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Pie Slingers Pizzeria

October 5, 2016

Located in Rock Spring, Georgia, near the Chickamauga Battlefield, Pie Slingers Pizzeria serves hand-tossed pizza and beer brewed in house by Phantom Horse Brewery.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Philip has been working at Sigler’s Craft Beer & Cigars for a while now. Working there, he encounters lots of people who work with beer in lots of different capacities, from vendors to distributors to brewers. Sometimes, it sends us on adventures to restaurants we hadn’t heard of, or at least restaurants that aren’t on our radar. Pie Slingers Pizzeria is one of those spots. There used to be a Pie Slingers Pizzeria on Signal Mountain, but we didn’t make it up there before it closed. I knew there was a location in North Georgia, but I hadn’t even added it to my list until the brewer from Phantom Horse Brewery, which is located inside of Pie Slingers, came into Sigler’s and gave Philip a business card to use for a free flight (sampler, for those of you who aren’t familiar with beer-speak).

Philip couldn’t wait to use it, so we headed down there the next week. It was a bit of a drive – about 45 minutes from our house – but really isn’t that much farther than some of the other North Georgia spots we’ve been to. Just past the Chickamauga Battlefield, it didn’t seem too far out. We got there around 5:00 and it wasn’t too crowded, outside of a large group of people that were there for a birthday party. The place is large and open, decorated with lots of retro radios, eight-tracks, and other retro memorabilia. One side houses some arcade games (which, in the wide open space made the restaurant a little loud – just a warning), and each table is decorated in its own unique way (ours had comic book clippings and miniatures under the glass).

Philip was most excited, of course, about the beer. There’s a tiny little room in one corner of the restaurant where the brews are made. You can order pints, flights (4 4-ounce pours), and crowlers (32-ounce can growlers to take home).

I left the beer perusal up to Philip and focused instead on perusing the menu. I was interested in the house made potato chips ($1.50/$2.95), spiral cut and served with ranch dressing. We ultimately decided to order the beer cheese, made with Ole Green Eyes IPA and Working Girl Blonde Ale ($1.50), and Pretzel Bites ($4.95), made with 1891 Oatmeal Cream Stout. We were expecting teeny little pretzel bites and warm beer cheese dip, but what we got were basically pretzel breadsticks and a cream cheese based beer cheese spread. The pretzel bites were hot, soft, and fresh, and the beer cheese was a little tangy with a little bit of a bitter beer bite. Very tasty!

As for pizza, there were several that sounded delicious. I was interested in the Philly Cheesesteak, with garlic butter base, Philly meat, white American cheese, green peppers, and onions; the Buffalo Chicken, with garlic butter base, house-smoked chicken, blue cheese crumbles, and a Frank’s hot sauce drizzle; and the Nacho Mama, with enchilada sauce base, cheddar cheese, taco beef, and tortilla chips, served with a side of lettuce, sour cream, and salsa. We decided on the Nacho Mama, going for a 12-inch for $15.75 (each pie is also available as a 16-inch and a 28-inch. Yes, you read that right. Twenty-eight inch pizza. We saw one get delivered and it was unbelievably large.)

The pizza took a little bit longer than we were expecting to come out, considering that the place wasn’t very crowded. We did see people come in for take-out orders, so it’s definitely possible that there were a lot of take-out orders that we didn’t see going out. The pizza was hot and fresh, though, so were were really okay. The pizza at Pie Slingers Pizzeria is tossed and formed by hand – no dough sheeter in the place – and it’s thin and a little crispy while still a little chewy. I liked the toppings. The meat was well-seasoned and the cheddar cheese was a nice complement, and I liked that they didn’t skimp on the tortilla chips. The lettuce, sour cream, and salsa were all served in one bowl, and I thought that it would have made more sense if they had been served in separate containers. Actually, I would have liked for the sour cream to have been drizzled over (I often put my sour cream in a plastic bag and pipe it onto my tacos)…but those are just details. The pizza was definitely tasty.

Pie Slingers Pizzeria is a bit too much of a drive to make it a regular spot for us, but if we head down in that direction we would definitely stop in again to try another one of their pies. Philip liked the brews from Phantom Horse a lot and even got a crowler to bring home.

If you’re looking for pizza in the Fort Oglethorpe/Rock Spring area, check out Pie Slingers Pizzeria!

Pie Slingers Pizzeria is located at 56A Fieldstone Village Drive, Rock Spring, GA, 30739. They are open Monday – Tuesday, 11 – 8:30, Wednesday – Thursday, 11 – 9, Friday – Saturday, 11 – 9:30, and Sunday 12 – 9. You can call them at (706) 375-9182. You can find out more on the Pie Slingers Pizzeria website or on the Pie Slingers Facebook page. You can also follow @pieslingers on Twitter and on Instagram.

Community Pie: New York Style Pizza

December 15, 2013

Community Pie has fantastic pizza, both Neapolitan style and their new New York style pizza. Is it authentic? No clue. Do I care? Nope. It’s delicious!

I first wrote about the Monen’s pizza restaurant, Community Pie, in February. I’ve written about all of their other establishments-Taco Mamacita, Urban Stack Burger Lounge, and Milk & Honey-as well. In October I received an email letting me know that they were now serving New York style pizza at Community Pie, followed by a Facebook message offering me a gift certificate to come in and check it out (and as a thank you for all the free plugs for their many great restaurants). So there you go…now you all know that I ate (mostly) for free on this visit. However, if I didn’t like it….you know I wouldn’t write about it. That’s just my style.

We needed to head downtown to pick up some coffee at Velo anyway, so Philip and I decided to go to Community Pie for a late(ish) lunch. There weren’t a ton of people in the restaurant when we got there at about 1:30, but it definitely wasn’t dead for an after-lunch crowd on a cold, rainy, and dreary Saturday. We were quickly seated and our server took our drink orders and talked to us about the newly introduced New York style pies, which come in 14 and 19-inch whole pies as well as slices. You can order a specialty pie or top your own, and the slices come in cheese, pepperoni, supreme, and “home slice” which is the special of the day (the special when we visited was the aphro, short for Aphrodite, with lemon roasted chicken, tomato, feta, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, red onion and pepperoncini peppers.

The last time that we were here we split an arugula salad, but I had really wanted to try the raw kale salad, of which I’d heard so many good things, so I ordered one. Philip ordered a Caesar salad, and we decided to get an order of garlic knots as well. The garlic knots came first, hot, crispy, and covered with parmesan cheese and julienned fresh basil. They were quite tasty, and the marinara was very interesting, with a smoky flavor that reminded me of chipotles (but it wasn’t really spicy). Our server told us that there was bacon in the sauce, which is probably where the smokiness came from. The sauce also contains San Marzano tomatoes and a little bit of chocolate. Amen and amen.

I loved the kale salad. Let me say that again: I loved the kale salad. I really, really enjoyed the arugula salad before, but the kale salad was over the top delicious. If you are someone who is convinced that kale is gross….well, stop it. Just stop. Kale is fantastic….you just have to know how to treat it. Massage (literally!) and a little acid will break down the fibers of the kale and make it yield to chewing much more easily. This kale was wonderfully tender, well-dressed with a tart-but-not-overly-so champagne vinaigrette, with dried cranberries, slivered almonds, and grated parmesan. It was amazing, and I want to eat it every day (I should really make this kale salad again soon!). Philip liked his Caesar as well. The romaine leaves were well-coated in a very lemony Caesar dressing (too little Caesar dressing is a travesty) and topped with grated parmesan and plenty of house made croutons. I hate getting a Caesar that has approximately 2.5 croutons and a sad little sprinkling of cheese. This was not that salad.

