks who don't like to pay through the nose. And night-owls will relish the fact that this downtown restaurant stays open until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

There's something appealing about watching a new business launch. There's that entrepreneurial glow in eager faces as they inquire -- three, four and five times -- whether everything's just right, and the polishing of already-gleaming surfaces, with the earnest care of a new mother fussing over her child. Patxi's has so much going for it that minor startup glitches, such as a lack of water and a miscalculated check, aren't enough to change my vote for the Patxi ticket.

Dining Notes

Patxi's Chicago Pizza
441 Emerson St. (near University Avenue), Palo Alto; 473-9999
Hours: Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.;
Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Highlights: Patxi's is as close as you'll get to classic wheat-crust, deep-dish pizza without hopping a plane for the Midwest. Its charming small bar is a fine alternative to expense-account wine bars.

Reservations:yes, for parties of six or more
Credit cards:yes
Parking: no
Beer & wine:yes
Takeout: yes (fully-cooked or half-baked pies)
Highchairs: yes
Wheelchair access:yes
Banquet: no
Catering: no
Outdoor seating: no
Noise level: quiet to moderate
Bathroom: clean

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