We don’t eat a lot of pizza, not because we don’t want to, but because both Nancy and I gain weight when we order out or cook our own pizza. Pizza is not inherently fattening, except it tastes so good that one tends to eat more than one should. Ergo, weight gain.
Every couple weeks, though, usually on a Sunday night, we order a pizza. I’m not big on those giant pizza franchises. They tend to put more emphasis on their $7.99 coupon specials than they do baking a quality pizza. If I’m going to gain weight, I want the pizza to be worth it.
We had been ordering from a local pizzeria, but lo and behold, they stopped using ordinary pepperoni and went with some sort of mini-pepperoni slices, about the size of a penny. They curled up when they cooked and didn’t taste like regular pepperoni, so we scratched that phone number off our pizza speed dial.
Last Sunday, though, Nancy suggested we eat pizza. But where would we order?
My friend Kevin Mann had recommened a pizza place called End Zone Pizza & Subs two doors up from his State Farm Insurance office at Forest Lakes Shopping Center. Kevin lies about lots of things – golf and fishing come to mind – but when it comes to food, he’s spot on.
So, trusting Kevin, I called End Zone and ordered a large two-topping pizza with thin crust.
“No problem,”said the pleasant voice on the line. “We make all of our crusts to order.”
Twenty minutes later, I picked up a huge box, much larger than the large size of other pizza companies and it was fifteen dollars and change.
A great value, but how did it taste? For me, it was love at the first bite. This was one of the best pizzas I can recall, rivalling authentic New York pizzas in the Italian district. It was loaded with cheeses and the tomato base was perfect. They also put plenty of toppings on our pie and I liked that they cut the pizza into smaller, more manageable squares. That way, since you were eating smaller pieces, maybe you wouldn’t gain as much weight?
Well, we both gained a little weight the next morning, but it was well worth it. After all, when it comes to pizza, it’s not about the coupons, it’s about the quality of the pie. I believe End Zone makes the best pizza in Charlottesville. They run a good operation. Carry out or delivery, call 434-973-8207.