(512) 482-8484

A friend rounded up some of us for a carb-a-licious dinner at an Vinny’s – an Italian restaurant on Barton Springs Rd. The next day is the Austin Marathon, and my buddy was packing in some energy to fuel those legs for the big race. Much respect, as he does not seem like the athletic type or physique but will be finishing the 26-mile strong! For an optimal diet regime for marathons, there’s more detail than just a big plate of pasta - check out this article on carb-loading.

As for the pizza, I ordered the Margherita after verifying they use Bufallo Mozzarella. I wasn’t expecting too much, but the pizza turned out decent. I like the strong flavor of Bufallo Mozzarella, but this was as potent as others I’ve had. The crust was more like a flatbread, had hints of garlic, and went well with the sprinklings of basil and tomato chunks. Wouldn’t die to come back for the pizza, but their selection of pastas looked yum from what my friends ordered.

A couple of quotes from tonight:

“What’s more interesting than age difference is height difference.”

“I bought the largest soda so that it put a giant wall between me and the guy at the movie theater.”

Tonight is also v-day eve. I haven’t heard stories this entertaining in awhile, haha. Til next time pizza friends :)

(512) 444-7437

www.homeslicepizza.com

Tonight was one of my first delves into event photography with Jon Garza. Jon is an old high school friend of my cousin, and is making strong buzz within Austin photography scene. Not only does Jon shoot amazing photos, but is a blast to hang around. We were shooting at a fundraiser at Jose Luis Salon on West 6th, featuring the famous hairstylist Oribe and fundraiser. I felt like I was in the Zoolander (one of my fave movies), so it was a treat. Awesome friendly people, complimentary wine and appetizers, and good times! Check out the photos here.

Now, onto Home Slice! I’ve heard buzz around the expansion built next door, and on the way home picked up a slice. This place gets packed for dinner, but now with the side shop open you can still grab your pizza in less time and make your tummy happier much quicker. I really like the interior of More Home Slice, spacious and tall compared to next door. The Meatball/Mushroom slice was heaven. I have a lot of evidence now to support my theory that 2-hour old pizza re-heated tastes better than either fresh pizza, or day-old pizza.

Props Home Slice for extending the reach to pizza friends :)

(512) 301-0063

www.mangieris.com/

I remember eating at this far-South Austin pizzeria about a year ago, but don’t remember quite so much how the pizza was (I did manage to rummage some photos of the place – the things you find on your external HD after years!). I went to re-visit Mangeieri’s, which is located at Slaughter and Escarpment, in the Circle C neighborhood. I went in to order a 10″ Margherita to take back to my place.

Tall ceilings, wine-red/black motif gives a classier appearance yet has a nice casual feel. Several parties dining in on a Monday night, and they have a selection of wine to go with your pizza.

Impressions: The dough was waaay soft – perhaps the softest crust so far in Austin – and taste was very reminiscent of Little Caeasa’rs Crazy Bread but with strong hints of garlic. Check out the second photo, you can see a little sponginess on the underside. I actually love Little Caesar’s (Michigan, what!!), though for a Margherita from a non-chain pizzeria, I expected more. Toppings were even, taste just ok. The sauce was very good, not an overwhelming flavor.

Soooooo….If you like Little Caesar’s, you might want to give Mangieri’s a try – just expect to pay a lot more (The 10″ pizza came out to just over $10). Come for a dining experience and order a glass a wine with your pizza.

That’s all for now, pizza friends. Enjoy your life, and enjoy your slice :)

(512) 891-9980

www.austinpizzagarden.com

After Crossfit this morning, I got my post-workout meal from Austin Pizza Garden (I know, pizza is not the healthiest food in the world, but eating SOMETHING immediately after workout is better than not eating anything. Read about the importance of post-work out meals here and here) . You’ll see this place just before you get to the Y at Oak Hill. Austin Pizza Garden is a place. There’s no mistaking you’re in Texas as you walk into this place, and there’s a bar right up front at carryout. I was about to ask where I could go two-stepping while I wait, but instead just asked for a water. They people there were friendly, got chatting to Jake who served me a cool glass of water.

They have an extensive list of signature pizzas, stemming from interesting toppings such as andouille sausage, fajita chicken, cajun shrimp and crab. I tried their take on Quattro Formaggi, which has Bacon and mushrooms in addition to the four cheeses. Nice spin for those who like a lil meat! It’s hard to see from the photos, but hidden in the copious layers of cheese is nice bits of bacon. Not exactly like NY thin-crust, and the dough tastes like animal crackers with softer texture. It does come out of their ovens with a nice crisp bottom. Very generous with the toppings. Overall very hearty pizza, but the dough/sauce wasn’t suited to my tastebuds. I may want to try their Margherita in the future.

Til next time, pizza friends!

My friend Dave raves about this place. I’ve been meaning to check it out, and finally had the chance. Got lunch here with a new friend. I didn’t know what the place would look like, so when I arrived, I was really digging the fact that it pretty much looked like a house. It had an awesome patio deck and cozy indoor seating as well. The staff was super-friendly there.

We ordered the “Sausage, onion, jalapeno, black olive”. In short, the pizza didn’t impress so much (maybe I hyped it up a bit), but is still very good pizza. The toppings go very close to the outer perimeter for those who aren’t fans of overly large crusts. I’d say the pizza is kinda similar to Red House Pizzeria, though I’d still prefer Red House as of now. Lots of other pizzas to try hear though, they all sound delicious!!

I saw photos of this place online before, it looked like a trailer-type place serving pizza – how badass is that? I looked around for the cart outside on this sunny day, but couldn’t find it. