CRUST: Wheat

BASE: Pesto, herb

TOPPINGS: Mozzarella, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, red onions, banana peppers, tomatoes, basil, garlic, pineapples

The last time I actually had good pizza was a year ago. Due to my place of residence, a well-priced pizza is an extremely rare commodity, with the only two things rarer in this city being pure gold and a non-science, non-engineering major. When I first heard that we were heading out to Pieology, I nearly flipped the table I was sitting at. I was excited to try a restaurant that I hadn’t already heard a myriad of rumors about, and the name of the business promised that it would be an interesting place to be.

When I first arrived at Pieology, the simple and warm building made me feel oddly at home. Watching my pizza being created before my very eyes allowed me to carefully observe the process, which was a quick and easy way to build trust with the servers and correct any misunderstandings. What also earned my respect was the sheer patience and delicacy with which the cooks arranged my dish. Each topping was carefully placed in an eye pleasing manner, be it the concentric circles in which my meats were arranged, or how my banana peppers were placed at the end of the pizza to give it a bright splash of color.

The taste certainly didn’t disappoint either. The fresh snap that resounded when I tore slices off of the pizza brought a smile to my face, and the pizza was heated to a comforting warmth that made it easy to consume on the spot. The salt of the meat and the sweetness of the pineapple balanced each other perfectly, with the sharp tang of the banana peppers bringing the taste to a satisfying finale. However, the greasiness of the dish made it hard to eat with my bare hands. I could also feel the grease whenever I took a bite, which detracted from the overall freshness by occasionally overwhelming it with an oily tang.

One final thing that earned major respect for the establishment in my eyes was the sheer generosity of the staff. When I realized that the pizzeria stocked candied walnuts as an optional topping, I was crushed by disappointment, for I had accidentally forsaken them in my hunger. I remember wistfully resigning myself to a walnut free future, when all of a sudden, my secret desire was granted. The staff gave me a cup of candied walnuts free of charge, simply because I had asked for one. I hope other businesses follow suit with this practice, because this experience elevated the restaurant from simply great to memorable.