Slab’s slab. photo/Chris Busby

Slab
25 Preble St., Portland
245-3088
slabportland.com

Miccuci Grocery
45 India St., Portland
775-1854
micuccigrocery.com

Portland foodies were shocked last summer when celebrated baker Stephen Lanzalotta left Micucci Grocery, the beloved Italian deli and bakery on India Street. Lanzalotta, who’d previously operated his own bakery in the Old Port, created a sensation at Micucci’s six years ago with his thick Sicilian pizza, airy Luna bread and other Old Country confections.

The parting was not amicable. Lanzalotta said he got the ax after advocating for better pay for his assistants, and claimed he retained the rights to his recipes for the Sicilian pizza and other specialties he made at Micucci’s. Third-generation grocery owners Rick and Anna Micucci clammed up, lawyered up, and kept selling the popular rectangular pies, even promoting them on their website and a sandwich board on the sidewalk. Lanzalotta called for a boycott of all their baked goods.

Earlier this summer, Lanzalotta returned with a new restaurant tucked into the southern end of the former Portland Public Market building on Preble Street (now home to a credit card-processing company). Opened in partnership with Nosh proprietors Matt Moran and Jason Loring, among others, the new place is named in homage to Lanzalotta’s huge Sicilian slices: Slab.

Now that Portland has two sellers of this Sicilian street food, whose slab is the best?

We’ll get to that in a minute, but first I must point out that Slab is not just a pizza joint. Like Nosh, it has a big selection of craft beer (20 are on tap) and a penchant for big portions, like the meatloaf meatball “monster” ($14), which stuffs beer-braised beef-and-pork sausage, melted cheeses and the slightly sweet Sicilian pizza sauce into an entire loaf of Lanzalotta’s soft, chewy Luna bread. You can get the heel of a Luna loaf (here called the “shoe” or “sole”) stuffed with vegetarian ingredients, and there are several vegan options among the starters, as well as nightly specials and, for those who somehow manage to save room, Italian desserts like the ice cream cone cannoli ($5-$8), a waffle cone filled with ricotta creams.

The hamburger raab shoe bianca ($9) was on special during one of my visits last month. The slightly bitter broccoli raab was deftly cooked so as to retain enough leafy texture to play off the rich, well-spiced beef. It came with a side of “gravy” (the aforementioned pizza sauce). Another special, the Sicilian dog ($14), fell short. A mass of oven-roasted potatoes overwhelmed the dry, mild sausage subtly flavored with fennel, and on this evening the Luna bread lacked its ethereal texture. It came with a side of “slab ketchup” — tomato sauce livened up with peppers — that was vibrant and delicious, but not enough to save this dish.

The “slaw” ($5) at Slab provides a nice, light counterpoint to the heavier items on the menu. Made with fresh green cabbage, bulb fennel and golden beet, it was enlivened by a creamy curry dressing (the other option is a vegan anise vinaigrette). The spicy meat wedge ($4), a smaller pizza option, has mildly flavored pepperoni, peperoncini, an ajvar pepper paste and a slightly nutty blend of cheeses atop a soft, chewy crust.

Which brings us to the slab itself. Brushed with sauce and topped with a scattering of shredded provolone and mozzarella, its simplicity is its beauty. The hand slab at Slab ($6) is a thick pillow of dough that weighs a full pound. Compared to the slabs at Micucci’s these days, Slab’s dough is ever so slightly tangier and lighter, with the bouncy chew that makes this crust such a delight. It also spends a little longer in the oven, emerging with a perfectly crisp crust and bubblier, deliciously browned cheese.

That said, Micucci’s continues to pull off an accomplished rendition of Lanzalotta’s classic. The slab here ($4.50) is a little heavier on the sauce, which also tastes a tad sweeter than the sauce at Slab. They’re still served on paper plates, under a heat lamp (don’t worry, they seldom sit there long), which speaks to the biggest difference between the two purveyors of this style of pizza.

If you also want wait service, a full bar and plenty of places to sit (including a patio/beer garden full of picnic tables), Slab’s your destination. Only got time to grab a slab and run? Micucci’s may be your better bet if you’re on the east side of town, though Slab also offers takeout (and free delivery). For $45, you can get “the full slab,” which has eight pieces (and thus weighs eight pounds). Tip your server or driver accordingly.

— Hannah Joyce McCain

Slab is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bollard editor Chris Busby contributed reporting to this review.