February 28, 2009

Southside and the B-52’s

It’s late February, and today I wore shorts and sandals for the first time this year. The feeling of a breeze swifting through your semi-bare feet is…phenomenal.

BJamba and I grab lunch today at Southside Flying Pizza. The parking lot is a cramped one-row array, but easily find a spot as it is 5 til noon.

dscn5160_mod

We order a 12″ Margherita Pizza. BJamba generously offers to take the tab (friends are awesome!). Margherita is one of my favorite pies to benchmark.

I like the vibe at Southside. We find our table and I feel a strong sense of comfort. No, it’s not the fact that that our chosen table sported a B-52’s mural (Love Shack, baby!). It was simply that things were calm: no rush to order, no rush to get seated. I had breathing space, no stuffy feeling. And windows giving a nice diffuse light, not glaring. It’s a Friday lunch time, and just a few other parties are dining with pizza as we are.

dscn5147_mod

We started talking about the new Street Fighter movie coming out, tennis, a desire to start bike commuting. Then the flow of conversation somehow shifted to  ”What to do wih free time?”. Great question. I wish I coud say that I was filling that time in world-changing ways.

BJamba is a former Marathon runner, and the training to work up to that accomplishment gave a sense of purpose. I remember him teaching me some great post-running stretches a year ago when I was training for a 10K. Races are great in this respect. The things is, when you work towards something, goal or otherwise, it is inherently easy to feel purposeful.

But then then there’s always those inbetween times. Thinking of where to go next. I think BJamba and I are both in that situation now.

dscn5151_mod

As I think about it some more, I’m not sure if feeling purposeful is always something that life beckons. If the lack of purpose leads to a desperation to do something with our life, the chase can itself disrupt the flow of own life. I think there is a great importance to simply find out and pursue what excites us as starting point. Not always starting with purpose. From our interactions with people and experiences, perhaps purpose will slowly be unveiled and provide an anchor to your passion.

Ok, enough babble. Back to the Margherita!

—————————————————————-

dscn5154

dscn5155

BJamba comments on the excessive olive oil sprinkling, and says toppings slide off pretty easily.

This Margherita, I thought it was fantastic. Not exceptional, but very well done:

dscn5159

dscn5158

I personally liked the generous amount of olive oil since it didn’t have an overpowering effect, other than having to grab an extra napkin or two. With extra olive oil coating your mouth in each bite, it became a great medium to grasp the flavors of this pie. The mozzarella and romano cheese combination was perfect. Although the cheeses were not chunky slices as in other Margheritas, the distribution was light yet flavorfull. The basil leaves tasted fresh and I picked up the subtle minty flavor. Roma tomatoes came topped the way i like it: whole slices, and not diced. That way you can a strong taste of the tomato, and these were great tasting ones. Dough was more on the soft side but still sturdy to hold. Good amount of charring on the underside. Crust is a quite large, but not thick. The bulk of the pizza does appear skimpy compared to the crust, but eating through the entire slice was still enjoyable.

I’ll definitely come back to Southside. Can’t wait to try their other pies!

Posted in Southside Flying Pizza (Tags: , , , , , , , ) | No Comments

February 27, 2009

Staying Pizza Fit

3307327433_9ee2c9273b_b

Eating a lot of pizza will require some responsiblity on my part to maintain proper health.

This morning, I made myself wake up at 5:30am. I’ve failed to do so the previous three days. Why rise before the sun does, you say? For quite some time I’ve wanted to check out a Crossfit gym. I can only squeeze in time before work, and this gym was the closest. Too bad the 6am timeslot gives me morning headache. So I leave at 5:45am and end up arriving at a stark warehouse with a single car, and two cop cars parked near the entrance. I feel like I could be barging into the middle of some drug deal bust, but then I do see the Crossfit sign. Relief. Inside I discover the warehouse has been retro-fitted with an open workout space. Nice.

