10 Stops for Amazing Pizza in Asheville, North Carolina

"Pizza nerds take notice: Contrada hits all the key metrics. First, there’s the dough, simultaneously fluffy and firm, a bit sour from a 24-hour ferment. Then there’s the crackly bottom, leopard-spotted from a quick trip in a hot oven, and dusted with semolina. Finally, there are the toppings, which change nightly and have included a bold red-sauce-only rosso pie, peaches with prosciutto, and stracciatella with black truffles. The limited menu often includes a handful of salads and sometimes sandwiches, along with a fine wine list and cocktails on tap. All of this happens in a space no bigger than a walk-in closet that looks like a European aperitif bar, with shaded tables outside along pedestrian-focused Wall Street. If it’s raining and both of the two (that’s right: two) tables inside are taken, there’s always a tight row of window seats that can — luckily — just barely fit a pizza tray." - Eric Barton