Photo by Bob Hallinen / Anchorage Daily News
Joe White, the Uncle Joe of Uncle Joe’s Pizza, holds a Super Combo Pizza at the Old Seward Highway location, where a substantial lunch buffet bar runs $6.99.
Hey Joe
Experience delicious pies
Published: October 26, 2006
Last Modified: November 3, 2006 at 10:40 AM
The fiercely competitive local pizza market doesn't intimidate Joe White. It inspires him. The owner of Uncle Joe's Pizzeria, a homegrown, multi-unit operation, knows it's not enough to claim to be the best -- local diners want proof.
"Pizza (fans) in Anchorage have become very savvy," he said. "Their expectations are fresh, high-quality ingredients washed down with a microbrew. It's been quite an evolution since I started in this business 13 years ago."
Raised in Anchorage, White studied business at Loyola Marymount College in Los Angeles and returned to Anchorage in the early '90s with no intention of entering the restaurant business. But then "a family friend had a pizza place for sale in Eagle River, and I jumped at the chance to own my own place."
It was there that White solidified his concept and fine-tuned products, then sold that restaurant and aimed at Anchorage. By 1996, White had four Anchorage restaurants, spread across the area. Now, he's expanding those three of those branches to include table service -- downtown, Old Seward and Tudor; Jewel Lake remains takeout and delivery only.
I visited the Old Seward location and found a pleasant sit-down dining area: Terra cotta walls, plush raised booths and vine-covered pergolas evoked Neapolitan dining al fresco. But this is family dining, so be prepared for the televisions, video games and music that competes with conversation.
The menu is built around pizza, but there are many shareable appetizers, baked subs and salads. The dinner salad ($2.99 small, $5.99 large) takes on a minimalist air with only lettuce and a few cherry tomatoes, so go for the Anti Pasto ($7.99) that is heaped with sliced ham, pepperoni, olives, tomatoes and peppers. The tangy house dressing is a tongue-tickler but balances the meaty load of the salad. Only Mick Jagger could find these lettuce leaves bite-sized, though; the large cuts resulted in a splattering of dressing on my face.
Our server was friendly and efficient; breaking out the freshly popped popcorn and crayons for the kids. On most days cooks double as servers. Obviously geared for volume, the staff didn't blink an eye when an entire hockey team walked in.
The focal point of the operation are the large brick ovens that churn out pies worthy of any Pisan. I am all about the blistered, firm crust pizza, and Uncle Joe's delivers. Thick smatter of homemade sauce, smears of melted cheese and the tattered remains of spicy pepperoni pieces littered my table resulting in an embarrassing mess, but was worth it.
Pizzas range from basic cheese (at $11.49 for a 12-inch, a student favorite) to the specialty reindeer sausage and pesto ($19.99). If you are looking for something a little neater, try the meatball sub ($8.99). Plump meatballs snooze in a warm bath of homemade tomato sauce, slathered in melted mozzarella and enveloped in a crusty pizza pocket.
In the unlikely event that you have a pizza-hater in your group, steer towards the gyro sandwiches. Tender slices of beef and lamb are topped with lettuce and tomatoes and jajiki, a smooth, tangy cucumber yogurt sauce. Served with chips and a pickle, it's a deal at $7.99.
You can pretty much find White, Uncle Joe himself, in one of his stores seven days a week, filling in shifts and getting his hands doughy.
"No matter how big the company gets," he said, "our philosophy is still focused on being the local guys and doing things the old fashioned way."
Even if you don't have a rich uncle, stop by Uncle Joe's Pizzeria for a loaded dining experience.
• Contact Daily News food reviewer Amy Green at agreen@adnmail.com.
Uncle Joe's Pizzeria
***1/2
$$
Four locations
Downtown: 428 G St., 279-3799. Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. Dine-in, takeout, delivery.
Jewel Lake: 6839 Jewel Lake Road, 248-9404. Hours: 4 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday. Takeout, delivery.
Old Seward: 11700 Old Seward Highway, 349-3799. Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. Dine-in, takeout, delivery.
Tudor: 3401 Tudor Rd., 337-4652. Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Dine-in, takeout, delivery.
Web: www.unclejoespizzeria. com
