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    Sneak Peek at Pi Pizza

    Sneak peek at Pi Pizza: Acclaimed food truck finds a permanent home for distinctive pizzas and more

    Eric Sandler
    Aug 23, 2016 | 10:32 am

    As anyone who’s been following along on social media knows, Pi Pizza is very close to opening. The food truck-turned-restaurant has removed all traces of the former Funky Chicken from its Heights-adjacent home — replaced by a checkerboard floor, custom-painted skateboard decks on the walls, and, of course, a massive pizza oven in the kitchen.

    After spending this week training, chef Anthony Calleo and his crew will open for lunch and dinner on Monday (delivery will follow after a week or two). Opening represents the fulfillment of a dream Calleo has been chasing almost since he started the truck five years ago: a dream that got a boost when Calleo joined up with restaurateur Lee Ellis and his recently launched company Cherry Pie Hospitality earlier this year.

    (Update 8/26: Pi Pizza's opening has been temporarily pushed back by delayed equipment, but it will open sometime in the week of August 29.)

    “For me, part of my worry is with the truck I caught lightning in a bottle. What happens when you move into a bigger bottle? How do you keep it from escaping,” Calleo says. “Getting to work with Lee, Jim (Mills, Cherry Pie partner), Laurie (Harvey, Cherry Pie beverage director), Rob (Harvey, Cherry Pie operations director), and Jason (Richburg, Cherry Pie culinary director) and all these other people who are fucking amazing, they’re just monsters, really good at what they do, who are so invested in seeing me succeed, has eased a lot of those concerns.”

    Getting off the streets has meant some compromises from the truck’s "my way or the highway" ethos. The menu of 20 pies now offers mainstream fare like pepperoni, as well as classic American combinations like veggie, supreme, and meat lovers. Diners are even invited to build their own, which was unthinkable in the truck days.

    Still, Pi fans shouldn’t worry that the restaurant has gone too mainstream. Calleo says he identified 62 pizzas that could have made the menu; those that didn’t make the cut will rotate on as specials.

    Truck favorites like the Grizzly Hawaiian (chicken, bacon, pineapple, honey), the Southern Heritage (bacon-braised collard greens and pancetta), and the Sorority Girl Surprise (chicken, jalapeno ranch, bacon) are all accounted for. Six vegetarian options include the Sgt Pepper Redux (blackberries, black pepper chevre from Pure Luck farms, mint pesto), the Funk & Circumstane (lemon-roasted cauliflower, garlic confit, taleggio), and the Herbivoracious (arugula, roasted garlic oil, toasted almonds, fennel pollen).

    Calleo thinks even the truck classics will taste better thanks to having access to higher-quality ingredients that come from being part of a restaurant group. For example, Calleo has sourced his pepperoni, sopressata, and pancetta from legendary San Francisco-based purveyor Mollinari & Sons and the baguettes for his cheesesteak stromboli and grinder subs from a bakery in New Jersey.

    “The soppressata I was using on the truck was good. This stuff, it’s more expensive, but the difference is like throwing a bullet and shooting a bullet. It’s exponentially better,” Calleo says. “I couldn’t have gotten this stuff on the truck before, because I didn’t have the buying power to source it. Being able to do the food I was doing before that I really believed in with even better stuff makes me super happy.”

    While the toppings will be better, Calleo thinks the biggest benefits of being in a restaurant will come from not having to drive the pizza dough all over town. For the truck, he made the dough at Grand Prize and wrapped individual crust-sized balls in plastic that came out during service. Now, the dough only travels a few feet from the restaurant’s mixer to its walk-in refrigerator where it proofs at a steady 37 degrees.

    “That retards the proofing and improves the flavor. It’s a more actual representation of the hydration ratio in the dough,” Calleo explains. “The crust browns better, it rises better, the yeast is happier in the dough. It gets you better flavor and performance.”

    In addition to pizza, the restaurant will serve starters like breadsticks, pizza rolls, and deep-fried mac and cheese balls. Showbiz Queso — named for the predecessor to Chuck E. Cheese that served as the home of birthday parties for Houstonians who are now in their late 30s and early 40s — attempts to capture in taste form what Calleo remembers the restaurant’s pizza smelled like.

    Four sandwiches, including the meatball and chicken parmesan from the Sandy Witch days, and four salads, including an innovative presentation of the classic Caesar that’s designed to be picked up and eaten like a lettuce wrap, round out the savory menu. For dessert, choose from four boozy flavors of Lee’s Creamery ice cream or chocolate chip cookies from Petite Sweets.

    On the beverage side, Harvey has developed four frozen cocktails such as a Negroni and the “pineapple express” (tequila, mezcal, cinnamon, pineapple and cayenne) that will be joined by bottled cocktails, two wines on tap, a rotating selection of craft beer, and non-alcoholic options including a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine.

    As he’s discussing the salads, Calleo drops the philosophy that guides his cooking and should help diners anticipate what to expect when they dine at Pi Pizza.

