Pizza With Pizzazz

Avivo at New Market Square offers a high-end approach to the ever-popular pie.

In most places, pizza is a fairly straightforward thing. In New York, the slices are wide, light on sauce and folded in half while being eaten. In Chicago, it’s the opposite—you can’t dig into a deep dish at Gino’s East without a fork. And in towns across the nation, you call to order and there’s a guy at your door 30 minutes later. But here in Wichita, the birthplace of Pizza Hut, pizzerias aren’t so cut-and-dried. In recent years, the city has changed how it approaches pizza. Today, local restaurateurs have taken the popular pie to a new level with an upscale spin and gourmet ingredients. There’s Piztros on the east side, Il Vicino on Douglas and finally Avivo Brick Oven Pizzeria (2441 N. Maize Road, 316-558-5555) on the west side. (Not to mention a string of Pizza Hut Italian Bistros—a step up from the traditional red-roofed chain.) A co-worker and I recently decided to grab lunch at Avivo on a Tuesday afternoon to see how the New Market Square eatery stacked up in Wichita’s world of pizza.

We walked in just before noon. The dining room was fairly empty, with only a single table occupied by a group of businessmen. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with large windows, dim lighting and a color scheme of muted reds and browns. A large fire glowed from the open kitchen’s brick oven at one side of the room. Rather than order at the front right away, we took two menus and sat down to peruse.
The menu was unlike most pizzerias. It had an Italian take, with sections like antipasti, insalate, pizza Italiana and pasta cotta. For the less adventurous, there was a section called American Favorites that included more status-quo selections like pepperoni, three cheese, and sausage and mushroom pizzas. Rather than try the salads, pastas or paninis, we elected to sample from the Pizza Italiana section. All of the pies came in individual-sized portions. I ordered the signature Pizza di Avivo ($8.49) while my co-worker tried the Margherita Neapolitan ($7.99). The menu also included a surprisingly extensive drink list. Fifteen martini types ranged from the 007 (Bombay Sapphire gin and dry Vermouth garnished with a lemon cherry) to the Razztini (Absolut and raspberry Pucker garnished with a lime). There was also a respectable mix of wine, beer, soft drinks and coffees. Since it was still noon, we decided to stick with water and iced tea.

Not five minutes after we ordered, a friendly server delivered the pizzas to our table. My Pizza di Avivo included pepperonis, sliced Italian sausages, banana peppers, red onions, mozzarella and provolone. As with most pizza, the crust made all of the difference. The brick oven cooked the dough to be flaky but with just the right amount of crispness. My co-worker agreed about the crust. Her Margerhita Neapolitan, which included olive oil, Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella and provolone, was more bland than my selection, without any meats or banana peppers, but she enjoyed it.

Once we were finished with the pizzas, we ordered a piece of tiramisu ($3.99) for us to split. The espresso-infused sponge cake was layered with clouds of mascarpone cheese and dusted with cocoa. The presentation was picturesque, and the taste was there to match—far more elaborate than anything you’d expect from most pizza joints.

We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at Avivo. My one critique, which led to some confusion for other customers who walked in, was having to order up front rather than at the table. But if it saves a few dollars as a result, that’s fine by me. We had the perfect amount of gourmet-style Italian food for less than $25. It was quick and reasonable while providing the sense of an upscale experience. I now look forward to returning to Avivo to sample from their extensive drink list and to enjoy the restaurant’s patio on warm summer nights.


Q & A with Tony Suellentrop, Avivo Co-Owner
Although only 27 years old, Avivo General Manager Tony Suellentrop is a seasoned pro when it comes to the pizza biz. His father Gene, co-owner of the New Market Square eatery and In the Sauce Brands, Inc., founded Gambino’s, the Wichita-based pizzeria franchise that currently boasts 55 restaurants in five states. “I enjoyed working at Gambino’s while growing up,” says Tony. “It’s really rewarding to give someone the tools to work for themselves and to help grow local companies.”

Tony majored in entrepreneurship at Kansas State University before returning to Wichita and briefly running a residential painting company. He then began developing Avivo’s business concept in the summer of 2003. “We saw a market for a casual, upscale pizzeria in the Midwest,” he says. After carefully planning every component of the eatery with the possibility of one day franchising, the Suellentrops opened Avivo in New Market Square in July 2005.
Like his father, the young entrepreneur has big plans for Avivo. “We hope to franchise on down the road,” says Tony. “But it takes the whole package. It takes ironing out all of the details. That’s what makes a business successful.”

BEYOND THE BRICK OVEN . . .
Single or Married: Single
Pizza: For now, it’s the garlic, mushroom and onion. But it always changes.
Drink: Cabernet Savignon. I learned about wine while developing our wine list.
Hobbies: I love to travel. I recently went snowboarding at Breckenridge. In the summer, I’ll get out on the lake. I love warm weather.
Pet Peeve: Cold food. It completely defeats the purpose of all of our efforts.
TV Food Personality: Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri on the Food Network. I enjoy watching cooking shows about “guy foods,” like burgers and steaks.
Sports Teams: Kansas State Wildcats and the Chicago Bears. My mom is from Chicago, so I’ve gone to more Bears games than Chiefs games.
Food at Home: Steaks on the grill. Steak is hands-down my favorite food.