OTTO X: Ten years! Ten towns! Celebrating a decade of OTTO!

Chefs/owners Mike Keon and Anthony Allen invite you to join in celebrating 10 years of OTTO throughout the month of June.

All month long, and beyond, there will be will be no shortage of ways to celebrate — Keon and Allen want this to be a celebration of their customers and their employees — without which there would be no OTTO.

Since its humble beginnings as a tiny little slice shop on Portland, ME’s Congress Street, OTTO has grown to 13 location in 10 towns in Maine and Massachusetts.

10 YEAR HAPPENINGS

Lobster Masher: For the month of June, OTTO will introduce an extra special Pie of the Month—the “Lobster Masher.” A decadent mash-up (pun intended) of OTTO’s iconic Mashed Potato, Bacon and Scallion “Masher” pie, the “Lobster Masher” will be decadently garnished with fresh Maine lobster meat. The “Lobster Masher” will be priced to move (literally losing money as our way of saying thanks!) — $3.50 per slice, $14.50 for a small pie, and $22.75 for a large. All summer long, every OTTO pie will be served in a limited edition 10th anniversary pizza box.

The Lobster Masher (Mashed Potato, Bacon, Scallion and Fresh Maine Lobster)

OTTO X Ale: Rising Tide Brewing Company, a frequent OTTO collaborator over the years, has created a very special anniversary brew for the occasion. OTTO X, an IPA, will be served throughout June at all OTTO locations in Maine (and our Coolidge Corner, BU, and Arlington locations in MA).  OTTO X is a clean, crisp ale made with flaked rice, feat. Lemondrop, Mandarina and Columbus hops. Coming in at 5.6% ABV, this citrus-forward springtime brew features a nice lemon-oil and sweet orange character.

OTTO X: Anniversary Ale brewed in collaboration with Rising Tide Brewing

X Marks the Spot: On June 17th from 11:30-2pm, OTTO co-owners Mike Keon and Anthony Allen will be working the counter at OTTO’s original slice shop at 576 Congress St. in Portland — exactly where they were 10 years ago when they sold the very first OTTO slice.

Contests, Contests, Contests: In addition, fans should keep a sharp eye on OTTO’s Instagram (@ottoportland) for a series of prize pack giveaways – featuring sports and concert tickets, OTTO anniversary swag, brewery merch, gift cards, and much more.

Employee Parties: OTTO will be throwing 10th anniversary celebrations for employees only — one party in Maine on June 23, and one in Massachusetts on July 14. Restaurants will close at 7pm on these days, so that everyone in the OTTO family can join in the festivities.

THE OTTO STORY

OTTO is the brainchild of Anthony Allen and Mike Keon, who met each other over a decade ago as chefs at neighboring restaurants north of Boston. Allen had opened his first pizzeria on Nantucket at the age of seventeen, later opening a second location on Martha’s Vineyard. Keon came to cooking after working on fishing boats off the coast of Alaska. Their lasting friendship, complementary styles, and shared “less is more” culinary philosophy resulted in the opening of OTTO in downtown Portland, where Keon had been living and working. It was not long until OTTO was gaining regional and national attention for making some of the best pizza around.

Mike and I are blown away by the fact that it’s been a decade,” says Allen. “Ten years and ten cities—I could never have dreamt it – well, maybe my 17-year-old self did back in-the-day on Nantucket when I opened my first pizza shop.”

“We are continuously working to make sure every pizza is perfect and every slice unforgettable,” says Keon. “Whether you grab a slice to go or eat in one of our full service dining rooms, every member of our team is motivated by this goal of consistently well-executed, uncomplicated food. Our staff has been absolutely monumental in our success – we are beyond grateful and would not be where we are today without them.”