Now, before I start talking about the pizza, I need to say something. I have never been to New York and therefore I’ve never had “real” New York style pizza. I have heard from many that the pizza at New York Pizza Department is pretty authentic, but I have no experience to draw on there. I was scolded by a friend after that review for getting toppings that no New Yorker would ever order on their pizza (I got BLT and Philip got Buffalo chicken) but we ordered what sounded good to us because our reviews are based on what sounds and tastes good to us. So, I have no idea if Community Pie’s New York style pizza is “authentic” (by the way…this is why I’ve never written about sushi).

Philip thought the Demarco pizza, with fresh and shredded mozzarella, hand torn basil, extra virgin olive oil and pecorino romano, sounded good. And it did, but I kind of wanted to try a more signature Community Pie…pie. He was also into the Spicy Bianca, with olive oil, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, garlic, basil, pecorino romano and calabrian chiles (no tomato sauce), but I was scared that one might be a little spicy for my wimpy palate. The Drunk Pig sounded great, with vodka sauce, Community Pie ricotta, homemade fennel sausage, fresh mozzarella, parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper (you know my love for vodka sauce) but ultimately, we decided on the Bianca Supreme (olive oil, fresh mozzarella, spinach, mushrooms, bacon and gorgonzola-no tomato sauce). The 14-inch, which our server described to us as “good for two people” was pretty gigantic. It was cut into six slices, of which I ate one and Philip had two (we brought the other three home).

This pie was sturdier than the Neopolitan pies that we sampled on our first visit, which I preferred to eat with a fork. The crust was very thin until we got to the edge, when the border was wonderfully chewy and crunchy at the same time. The amount of cheese was perfect and the pizza was topped with just the right ratio of each ingredient, including a liberal amount of bacon. Philip did comment that he would have liked a little more gorgonzola, but overall, this pizza was perfect that way it was.

More pizza in Chattanooga: Crust, Lupi’s Pizza Pies, New York Pizza Department, The Pizza Place, Hill City Pizza

Now, I cannot leave an establishment serving gelato-especially Milk & Honey gelat0-without having some, so we ordered some salted caramel and pistachio (two separate flavors, but you can get up to three flavors in your cup) to split. Other flavors available were the signature flavor, Milk & Honey, chocolate Oreo, and vanilla latte. As always, the gelato was perfect. I was a little surprised to find that I preferred the salted caramel to the pistachio, but I would order either (or both) again.

Our total for this visit was $39 and some change pre-tip. As I’ve said before, it’s not a place to go for a cheap pizza dinner, but for a creative and delicious pizza I think it’s worth it as an occasional treat. Is it authentic? I have no clue. Do I care? Nope.

So, I think you should try New York style pizza at Community Pie.

For another review, check out my bloggie friend Emily’s recent review.

Community Pie is located at 850 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402. They are open Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. You can call them at 423-486-1PIE. Check out their website, CommunityPie.com. You can also like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Lupi’s Pizza Hixson

October 27, 2013

Lupi’s Pizza in Hixson, Tennessee uses as many local ingredients as possible in their delicious, fresh pizzas, salads, pastas, and breads.

I’ve written about the Lupi’s Pizza in Hixson location once before, at the very end of my 2012 summer break when I just couldn’t find the will to cook. Okay, so that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but after many years as a teacher I have learned a couple of things: (1) I don’t want to cook the night before I have to go back to work, even though there are no kids on that first day back; and (b) I don’t want to cook on the first day of school, though this year I sucked it up and did just that. Actually, I think I did both of those things. But anyway.

I decided that because I just wrote about a take-out pizza that I wasn’t really doing a review of Lupi’s justice. For some reason (maybe because I am so comfortable and happy making pizza in my own kitchen, so that’s where the majority of the pizza that I eat comes from), I rarely think of Lupi’s when trying to decide on a place to eat, even though it is easily the most local (in terms of the sources of their ingredients) restaurant in the Hixson area and I’ve always enjoyed their food. After a recent visit with a friend where I topped a couple of slices with weirdo combinations of ingredients (which are definitely my forté), I decided it was time for a return review.

