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.

Make your own Masher!

KR1_96621This Labor Day weekend, we’d like to share the recipe for our award-winning Mashed Potato, Bacon and Scallion pie!

The pizza named one of the ‘Best Pizzas in America’ by The Food Network is not only a joy to eat, it’s a blast to make.

If you’re feeling adventurous over the three-day weekend, give it a try! Share pictures of your experience with us via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  We’d love to see your take on this fan favorite!

Ingredients
1 16-ounce proofed pizza dough cornmeal (to taste)
Olive oil (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons grated Asiago
1 cup mashed potatoes (recipe follows)
7 ounces grated low-moisture mozzarella
Heavy cream (to taste)
½ cup chopped cooked bacon
½ cup bias cut scallions (1⁄8-inch thick)
1 tablespoon chopped mix of parsley, rosemary and thyme Salt (to taste)

Instructions
Stretch the pizza dough into a 16-inch circle and place on a peel that has been dusted with cornmeal.
Brush the dough with olive oil.
Season with the black pepper and Asiago.
Break up the mashed potatoes and distribute evenly around the pizza, spreading all the way to the crust.
Top with mozzarella, making sure to cover the entire pizza, and drizzle generously with cream. Top with the bacon, scallions, parsley and salt.
Bake in a preheated 500 F pizza oven until golden brown.
Rotate the pizza half way through for an even bake.
Cut and serve.

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Mashed Potato Ingredients
Ingredients
Mashed Potato
1-2 pounds Maine or red potatoes
½ pound unsalted butter
¼ cup kosher salt
2 tablespoon black pepper
2 cup heavy cream

Mashed Potato Instructions
Fill a large pot with the potatoes, enough cold water to cover, and half the salt.
Bring to a simmer.
Cook until the larger potatoes can easily be crushed with tongs.
Strain in colander.
Immediately add the potatoes to a large container with the butter, remaining salt and pepper.
Mash until smooth and no large lumps remain.
Stir in the cream.
Refrigerate immediately.

OTTO Pizza to be Featured on Boston’s Wicked Popular Phantom Gourmet Show

Phantom Gourmet segment producer Deb Hurley and videographer Greg Dole shot a piece recently at OTTO Pizza’s Coolidge Corner shop in Brookline, Mass.

If you live in the Boston area, you are undoubtedly familiar with an enormously popular television show called the Phantom Gourmet. If you don’t live in the Boston area, you might want to take a look at it anyway because the Phantom Gourmet consistently highlights the best in Food & Fun in Boston and beyond … including forays into Vacationland to shine their spotlight on some of Maine’s best offerings.

And yesterday, the Phantom Gourmet crew brought their cameras to our OTTO PIzza Coolidge Corner shop to get the story from that angle and show their viewers exactly how the magic happens.

Segment producer Deb Hurley and videographer Greg Dole spent four or five hours at OTTO Pizza, interviewing owners Anthony Allen and Mike Keon, getting a behind-the-scenes take on our specialty pies and shooting footage that will give their viewers a first-hand look at what inspires such fanatical loyalty among our OTTO Pizza customers.

Of course, the inimitable Masher — featuring mashed Maine potatoes, bacon and scallions — was on the menu, but so were several other OTTO Pizza specialties, including the Pulled Pork & Mango, the Butternut Squash, Ricotta and Cranberry (a very popular item with our vegetarian friends) and the often imitated but never duplicated Margherita, which features fresh Roma tomatoes and pungent basil, painstakingly prepared by OTTO Pizza’s kitchen artisans in a delicate chiffonade.

The Phantom Gourmet airs in the Boston media market on myTV38 on Saturday and Sunday 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectively. The show is also a feature on the WBZ4 Evening News. The Phantom Gourmet airs on CW28 in Providence Saturday at 10 a.m. and WPME-TV, the CW, in Maine, on Sundays at 11a.m.

Phantom Gourmet is live on 96.9FM Boston Talks Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The OTTO Pizza segment is expected to air sometime in mid-August.