Thursday, August 29, 2013

A Slice of Italy Pizzeria Food Review

Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza

Food courts are normally a last resort when it comes to lunch; but every now and then, a man needs food... and he needs it fast. Just past 2:00 PM, I reluctantly ambled up the escalator steps to eat at National Place in search of something cheap, easy and quick. It didn't take long to find A Slice of Italy Pizzeria: I'm not sure if I've eaten here before (I probably have) but it's hard to argue with a daily special of two Chicago-style slices of pizza and a 32 oz. fountain drink for just $6.99.

I was taken care of quickly, especially after passing on having my pizza heated up: The cashier was efficient and friendly, and had me on my way within two minutes... Impressive. Since it was relatively late in the day for a "downtown lunch," I had my choice of seats towards the back. The food court was spacious and relatively clean, with a healthy dose of A/C. No complaints, except for the unwelcome solicitation mid-bite by some homeless guy selling copies of Street Sense. Hmm... I thought it was called Street Sense, because you're supposed to sell it on the street: Remind me to write an editorial about that one day.


Undeterred, I continued to enjoy my two slices of Sausage & Pepperoni thick crust pizza. For starters, one slice is more than enough for one person (even one with an appetite like mine.) The crust is to die for, although a bit doughy inside: I loved its gorgeous, golden brown color (very appetizing!) Toppings were a toss-up: Sausage was flavorless and tiny (almost crumb-like) and the pepperoni bland. On the other hand, thumbs-up for the cheese and sauce (although I would have liked a little more of the latter.) For a food court... excellent, especially with a giant 32 oz. soda to help wash it down. I'd actually go back again, and that's something you won't hear me say too often.

Atmosphere: C+ (Hard to ignore some homeless dude walking right up to you.)
Crust: B+ (Killer crust, but too doughy to be perfect.)
Toppings: C+
Service: B
Value: B+ (Lots of food & drink for 7 bucks!)
Overall: B (Graded on a curve: Perhaps there's hope for all food courts?)