Because Lupi’s Pizza definitely fills up on weekend evenings (really, every evening but especially weekends) we decided to go early, arriving about 5:30. There were only a handful of people in the dining room at the time and lots of empty spaces in the parking lot. By the time we left, the dining room was definitely filling up and parking was scarce. There was a lady ordering when we walked in, but we needed a minute to peruse the menu so it worked out pretty much perfectly. We quickly decided on our order and were helped by a friendly cashier. She gave us a table number (well, actually, it was a table word-Lupi’s) and sent us on our way. Drinks are self-service, so we filled up our water cups and moved along.

Our food took about ten minutes or so, so I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures of the whimsical clouds hanging from the ceiling and the strange trees that for some reason make me think of the Wizard of Oz. If you sit in just the right spot (we didn’t, because we wanted to sit near the window) you can watch the kitchen staff tossing and working the pizza dough behind the counter, which is one of my favorite things in a pizza restaurant.

We decided to each order one slice. I got mine with the classic combo of spinach and artichoke hearts, and Philip decided on pepperoni and roasted garlic. The slices are large but if you are just having pizza you should definitely plan on at least two slices (the cashier has a handy wooden pizza slice that they can show you so that you can see the size of the slices). Slices can be topped however you’d like, but you cannot order special sauces (like white sauce) on the slices. The first time that I reviewed them and the last time I visited, I had the honey-wheat crust, so this time I got the regular (white) crust. I decided that, while the honey-wheat crust was perfectly tasty, I definitely prefer the regular crust, which is perfectly crispy, thin, and charred just a little, just the way I like my pizza. The toppings are fresh and evenly distributed (though I did cut my artichoke hearts into smaller pieces and sprinkle them over a greater area of the pizza), and the ratios of topping/cheese/sauce/crust are excellent (I despise an overtopped pizza). By the way, Philip’s pizza had whole cloves of well-roasted garlic (so they weren’t biting or overwhelming but just had a sweet garlic pungency).

Since a friend had told me that the lasagna was excellent, I really wanted to try it as well, so Philip and I decided to split an order of the vegetable lasagna in addition to our pizza. One thing that Philip observed was that there was a lot of liquid in the dish, but I have to say from experience that it is nearly impossible to heat up a pre made vegetable lasagna without some liquid leaching from it, and making lasagna is a lengthy process that would be next to impossible (if not entirely impossible) to do from scratch to order. The proof would definitely have to be in the pudding (or the pasta)…and it was. The vegetables-spinach, mushrooms, and zucchini-were nice and fresh, with no ingredient overwhelming the others. The sauce was a very fresh-tasting tomato sauce with a good hint of basil, and it was nice and cheesy without being too cheesy. There was no burnt lasagna noodle crust, which I consider to be quite an impressive feat. The house made roll served on the side was tasty, chewy (in a good way) instead of crusty, and hot but not “fresh out of the microwave” hot. I would love to eat this lasagna again.

The thing I love the most about Lupi’s Pizza is their commitment to serving local products as much as possible. I also appreciate their simple menu. While they have a great selection of pizza and calzone toppings/fillings, they don’t overwhelm you with a million separate menu items. When restaurants only make a few things, they are more likely to do them very well, and Lupi’s definitely does pizza very, very well. I would also love to try their salad sometime….maybe next time. I don’t remember the total for our meal, but it was around $20.

Lupi’s Pizza located at 5506 Hixson Pike, Hixson, TN. You can call Lupi’s in Hixson at 423-847-3700. You can read more about them (including their other locations) on their website, http://www.lupi.com. You can like Lupi’s Pizza on Facebook

More pizza in Chattanooga: New York Pizza Department, Crust Pizza, The Pizza Place, Community Pie, Hill City Pizza

Community Pie-February 23, 2013

February 24, 2013

Several months back, as I was driving from work to the farmers market by way of Market Street, I looked over and noticed a “coming soon” restaurant in the space that was the original Market Street Tavern: Community Pie. How odd, I thought, that another pie place would come in across the street from Fork & Pie Bar…then I realized that the word “pie” was in reference to pizza pies. Neapolitan pies, to be exact. And gelato.

And I swooned. Because gelato is the stuff of my dreams.

I waited a good long while to hear that Community Pie had opened, then another drive-by had me thinking the whole thing had fallen through…but then Emily Rose, another Chattanooga blogger, wrote about them on her blog and a bunch of other people started mentioning them and then I realized I had totally missed something.

Don’t these restaurants know they’re supposed to alert me of their openings?

I’m totally kidding. Not really…okay, a little.

Anyway, I’ve been really dying to go there for at least two weeks now, so when we set out today with no real plan for lunch it seemed like a golden opportunity I would be a fool to pass up. The weather was very nice, which helped because we like to park not too close and walk. Walking between the buildings downtown is like walking in an Arctic wind tunnel on a cold day. The place was crowded but we were still seated immediately. We were struck by the decor….they opened up the space (which was sectioned into three or four rooms before) and really did it up, with gorgeous gray ceilings, painted brick walls (of which I completely forgot to take a photo) and cool light fixtures. Even the restrooms were interesting (if a little different from the rest of the joint) with graffiti painted on the walls.

The front side of the menu consists of appetizers (such as Kobe meatballs, fried cheese, and tomato soup & grilled cheese), toast (toasted open-faced Niedlov’s bread topped with homemade goodies & artisinal charcuterie), and salads. Despite the fact that I had heard very flattering things about the kale salad, I figured I’d blogged enough about kale salad this week plus Philip likes arugula more than kale, so we decided on the arugula salad (with pine nuts, Pecorino Romano, cracked black pepper, and lemon vinaigrette). We also decided on the truffled egg & speck toast (speck is an Italian ham). We strongly considered the creamy mushroom toast but ultimately decided to order the one that was topped with the smoky pork product-big surprise, right?

The arugula salad was very fresh (no wilted pieces-rare indeed!). The Romano cheese was shaved, not grated, on top and it was very strong….the perfect complement to the peppery greens. I love love loved the lemon vinaigrette…very lemony indeed but not off-putting, seasoned perfectly. The toast? Wow. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I was not disappointed. The toast was very crunchy and topped with a couple of slices of ham and a gigantic scoop of truffled egg salad on each half, garnished with chopped dill. The only thing that was a little difficult was biting through the generous amount of ham with my teeth…but this is not a bad thing. I must crack the code for the truffled egg salad (and perhaps the lemon vinaigrette too!).

While many of the pizzas sounded amazing (pork confit? duck confit? roasted mushroom?), we zeroed in on three in particular: sweet fig (prosciutto, gorgonzola, kalamata olives, goat gouda, homemade fig preserves, arugula, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt); carbonara (pancetta, green onion, black pepper, mascarpone cream sauce, fresh mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and egg); and Nueske’s bacon (fingerling potatoes, thyme, caramelized onions, fontina, Tilamook sharp white cheddar, arugula, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt). After a short deliberation, we settled on the Nueske’s bacon pizza. The pizza arrived without the arugula, but Tripp, our server, was quick to bring out a plate of it for us to throw on the pizza. It was good without the arugula, but there is just something about a pizza topped with arugula that is hard to beat. The crust was charred from the pizza oven. It was thin but chewy, which is a rare quality in a pizza and everything on it was perfectly cooked with the toppings proportioned just right. Also, I’ve read a few Urbanspoon reviews complaining that the middle of the pizza was too soggy, but with some research found several websites that stated that Neapolitan pizza often does have this slight sog to the middle. While it wasn’t super-crisp, I didn’t find it to be “soggy” or “soupy” but delicious!

