John T.
Yelp
4.5
The Nations -- who saw that coming, right? When I decided to make the trek out west to check out a new* pizza spot, I had to take the time to gawk and grouse. Gawk at the amount of construction and new builds in the neighborhood. I didn't have that on my bingo card ten years ago. Grouse because of all the congestion, issues parking, etc. that comes along with that kind of rapid growth.
Midnight Oil is a neighborhood spot. I'm sure it has plenty of patrons - like me- driving to check it out. But it gets more than enough business by locals. The Friday night I visited was packed to the brim. There were people a to e in every square inch of the dining room, bar and overflow area. I managed to push my way to the bar and was surprised** to find an amiable bartender at the other end. He seemed nonplussed by the heavy crowds. He was cheerful and engaging in the face of pure chaos. I was impressed.
I'd done my research so I knew what I wanted. I ordered a slice (yep, you can order by the slice; that's worth a star in and of itself) of Sweet Heat, 3 Meat and Buffalo Chicken to go. The bartender took my order and told me it was 'solid.' Since it was to go (ie I was driving), he gave me a glass of water and told me to stay where I was. Despite the crowd and me taking up a place at the bar with water, he didn't push me aside. Kudos, sir. In an appropriate amount of time, my food was ready and he gave me the big box of my bounty. I wished him well and took off.
Getting home, I took out a bottle of American Blonde ale from the fridge and got to work. The Sweet Heat was a delicious blend of sweet, savory and spicy courtesy of the sliced capicola, jalapeños and honey drizzle. The 3 Meat was packed with bacon, sausage and pepperoni. And the Buffalo Chicken had a BLEU CHEESE BASE and was topped with chicken, celery, bacon, and buffalo sauce. All three slices were huge and delicious. I could barely finished but I egged myself on. I totally understand why it was so packed. Midnight Oil is legit. It's Friday night. You know where to go.
*It was new-ish when I visited.
**Sad to say.