Bitter & Twisted The first question here: Does Phoenix even need another pizza place? The easy answer is that you can never have too many slice options, but it’s more than that. Alhoch isn’t trying to reinvent, reimagine, or elevate pizza — or make it anything it’s not. He just wants to give you the good stuff, re-create what he loved as a kid. “Phoenix needs another pizza option because there are more Domino’s than Biancos,” says the chef. “Jokes aside, Phoenix needs more of literally every type of cuisine. Competition breeds quality. I want Phoenix to become a food battle dome where only the best survive.” The second question: What’s a pizza joint doing in an upscale cocktail bar? The pairing may seem like the Jersey Shore landed on the Vegas strip, but Bitter & Twisted owner Ross Simon has long been a fan of Alhoch, and the admiration is mutual. “I remember during the pandemic, Bitter & Twisted did to-go cocktails, but they weren’t just your regular to-go cock- tails,” says Alhoch, who was impressed with Simon’s attention to detail. “They came with a paper explaining the drink and a stir stick.” So when Simon reached out to Alhoch to be a kitchen partner, he gave him carte blanche, with one stipula- tion: Keep Bitter & Twisted’s signature Hurricane Popcorn on the menu. Like the pizza and popcorn, the rest of the menu is straightforward yet sublime: snacks that invite finger-licking, such as sumac-and-garlic-marinated chicken wings with housemade bleu cheese dressing; straight-up salads like fattoush and Caesar; and a single dessert, a simple sweet that combines tea biscuits and chocolate with shredded coconut and pistachios. “When it comes to cooking, I like simplicity instead of flexing,” says Alhoch. “Syrian food, like Italian food, is so simple and delicious, so I think being a Syrian born and raised in New Jersey means I’ve absorbed the philosophy of simplicity through osmosis.” He comes by that osmosis honestly. Alhoch grew up in a home obsessed with food, his mother being his biggest The Caprese tops heirloom tomatoes, stracciatella cheese, and basil with a savory hit of za’atar spice. influence. “When I was a little kid, I would climb on a step stool while she was cooking and just watch her the entire time,” he remembers. “Her father was a well-known restaurateur in Damascus. Even though he’s long since passed, some of the restau- rants he started in the ’50s and ’60s are still open and popular, so my mom has some serious cooking chops.” Just don’t get too attached to any one dish at Gemini Pizza. Alhoch has been known to take runaway hits off the menu without warning, like the mac and cheese at Saint Pasta. “Vodka sauce is everywhere in New Jersey, and it’s been my favorite pasta since I was in middle school. I wanted Saint Pasta to be known for our vodka sauce for those reasons, so when the mac and cheese became our top seller, I got rid of it,” he says. “I still get a few DMs a year about it from people who had it in those first few months.” Not that Alhoch is trying to piss anyone off. His ultimate goal with food is to elicit a feeling of contentment. “My favorite thing during a busy night at Saint Pasta is looking around the dining area and catching people bobbing their heads to the music while eating their pasta, sometimes with their eyes closed,” he says. “I think everyone knows what it’s like when sound, smell and taste are all hitting just right. You’re totally sucked into the moment. I look at those people and I know that at least for those few seconds, they’re prob- ably not thinking about anything else. They’re just enjoying life.” With Bitter & Twisted as Alhoch’s buzzy new backdrop, there are sure to be many more moments of head-bobbing bliss. Gemini Pizza, inside Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour 1 West Jefferson Street 602-340-1924 Hours: 4 p.m. to midnight Tuesday to Thursday (kitchen closes at 11 p.m.); 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday to Saturday (kitchen closes at midnight) 27 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES APRIL 21ST– APRIL 27TH, 2022
