Pizza joints for the summer
Like many of you, I am a big fan of that delectable cheesy bread that is pizza.
My journey with cheese pizza began when I was young, and I have since refined my tastes. I am not a snob, but I do enjoy a good slice and have reasonable requirements.
Crust!
I love a slice of pizza that has a thin and crisp undercrust. I like to be able to hear myself take a bite. I want the crust to have some taste, but not be overpowering.
Sauce!
I expect the sauce to be tangy, but have some notes of sweetness. I have found that some places slather on too much or too little sauce. It’s hard to describe the perfect medium without having a slice in front of me, but if I were to peel back the cheese, I should be able to see part of the crusts’ color.
Cheese!
Speaking of cheese, I want it to be stretchy! If I take a bite and I don’t have burning hot cheese oozing off the slice, that’s wrong.
Atmosphere!
I am looking for signs of strict COVID-19 guidelines; I want to feel safe while grabbing a slice. I will be asking myself, “Is this someplace I would actually want to eat or take my friends to?” If possible, outdoor seating would be a bonus. In regards to wall decor, I don’t have too many expectations, but I want the company’s personality to really shine here. Same with packaging - I want to see unique packaging that represents the company.
I selected restaurants by narrowing my search to a two-mile radius of 23rd Avenue because many Catlin Gabel students flock there. I was looking for reasonably priced pizza shops that had over four stars on Yelp. On the day I researched restaurants, May 21, I found three local hot spots: Straight From New York Pizza, Escape From New York Pizza, and 21st Century Pizza. I decided to review the most basic pizza: cheese.
$3.75 a slice | 2241 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97205
This joint is located off Burnside at NW 22nd Place. The atmosphere excluded very strong Portland vibes with rustic elements frequently placed throughout, and the fairy lights adorning the walls. The floor, walls and any other available place was covered with different COVID-19 guidelines and reminders
They had a few pieces of random material on an unused table that were a bit odd and took away from the atmosphere. The materials discouraged me from playing pinball while I waited.
Ordering was easy enough, but the service was challenging. A job interview was being conducted three feet from the cash register while I was ordering and continued while I was waiting. They burnt my slice because the two workers were trying to multitask, and failing. The wait time was about seven minutes, which I think is outrageous for a slice of pizza considering I was the only customer.
I liked the packaging and enjoyed the classic ‘pizza’ drawings. I also received napkins; something I thought I would never be excited about!
The slice was huge even for NY style. I had to eat with both of my hands and pray that I could handle the magnitude of the ginormous slice. The crust was not necessarily crunchy, but was quite thin. I would have liked to have seen more bite! Saucewise, it lacked flavor and appeared that it was not seasoned. The amount was fine, but it didn’t jump out at me. In fact, I even peeled back part of the cheese to taste the sauce with the bread itself, and I was not impressed. It did not compliment the ‘za at all. Very boring and tasteless. Cheesewise, it was 100% not stretchy, but I did like the taste. As far as pizza goes, it was fine.
$3 a slice | 1221 SW Jefferson St, Portland, OR 97201
I visited the window with small chalkboards covered in different welcoming pastels and placed my order. There was one person in front of me, and I walked away within three minutes. As far as COVID-19 guidelines go, there was only one sign. However, as the ‘shop’ was a window, it didn't matter too much.
I liked the packaging of this slice the best. It came in a small triangle box with red and white images on the front. Pizza-wise, this store struggled. I was not impressed at all. The crust was very thick, hard, and overall bland. The amount of sauce was good and it was tangy. It was missing the sweetness but I can overlook that. The cheese was hard and came off the pizza in clumps. It was odd because the pizza was literally burning my hands, yet the cheese was not even close to being melty. If you like thicker crust, this might be the place for you, but I did not enjoy the experience.
$4.20 a slice | 622 NW 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97210
Escape From New York Pizza has a prominent position located on 23rd Ave. I was imagining it to be located on a corner, meaning that it would have cute seating and large umbrellas. This was not the case, and I was a little disappointed to not have the option to enjoy my slice in front of the shop.
Once in the shop, the throwback charm was eminent. The floor was the classic black and white checkered tile and there was a long row of red barstools. Any available wall space was covered with different memorabilia. They had a simple menu with only four entrees. Through the front window of the narrow shop, the only thing one could view from the street was the pizza-making station. There was a person there, desperately flipping the dough to keep up with the orders. As far as COVID-19 safety goes, I was not permitted to enter the building until the previous customers had placed the order and left. I believe there was a two-person limit.
They had a simple menu, with only three types of pizza and a caesar salad. One slice of cheese pizza was $4.20, which is a bit on the higher side for a slice, but still somewhat reasonable. Their packaging was quite plain. My slice of cheese pizza was placed between two white, paper plates in a paper bag with no napkins! As far as the crust goes, I literally could not have asked for a better crust. It may have been the best crust I’ve had in my life. It was crunchy on the first bite, not too thick, and the inside of the crust still had chew. The pizza was greasy, and this would not have been much of a problem save the fact that they did not provide me with napkins. The cheese did not necessarily melt, but it did have a slight stretch. Overall, the only flaws of Escape From New York Pizza were quite minor. I give this joint a solid 4.5 / 5 slices.