Restaurants: Gimme gimme Pizza Farm

August 17, 2012 at 8:56PM

Only the uninitiated refer to Robbi Bannen's and Ted Fisher's A to Z Produce and Bakery by its official name. Locals and insiders shorthand the Tuesday night ritual to "the Pizza Farm," and with good reason: Nearly every ingredient (save the cheeses, olives and spices) that hits the two scheduled-to-capacity wood-burning ovens is raised on the utterly enchanting Bannen/Fisher property, right down to the wheat in the sourdough crust. It's an extraordinary achievement, one that leaps, flavor-wise, off each rustic (and, it must be said, not inexpensive) pizza. It doesn't get more farm-to-table than this, although customers provide their own tables, as well as chairs, beverages, dishes and everything else -- the only items for sale are pizza and bread. And there's a strict rule: Whatever comes to the farm has to leave the farm, including the cardboard pizza boxes. A tip: Crowds descend in droves, so arrive early to stake a claim on the couple's shady front lawn, be prepared to wait, and think of your fellow pizza-farm lovers as participants at the world's best family reunion, where everyone is blissfully happy but mingling is not required.

about the writer

about the writer

Rick Nelson

Reporter

Rick Nelson joined the staff of the Star Tribune in 1998. He is a Twin Cities native, a University of Minnesota graduate and a James Beard Award winner. 

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