First thing I notice is two thick climbing ropes that fly above your head 25 feet. To the left, something that looks like a jungle gym. Three giant rubber tires. Olympic weights are lined up against the far wall. To my right a padded area with four sets of gymnast rings. Medicine balls and kettle balls. Two whiteboards with a list of workouts. And color on the walls – murals of sculpted figures and graffiti-like art.

I’m the first one there and I meet the morning Crossfit instructor, J. I’m still sleepy, but I manage to bring up my energy level and engage in pleasant conversation. J shows me around the gym, and a few more minutes pass. Looks like I’m the only one who showed up this Thursday morning. Basically, personal training today…and the first session is free, sweet!!!

482031103_a9064a9862_b

J is a fit gal. She wears glasses and tells me she’s a librarian, as well. Fitness and intellect, I dig. We do some warmups, lunges of sorts. The balance I gained from the few months longboarding last year helped. I move on to the timed workout, and J tells me to do the following as fast as I can:

Row 500m

40 squats

30 situps

20 swings of 8lb kettleball

10 pushups

Looking at the list now, it looks pretty easy. But I was out of breath by the time I stood up from the last pushup, completing the workout in 10 minutes. J was great at keeping me on pace and motivated.

We do post-workout stretches and chat a bit. Of course I somehow mention pizza in there, then boom. J and I start sharing our favorite pizza places here in Austin. She mentions Conan’s, Niki’s, Rounder’s, and new small national chain restaurant zpizza that opened up on 2nd street. I mention Salvation pizza and Mandola’s pizza, at which she commented on the prosciutto and arugula pizza being delicious. J tells me about her favorite pizzeria in New York that was owned by a man from Naples, Italy (the city synonymous with pizza). She describes how the pizza  Margherita with the buffalo mozzeralla tasted just like the one she had on the other side of the globe. I smile and got just a litle hungry, hah.

———————————————————-

Overall, this was a great way to start the day. I step outside, and it’s light out (though cloudy). I’m a little sore at the thighs, but feel refreshed. I feel good. I’m pretty sure I’ll stick with the Crossfit training, I just have to bear with excessive grogginess at 5:30am.

From pizza to muscle, friends. It can be done :D

[Photos in this post are used under the Creative Commons from the following: mikebaird and amber in norfolk]

Posted in Health | 2 Comments

February 27, 2009

Everyone Likes Pizza

1332839849_393c022233_o

There’s always some commonality that can connect two strangers. One shares an experience, the other shares a story. But most often, this enriching exchange doesn’t happen. We can think of a dozen excuses not to set aside time for brief interactions wih people in their world. The result is passerbys that easily fade into shifting figures

Since I recently started this blog, I’ve engaged in a few interesting interactions and have heard about fascinating places. Sometimes when people ask me “So what do you do?” I now just reply “I review Pizza.” Then sparks fly. It’s a beatiful thing, and we end up talking about stuff other than pizza. Sometimes I find out what their passion is, and other times get to listen to a funny story.

16892186_8c25a6204c_o

So far the mention of pizza always results in some positive response. It didn’t take me long to be convinced of the following statement:

“Everyone likes pizza.”

And since I recently found a place in Austin that serves Vegan pizza (to be reviewed shortly!), everyone can share a meal of over a wonderful slice of pie.

I’ve tried to think about why this is.

Was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that popular to make pizza-loving so prolific? Perhaps. I can’t come up with a particular answer to explain the magic of pizza. I only recognize that the pizza pie is one served at the center of the table, enticing us to lean in ever slightly, followed by an anticipation and tease of the aroma, and then the pie partitioned. Iindividual slices that make its way into our hands only after reaching in togehter.And then the meal, shared. Smiles all around. Oh, pizza!

3020332270_340bfa2dee_b

118342075_de60abe4d2_o

The great thing is that you don’t have to be a connoisseur of pizza to appreciate its richness. You don’t have to develop a wide palate to experience the exploding flavors of cheese, sauce, and crust. Pizza can be fine-dined with a wine pairing at home, or eaten on a curb side with your buddy in Brooklyn. The comfort of pizza makes for easy conversation. And at the very least, a silent meal that satisfies your stomach.