Of course, as I mentioned at the beginning, I am a gelato-phile so there was no question that I would be sampling some Milk & Honey gelato (Milk & Honey is owned by the same company that owns Community Pie-more on that in a minute). Some of the offerings today (they change frequently) were the signature milk & honey, lavender & honey, chocolate macaroon, a vanilla with chocolate chunks (I can’t remember the name!), pear sorbet, and celery-ginger. I decided on the lavender & honey (I have a weakness for lavender-flavored things) while Philip decided to get milk & honey and chocolate macaroon (you can get up to three flavors in one of the 4-ounce servings). The milk & honey flavor was very simple and clean-tasting; the chocolate macaroon sweet but not cloying, chocolately but not bitter, and with just the right amount of coconut flavor. The lavender & honey? It made my eyes roll back into my head. Perfect. Just perfect….the lavender was strong and the texture and sweetness just right. I practically licked the dish clean. By the way, if you were wondering….gelato is a sort of Italian ice cream. It has a lower butterfat content than ice cream because the proportion of milk to cream is higher, and it is denser because less air is whipped into it.

Tripp, our server, was very attentive and friendly. He checked back on us several times and was quick to take care of anything that we needed (e.g. the arugula!). I asked him who owned the restaurant and he told me that it is owned by Taylor & Mike Monen, who also own Taco Mamacita and Urban Stack Burger Lounge. They will be opening an official storefront for Milk & Honey soon, selling gelato, popsicles, and other confections. Exciting!

I won’t lie, this was a little pricier than your typical pizza experience-our total was about $35 before tip. I was very happy with the food, the service, and the atmosphere, though, and, as you well know, I don’t mind paying a little more for those things. It’s not like we eat out every day! I highly recommend Community Pie!

Community Pie is located at 850 Market Street #100, Chattanooga, TN 37402. You can call them at 423-486-1pie. Check out their website, http://communitypie.com, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter (though they haven’t really gotten into the tweeting game just yet!).

New York Pizza Department-January 5, 2013

January 6, 2013

When I was a kid I didn’t like pizza. No joke. I don’t think I was awakened to the fact that pizza was, in fact, a good thing until I was about middle-school age, when our teachers would occasionally allow us to partner up with a classmate and order from the nearby Pizza Hut for lunch. I have no idea what my aversion to pizza was-the sauce, perhaps, or the toppings that my parents ordered (supreme, usually) but I would beg for everyone’s crusts because that was the only part of the pizza I would eat. Now, I have to admit, pizza is one of my more frequent “impulse dining out” indulgences, since there is a Domino’s two miles from my house. Admittedly, Bi-lo is in the same plaza, so I should probably just go there and some mozzarella and make my own…but sometimes, I just….don’t. When you’ve had a rough day, carryout is just easier. You’ve all been there.

There aren’t an awful lot of places in this area making pizza from scratch so I was intrigued when I saw the storefront for New York Pizza Department pop up across from Wal-Mart in Hixson. I don’t remember what was there before it came in or if anything was there at all, but I remember wondering if it was to be locally owned or if it was a chain/franchise. One day last summer Philip and I were out and about and realized that we needed to eat, so we stopped there. I checked on my phone and came to the conclusion that New York Pizza Department was a chain, presumably because there were several other locations that popped up in the search engine.

Since then, several people have suggested that I blog about them, and I once told someone that I wouldn’t blog about them because they were a chain. He called me out, saying that he was pretty sure they were not a chain, so I messaged them and found out that they are indeed locally owned. The owners are originally from New York and saw a need for true New York-style pizza in this area. They decided to name the restaurant New York Pizza Department because of their family ties to first responders in the New York area and to honor those who served on 9/11 and continue to serve-in New York and around the world-as first responders, armed forces, etc. Since my dad is a firefighter and my grandfather was an officer in the Air Force, I love the nod to those who make these sacrifices for others.

