Blaze Pizza opened on Feb. 16, making an immediate impact on the Lincoln downtown dining scene.
Operating manager Paul McCrae used the word “phenomenal” in describing the pizzeria’s first three months at 1317 Q St., where Tom + Chee and the Pretzelmaker used to be. A second store is scheduled to open in Nebraska this fall at 124th and Dodge streets in Omaha, McCrae said.
Why’s Blaze been so popular?
The Pasadena, California-based chain excels at food quality, customer service, and, most importantly for some, cost. Patrons can get an 11-inch pizza filled with all kinds of artisanal ingredients for just $7.95.
Once your pizza hits the hot oven, it’s just another three minutes, or, as Blaze employees like to say, “180 seconds,” before you’re enjoying your first slice. It really is that fast.
Elise and Rick Wetzel of Wetzel’s Pretzels founded Blaze Pizza in 2011, modeling its concept after Chipotle’s made-to-order approach. Basketball star LeBron James is one of the chain’s original investors.
Blaze’s dough is never frozen and its prepared from scratch daily. Customers can choose the thin-crust original, high rise or gluten-free (additional charge).
After a customer orders a pie, a line worker uses this nifty spinning machine to “throw” the crust. More line workers then assemble your pizza. You can choose a signature pie or build your own. McCrae said 65 percent of the customers so far have been building their own pizzas.
“That’s the beauty of Blaze,” McCrae said. “You and a couple of buddies can come in. They may like mushrooms and you don’t. So you can build your own.”
Ingredients include four sauces, seven cheeses, eight meats, 17 vegetables and seven finishes.
Food
My wife and went the signature route. I figured Blaze spent a lot of R&D time in creating the special pies, so why not? I enjoyed the White Top (white cream sauce, mozzarella, bacon, garlic, oregano, arugula; $7.95). I had the line throw on some feta cheese, too. My wife ordered the Green Stripe (pesto drizzled over chicken, red peppers, garlic, mozzarella, arugula; $7.95).
The combinations were, well, really, really good. We both would order those again. I especially was struck by the thin crust. I found it as flavorful as Mellow Mushroom’s, which I consider the best crust in town.
Blaze, as noted above, offers a good selection of ingredients, including some of my favorites for build-your-owns: cherry tomatoes, artichokes, banana peppers and goat cheese. There is no Canadian bacon (smoked ham instead). There also aren’t any anchovies, which sometimes is a guilty pleasure. Grade: A-
Customer service
My wife and I stopped in after an early Zoo Bar show on a graduation (University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s) weekend. So the place was hopping with students and their parents.
The crew that night was chatty and whimsical, light-heartedly teasing patrons who struggled to make choices. The kids worked hard, but seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Once you get through the line, you can either take a seat or wait. Pies, as noted before, take 3 minutes to bake, a little longer for the high-rise dough.
We found the experience, because of the crew, enjoyable. We were on our way about 5 minutes after arriving. Grade: A
Atmosphere
We opted to take our pizza home instead of staying for one reason: noise. It was loud. A combination of pop music blasting through the speakers and a busy dining room with nothing to absorb the sound made it unbearable for us. But if I was a 20-something college kid again, the room would have been perfect. Other than that, the room is what you would expect of a fast-casual restaurant: bright colors, witty signs and soda machines.
McCrae said the restaurant plans to have its private patio ready by June. Patrons can sit in Tower Square, but the patio will allow them to enjoy beer or wine (liquor license is pending) with their food. Grade: C+
Specialty diets
Blaze excels here, offering, among other things, a gluten-free crust and vegan cheese. The menus list calories for each ingredient. Oregano, by the way, has zero calories. That struck me as funny. Grade: A
Pizza places to try in Lincoln
24 pizza places to try in Lincoln
Yia Yia's
The Isles
Piezano's
MoMo Pizzeria
Mellow Mushroom
Valentino's
Lazzari's
Blaze Pizza
Patty's Pub
Ramos Pizza
Huskerville
DaVinci's
Godfather's Pizza
Toppers Pizza
Old Chicago
The Garage
Boss' Pizza & Chicken
Rosie's Bar and Grill
Pickleman's
SchillingBridge Cork & Tap House
Casey's
Pizza Hut
CiCi's Pizza
Pizza Ranch
Jeff Korbelik is tasting room manager at James Arthur Vineyards in Raymond. He’s been writing restaurant reviews for the Journal Star since 1998.
Dining out
Blaze Pizza
Address: 1317 Q St.
Specialty: Fast-fired pizza
Atmosphere: Casual
Payment: Cash, major credit cards
Cost: Pizza, $4.95 to $7.95
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 10:30 to 2 a.m. Friday-Saturday
Phone: 402-802-9973
Web:
Social media: Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook
Notes: On-street parking, outdoor seating, beer and wine (liquor license pending), takeout, mobile app and online ordering (iOS and Android)