Picasso's Pizza

It’s a toss-up between the Friday paper and the Sunday paper as to which one I like better.   On the one hand, there’s nothing like an omelet, a good cup of coffee and the Sunday ads.  On the other hand, on Friday’s I go straight to Wichita’s GO! section which has a full page of the newest restaurant’s opening and reviews.  I devour this word by word.   Several months ago I read about a place called Picasso’s Pizza that was getting ready to open in the Delano district.  A few weeks later, the Wichita Eagle’s food writer, Denise, wrote this:

DON’T MISS DISHES: The slices at Picasso’s are amazing, especially the ones that use Picasso’s delicious red sauce as the base. Slices are made on homemade thin crust made with just the right flour — a high-gluten formula it took Schmidt a long time to find. (Picasso’s offers gluten-free slices, too.) Pizza crust connoisseurs will love the way it’s thin and crispy under the toppings and yeasty and chewy when they finally gnaw their way to the top. I’ve been to Picasso’s five times already, and my clear favorite is the simple beef-and-mushroom slice ($4.95), which lets the flavor of the sauce and crust shine through.

I need to learn how to write about food a little more descriptively and creatively, huh?  She puts me to shame, but she’s getting paid for it and I’m not so I’m over it.  Anyway, I finally made it to Picasso’s last week and I am no pizza expert, but I have to disagree with her.  The atmosphere was fun, the pizza options were plentiful, and the slice was bigger than my head.  (They are going for New York Style)  The veggie options were abundant and I went for the tomato and basil.  Here’s the thing: I didn’t think the red sauce was anything rare and as I ate it I couldn’t wait to get to the crust because in my humble opinion that can make or break a questionable slice of pizza.  In this instance, there was no “shining through” in the flavor of the crust.  I was pretty disappointed.  If I am splurging and eating more calories than I normally would (because let’s face it, you put a piece of pizza that equals three normal pieces in front of me and I will finish it) and if I’m eating white flour if better knock my socks off! 

I am not saying I won’t ever go back; perhaps I need to try a different kind.  I really enjoyed how you can order by the slice and then they bake it fresh.  However, I was not blown away on my first visit.  I realize there is a variety in styles and flavors of pizza and maybe this just isn’t my cup of tea.  If you live in Wichita, you now have a raving review from a true foodie, and a not so good review from a girl who likes food and has a blog about it.  It’s probably worth the gamble to give it a try, and I would love to hear what you think of it if you go!

Nothing fancy about their sign...compliments of Boulevard, but the inside is much nicer.  Like many places in the Delano district, if you don't know what you're looking for you drive right by.



The prep line where the pizza is assembled.



Open kitchen where you can watch all the slices come in and out of the oven.