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| Meat Lovers Pizza |
Situated next to Georgetown Hospital, and just off the Georgetown University campus, Epicurean and Company serves as a "Swiss Army Knife" of sorts for an area short on good places to eat (it's not in the heart of G-Town.) It's home to a busy bar (yes, doctors visit there... after shifts) an expansive daily buffet and a full-service deli with pizza. Guess what I came for?
If you said pizza, give yourself a pat on the back. From a value perspective, it's almost impossible to do better than Epicurean's Pizza Combo... a giant slice of pizza (normally $3.25) and a MEDIUM fountain drink for only four bucks. Best of all, each variety of pizza costs the same (i.e. Cheese = Meat Lovers.) That said, I placed an order for the latter on one of several mounted, iPad-like tablets. Said tablet spits out a receipt, which you take over to a cashier. After that, there's some confusion.
I stopped by late (or early for dinner, just after 5:00 PM) and waited awkwardly for two busy employees behind the deli counter to "process" my order. After a few minutes, I had to interrupt one of them, and ask for my pizza. A few more minutes passed, and I was handed a hot box with my slice inside. I stopped by the Coca-Cola Freestyle dispenser, and poured myself a Fanta Zero Grape. Note: There's an ominous note that reads "NO REFILLS." Not cool, but I'm guessing most college students just ignore the warning: I know I did.
Seating is plentiful (there's also another section across the room, next to the sushi bar.) The entire restaurant is very clean; and there's a nice buzz throughout. I've been here at lunch, and it gets plenty crowded; but there alway's seems to be a spot available.
Hats off to Epicurean for providing an extra generous size of pizza (and a soda) for a relative song: I only wish the pizza was worth it. Serves me right for passing on Pepperoni, and choosing a Meat Lovers. It looked like sausage & pepperoni only; but trouble lay underneath. By trouble, I mean a smörgåsbord of meat (bacon, beef, diced ham, pepperoni and sausage) hidden under a thick, gooey mass of cheese. For some, that sounds like Heaven; but for me... boring me, it was way, way too much. I picked at it, and barely finished any of it. The cheese was sorta tasty, but there was so much of it. Ditto for the meat (I wonder how they make money on this one?) Crust was relatively thick (it has to... there's so much on top.) Odds are, 9 out of 10 will love it: Too bad, I'm the 10th guy in this equation.
Atmosphere: B (Busy, but I like the vibe.)
Crust: C- (Too thick for me.)
Toppings: C- (I know it sounds crazy; but there's too many toppings.)
Value: B (Deserves higher; but if you don't like the pizza...)
Overall: C (Probably improves to at least a B, if I chose Cheese or Pepperoni.)