171290532_f7873296f1_b

81774200_df97a88669_b

So as one of the first few posts, I welcome you to pizzuh.com. I like pizza. So you should you!

[Photos in this post are used under the Creative Commons from the following: sporkist, Tim Morgan, shanidov, triciaward, Alan Gee, Sean Dreilinger, ratterrell, Global Jet, and purploony]

Posted in Ramblings | No Comments

February 25, 2009

Home Slice and Sun

logo

Home Slice Pizza is somewhat iconic in Austin. It is at the heart of South Congress where you can find all sorts of eccentric shops and eateries. Across the street is Güero’s Taco Bar that often hosts live music at night, and Cissi’s Market and Wine Bar. They hold a pizza tossing and pizza eating contest during their Carinival ‘O Pizza. They host Music by the Slice during SXSW. The deep red over brush metal hut is home to this indie New York style pizzeria that serves pizza by the slice.

Home Slice was also the first place to welcome me to a slice of pie here in Austin two summers ago.

dscn5136_mod

So I meet up with a recent friend of mine, Brad, and we each grab a couple of slices of pizza. Sunny day, awesome. Driving with the windows down on a February day – you’d never have such an opportunity back in Michigan where I’m originally from.

Here’s what I ordered: A Meatball with Green Olives, and a White Pie with spinach

Here’s what Brad ordered: A Cheese pizza and a Pizza Margherita.

——————————————————————————–

dscn5138_mod

White Pie with spinach | The ricotta had a nice soft, bubbly texture. Creamy once you bite into it. I usually don’t like white pizzas because they are somewhat low on the flavor department, and this was no exception. The spinach was a little difficult to distinguish and didn’t add much punch. However, the lack of flavor aided my assesment of the dough at Home Slice. Which brings me to my next observation…

Dough/Crust | I like the dough at Home Slice. You can defintely taste it through the sauce and toppings. It is slightly tough, but folds up nicely for chomping through a slice. The crust shares a similar flavor to the rest of the dough and isn’t overwhelmingly large. It doesn’t feel like there is a sharp transition of the  crust and the rest of the pizza; rather they flow nicely as one slice of pie. You will probably not toss out the crust on these pizzas.

Meatball with Green Olives | I hadn’t seen this one before on the chalkboard. It’s not on their “Tried and True” menu, but this one I thoroughly enjoyed. It didn’t taste so much of a pizza, but a meatball sandwich atop their dough. They do have a meatball sub that I haven’t tried, so I wonder if it’s just that in pizza form. The olives were difficult to distinguish, which is interesting because I don’t like olives and can pick up the certain flavor they give.

dscn5139_mod

dscn5140_mod

dscn5142

dscn5143

One thing I notice consistently is that my pizza by the slice usually is served slightly on the cold side. I mention this to B, and he tells me it might just be because we’re eating at a table outside. Heat dissipation enhanced by the wind. I’ll have to pay more attention to this next time.

——————————————————————————–

dscn5137_mod

Brad has reviewed some Texas BBQ with his friend at Man Up BBQ. He also reccomends some good pie up in Dallas: Louie’s and Fireside Pies. My cousin goes to school up in Arlington, I’ll defnitely check these out the next time I head up there.

I tell Brad that I plan on eating pizza at least three times a week for the sake of this blog. He suggested I track a photo log of my physique during this venture. I didn’t think about this. I may have to implement some sort of extra exercise regimen to accompany my pizza dining experiences.

Posted in Home Slice (Tags: , , , , , , , , , ) | No Comments

February 21, 2009

OMG…New blog!

I finally installed Wordpress and changed the entire logo and color scheme. I realized that the logo type bears an uncanny resemblance to the pepsi logo. It has almost the exact font-type for the letter “p”. and subconsciously I chose a blue, red, white color scheme. That and the waviness of the header at the top (which was part of the template). Funny how that happens, maybe Pepsi is sending me subliminal messages, despite not having drank pepsi or even soda for months.

Posted in Ramblings | No Comments

February 19, 2009

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Posted in Ramblings | 2 Comments