Stacey P.
Yelp
Dear South Town Pie,
We have been apart for many months since COVID-19 brought the city into a lockdown and I suddenly found myself working at home many miles from you. The distance never diminished my fondness as I would try other nearby pizza places and felt that my stomach had a pizza shaped hole that no other pizza but your pizza could completely fill. I found I missed your flavorful cheese pizza, your delightful sausage pizza, and your zippy pepperoni pizza. Yours was the only thin crust pizza I ever loved and no other pizzeria was going to be able to compete.
I will admit I never found the distance to be off putting. I had driven further for less. But pizza is a communal experience and I had no one to share your pizza with. With the only person in COVID lockdown with me being lactose intolerant it felt impossible to eat an 18" pizza by myself and while there were options I could not convince my waistline that an 18" pizza was wise for two people.
Then restrictions lifted a little and a pathway could be seen. My friend had a birthday. I arranged a gathering. And now I had a reason to order your pizza.
I reviewed your menu and opted for a half and half. Half of the pizza was traditional pepperoni. Half the pizza was a cheese-less bacon, sausage, pastrami, pepperoni, ham pizza. I indicated online I would pick it up at 4:30. I, of course, mismanage my time and do not arrive until 4:40. I parked in the back lot, stared longingly at the back patio reminiscing on life in the past, and went to pick up my pizza and cheese bread.
The cook in the back saw me immediately as I entered and waved. How nice. I saw how the restaurant was arranged so that the dining room doors were closed and only the pick up side was open with the dining room side was obscured. It made me nostalgic for that giant bar. The cook went to the closed dining room, informed the person that I was there, and she came back with him where he promptly went back to making pizza. The lady verified how I placed my order and my name and provided me my still hot pizza boxes. Everyone was wearing masks and gloves.
I wish I could tell you that the pizza was delicious. It looked delicious. The two sides were perfect. There was so much meat on the meat side I actually couldn't tell if the cheese was omitted. There was no cheese and so much meat. The pepperoni side was generously portioned with pepperoni but perfectly spaced. It smelled delicious. The smell of cooked pepperoni is undeniable. The cheese bread looked fantastic. Puffy, cheesy, delightful. I wish I could tell you how it tasted.
I can't tell you how it tasted because everyone else ate it all. In the beginning no one was touching the giant pizza. They glanced at it and said how full they were. How they were on a diet. How they weren't going to eat. Then one person took one slice, magic happened, and both boxes were cleared faster than I could say "Save me a slice". I was left with no pizza.
But am I mad? Nope, not in the slightest. Because here's the thing. No one but me had heard of you that was there that evening. They asked if it was pizza from a variety of other locations and so I informed them of South Town Pie and about your unicorn pizzas and how no other pizzeria compares to you. Everyone agrees your pizza was fantastic talking about the crust, the sauce, and the toppings. Everyone was full and happy.
That was worth spending money on a pizza I didn't get to eat. Thank you for making my BF's birthday memorable.