Since we are still recovering from the holiday eating frenzy, we weren’t looking for a huge, rich meal. Pizza seemed a perfect answer to our burgeoning hunger, plus we had a coupon for a free entrée from our Adventures in Dining guide. We had tried to go the week before Christmas, but they were packed out with shoppers (I am not exaggerating…people were lined up to the door). They were pretty crowded when we went in…I guess we hit the last of the lunch crowd at 1:45 because I snagged the next to last table then suddenly all the tables around us were open. When you walk in, there is a wrap-around line with pizzas displayed in a case. You choose your pizza (stromboli, etc.), order, and sit down, then someone calls you to a window several minutes later to give you your order.

There’s quite a selection of pizza, but on this day the Blue Light Trooper (ahem, BLT) pizza caught my eye. If you are a regular reader you will understand why BLT pizza reeled me in (um, my love of bacon and the story in this post). The Blue Light Trooper is a slice with sauce, mozzarella, bacon, tomatoes, and lettuce/light mayo on request (which, of course, I ordered….you can’t have the “L” without lettuce!). Now, these slices are huge and I can’t imagine how someone can eat two, which is what is included in the daily lunch special (2 slices of cheese and a drink for $6.95) but the guys behind us each had 2 slices plus garlic knots, so I suppose it can be done. I did well to finish this slice. There was plenty of bacon, which was definitely a good thing, not too many, not too few slices of Roma tomatoes, chopped iceberg lettuce, and a light drizzle of mayo. The crust is thin and crunchy but chewy at the same time (not cracker-y like what you would find at Crust). Quite good.

Philip decided on the Blazin’ Brooklyn Buffalo, with tomato, mozzarella, grilled chicken, Buffalo sauce, and ranch dressing. When the slice first came out, he did not think it had enough Buffalo sauce on it…you couldn’t see the sauce, so I am not sure if it was under the cheese or not, but he didn’t taste it, so he went up and asked for more. The guy at the window generously drizzled the sauce over the top of Philip’s pizza…I mean, he covered Philip’s pizza with Buffalo sauce, which Philip declared “more like it”. He really liked the pizza but would have preferred it with blue cheese dressing since he feels that Buffalo and blue cheese are pretty much the perfect pair….and he didn’t like it as much as the first Buffalo chicken pizza he ever had, at Portland Pie Company in Portland, Maine…but I don’t think anyone is ever going to measure up to that pizza.

We also had an order of six garlic knots with a side of marinara. The marinara here is slightly spicy, a little chunky, and perfectly seasoned. Very tasty. The garlic knots were not quite as soft as they were the time we ate here before, but instead just a little bit crispy on the outside (which was still a good thing) with a nice amount of garlic butter and parmesan sprinkle on the outside. Not overpowering and not swimming in butter like the garlic knots that you order at some restaurants.

New York PIzza Department’s menu lists seventeen specialty pies plus cheese, Sicilian, and top-your-own (slices ranging from $2.75 to $4.50-I think and gigantic whole pies ranging from $14.95 for plain cheese to $25.95 for the 911, which has tons of toppings). They also offer sandwiches, calzones and strombolis, pinwheels (fillings rolled up into dough like a cinnamon roll), salad, appetizers, and desserts. Our order was $11 and some change, including our garlic knots, $0.50 for a side of marinara, 2 drinks (which was part of the coupon stipulation) and my slice. Philip’s slice (which would have been $4.50) was free with the coupon.

I have seen people argue over who has the best pizza in Chattanooga. NYPD? Crust? The Pizza Place? Lupi’s? Honestly, they all serve a different type of product, so it would really be impossible to declare a winner. I think all of the above are excellent pizza restaurants, making their products in-house, putting lots of thought into their menu, and serving up great pizza to a city that is anxious to devour locally-made products. It all comes down to taste, and I have to admit that I love them all. I love pizza. New York Pizza Department has definitely filled a niche in the Hixson area that needed to be filled and Philip and I were commenting that they probably need to expand their smallish space to accommodate their customer base which is apparently growing quite large. Good for them.

New York Pizza Department is located at 5731 Highway 154, Hixson, TN 37343. You can call them at 423-531-8830. Check out their website, http://www.indoughwecrust.com/index.html and their Facebook page.

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