A Little Slice of Heaven

Image by The Pug Father via Flickr

I envision the pizza pie as art. Think of all the creative options that exist in the crust alone.

Thin. Thick. Hand-tossed. Crispy. Chewy. Chewy on the inside, yet deliciously crispy on the outside. Sourdough. Wood-fired. An on and on we go.

Don't even get me started on toppings.

My pizza tastes have certainly changed over the years. As a kid I LOVED the pizza my mom used to make from the Chef Boyardee box. Maybe it was because mom made it and that fact alone made it golden. When mom moved to making her own pizza crust, I moved right along with her.
No more am I swayed by pies from the freezer aisle at the supermarket.
Little Caesar's? No, thank you.

Yes, I have moved far beyond the commercial pizza chains. Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Johns....eh.
I would rather make my own. And I do.

My favorite pie to make myself is a thin crusted number with no sauce. Sometimes I think sauce gets in the way. It can be too thick, too pungent and just overtake all of the other flavors.

I make my crust from scratch. Sure, it's a bit of effort, but then again I only embark on a pizza making endeavor on the weekends. This is not a meal for a weeknight.

I always prebake my crust. This ensures crispiness. Right out of the oven I drizzle a bit of good olive oil, followed by fresh minced garlic, a bit of kosher salt, dried oregano, freshly chopped tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh baby spinach, feta, and sometimes olives if I have them. I will also add pepperoni for The Husband (What is it about men that they just have to have meat?) but honestly the pizza is so good, you don't need the extra calories. Sometimes I add other veggies if I have them. Top it with good mozzarella cheese, pop it in the oven to get it all gooey and folks, you have a winner.

I don't always have time to make my own pizza. Thankfully, I live in Austin which is chock full of interesting and wonderfully Austinish local restaurants.

Like Frank & Angies in downtown Austin, where you can get a pie called the Pavarotti--whole roasted garlic cloves, portobello mushrooms, feta, spinach--which is so good that I don't even mind smelling like garlic the rest of the day. I like it so much that all the times I have been there it is the only item I have ever ordered.

And Niki's NY Style in North Austin. They have the nicest people that will let us in even if they are already closed for the night, superb value and seriously good pizza. They are also The Husband's absolute fave.

I am thinking after today though that Niki's may fall down a notch in the ranks.

Enter Home Slice Pizza in SoCo. This place wins on three fronts:

1. Very cool atmosphere. Kind of retro, kind of modern, and kind of funky, but definitely fun. It was a little dark and moody in there, but with the bright stained glass wall dividers, those cool round brightly colored lanterns hanging from the ceiling--oh and my favorite--those plastic and metal chairs that we used to have in school--it has a nice comfortable vibe. We sat in one of the those booths that wraps around so everyone is facing out. Very cool.

2. Super nice staff. These people are so friendly and kind of goth all at the same time. Which, honestly, is not a combination often seen. These folks are serious about their pizza. It's obvious they love it and want the public to love it. And they do. There was a line waiting outside before they even opened for the day. At 11:30. On a Thursday. In downtown Austin. That's craziness.

3. Deliciousness. I teamed up with my friend and we ordered a large with pepperoni and mushroom. Probably would have been happy with something a bit simpler like the margherita--tomato, basil, mozzarella--but I went all in this time. We also ordered an appetizer called garlic knots. They were scrumptious little yeast dough balls with great buttery garlic flavor and when dunked in marinara--fantastic! The pizza crust was perfect--crispy and chewy and even though it had sauce--I loved it! Very nice and rich with great flavor. Good stuff all around.


I am thinking this is now the best pizza I have experienced in Austin thus far.

If the pizza pie is an art--- Then Home Slice is a master at their craft. Gotta take The Husband and get him converted.
Maybe tomorrow....11:30?