    “I’m not Grant Achatz, I’m never going to cook like that. It’s not what I do,” Calleo says. “What my goal is to serve you food that you read and you go ‘ok,’ then you eat it and go ‘wow, that is better than I thought it was going to be. How did you do that?’ That to me is what I want to achieve.”

    Beginning Monday, diners will get to decide whether he’s succeeded.

    Pizza fries.

    Pi Pizza fries
      
    Photo by Julie Soefer
    Pizza fries.
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    Texas Tastemakers

    Best Texas restaurants and chefs honored with 2025 Tastemaker Awards

    Amber Heckler
    May 13, 2025 | 10:02 am
    Leo's River Oaks
    Photo by Andrew Hemingway
    Best New Restaurant: Leo's River Oaks.

    CultureMap has finally completed its statewide journey to honor the best chefs, restaurants, and more with the 2025 Tastemaker Awards.

    The series kicked off April 3 with our Houston Tastemaker Awards at Silver Street Studios, then we moved south to San Antonio on April 10 for our biggest party there yet, at the Briscoe Museum.

    We then headed to North Texas for our Fort Worth celebration at 4 Eleven on April 23, followed by our Dallas celebration at Astoria Event Venue on May 1.

    Last, but certainly not least, our Texas culinary tour finished strong with our Austin fête at Fair Market on May 8.

    The 2025 Tastemaker Awards celebrated Texas' brilliant and diverse culinary landscape and honored those who've made the biggest impact in the past year. Our nominated chefs and restaurants showcased their flavorful bites and treats during each of the celebrations, and winners were revealed in an onstage ceremony.

    Guests dined on chef-created dishes and sipped on a variety of creative batched cocktails. But nothing could take away the focus from our acclaimed nominees and winners, who are the main reason we bring these celebrations to life year after year.

    Nominees were, as always, determined by a panel of local industry experts, including previous Tastemaker winners and CultureMap staff. They voted on winners in categories such as Chef of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Bar of the Year, and more. The champion in the Best New Restaurant category was determined by our readers in an online, bracket-style tournament.

    Our 2025 “wild card” category was a competition for Best Coffee Shop in each of our cities; the ones that keep us caffeinated and happy day after day.

    Readers in each city got to know all the nominees through a special editorial series for weeks leading up to the events.

    Now without further delay, let’s meet our 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Award winners all across Texas, listed by city:

    Houston:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Baso
    • Chef of the Year: Emmanuel Chavez, Tatemó
    • Bar of the Year: Johnny’s Gold Brick
    • Best New Restaurant: Leo’s River Oaks
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Jacques Varon and Max Lappe, Baso
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Stephanie Velasquez, Ema/Papalo
    • Bartender of the Year: Aaron Lara, Kira
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition
    • Best Pop-Up/Startup: Suu Khin, Burmalicious
    • Best Coffee Shop: Blacksmith

    San Antonio:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Ladino
    • Chef of the Year: John Russ, Clementine
    • Best New Restaurant: Freight Fried Chicken
    • Bar of the Year: Gimme Gimme
    • Brewery of the Year: Roadmap Brewing Co.
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Cullum’s Attagirl
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Alessia Benavides, Chocolatl
    • Best Coffee Shop: Folklores Coffee House

    Fort Worth:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Teddy Wongs
    • Chef of the Year: Alessandro Salvatore, Bocca Osteria Romana
    • Bar of the Year: The Rabbit Hole Pub
    • Best New Restaurant: Whiskey Cake
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Steve Hoogeboom, 61 Osteria
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Lindsey Lawing, Sweet Lucy's Pies
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Bodega South Main
    • Best Barbecue: Panther City BBQ
    • Best Coffee Shop: Avoca Coffee Roasters

    Dallas:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Mister Charles
    • Chef of the Year: Jeff Bekavac, Goodwins
    • Bar of the Year: Columbian Country Club
    • Best New Restaurant: Nikki Greek Bistro & Lounge
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Roman Murphy, Perch Bistro
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Ryan Stipp, Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: The Porch
    • Best Eatertainment: Chicken N Pickle
    • Best Coffee Shop: Merit Coffee

    Austin:

    • Restaurant of the Year: Este
    • Chef of the Year: Peter Klein, Holiday
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Heejae Galluccio, Birdie’s
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Abby Love, Abby Jane Bakeshop
    • Bar of the Year: Equipment Room
    • Best New Restaurant: Tancho Sushi
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: The Little Darlin’
    • Brewery of the Year: St. Elmo Brewing Co.
    • Best Coffee Shop: Desnudo Coffee

    Leo's River Oaks
      
    Photo by Andrew Hemingway

    Best New Restaurant in Houston for 2025: Leo's River Oaks.

    The Houston Tastemaker Awards ceremony was brought to you by Stella Artois, Chardon, Jim Beam Black, Ritual Zero Proof, Seedlip, Valencia's Tex-Mex Garage, Hornitos, Ghost Hill Organic Vodka, and PicMe Events. A portion of proceeds benefited our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.

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