ABOUT THE MENU & SPACES

OTTO is known for its “elevated” pizza approach, using high-quality ingredients – local when possible — and extremely creative toppings such as cranberries, butternut squash, spicy pulled pork, or (even) tortellini and seaweed. The 10th anniversary “Lobster Masher” is an extra special pie to celebrate the anniversary (OTTO features a unique, limited edition pie each month). OTTO is also one of the few places in New England that offers Detroit-Style pizza—featuring an extra thick crust and a crispy bottom.

Each OTTO pizzeria is unique, individually customized for both the physical space and the neighborhood in which it’s located. OTTO locations vary from slice shops to pick-up and delivery to full service dining room restaurants.

Five Years of OTTO: A Month-Long Celebration of Food, Music, and Community

5th-candleWhen OTTO first opened its doors at 576 Congress Street on June 18 of 2009, owners Anthony Allen and Mike Keon had no idea that their humble slice shop serving up their unique take on a culinary staple would evolve into a fast-growing business employing over 240 employees in 10 locations, in 7 cities, in 2 states.

To celebrate 5 great years of food, friends, family, and fun, we’ve got a month of shenanigans lined up, including, but not limited to the following:

Saturday, May 24: OTTO’s 5th Birthday Bash with Elliott BROOD at One Longfellow Square
Pizza, giveaways, beer, wine, and great music, at one of our favorite venues! Come join the party on Saturday. Providing the music will be the band that fueled many late nights at the original slice shop, Canada’s Elliott BROOD, the Juno Award-winning ‘death country’ band whose live shows are “known to be lively affairs” (Washington Post). Also performing: Sympathy & the Lion.
Tickets available at One Longfellow Square

Throughout the month of June: OTTO Throwback Specials
KR1_0768Over the past five years, we’ve changed our menu from time to time. Sometimes we had to make room for new pies by retiring others. This never came without the cries OTTO enthusiasts who bemoaned the loss of their favorite pie.

In June, we’re reviving several of these pies at all locations for a limited time. Keep your eye on our Facebook page or our Twitter account for dates and times.

Friday June 20 & Saturday June 21: The Harmed Brothers LIVE at OTTO (FREE!)
To cap off our birthday month, another OTTO fave from Oregon, The Harmed Brothers, will be doing a two-night residency at our 574 Congress Street dining room. Stay tuned for more info.

OTTO Delivers Pizza 3,158 Miles For Birthday Surprise

We at OTTO are aware that a lot of folks really, really like our pizza.  We have seen all kinds of public declarations that remind us that we’re doing something special. Our beloved Red Sox have placed large orders on consecutive weeks.  New Yorkers have declared OTTO the best pizza they’ve ever eaten.

We haven’t yet, however, received a request to deliver pizza all the way across the United States, no matter the cost. (We do offer free delivery in Portland, by the way!)IMG_0618-1

Joy and Jeff Johnson of Washington, reached out to OTTO to see if there was any way possible we could have a few pizzas delivered for their daughter Devi’s 18th birthday.

The Johnsons discovered OTTO’s Harvard Square location while on a college-hunting trip with Devi, and it was love at first bite. (They nearly missed their plane when they tried to get more pizza on their last day in Massachusetts.)

Since then, Devi and her parents have followed OTTO on Facebook, but simply couldn’t take the posts of pizza pictures any longer (“the daily torture!”).

That’s when the idea was born to have OTTO delivered cross-country as a surprise for Devi’s birthday. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

It was certainly one of the strangest requests we’ve received at OTTO. Never ones to shirk away from a challenge, we worked out a way to make it happen. On Tuesday, December 18th, OTTO’s 578 Congress Street (Portland) staff hand-tossed, built, baked, and packed two vegetarian pies for overnight shipping. The pies were crafted and packaged with great care to ensure they showed up as fresh, and as eye-pleasing, as possible.

The Johnsons, ever the good sports, promised to send photos of our pies arriving 3,158 miles away. As an added gesture of appreciation, the Johnsons made a donation in OTTO’s name to a New England-based literacy program.

We at OTTO wish Devi a very wonderful birthday, and hope that the pizza is as delicious as she remembers.

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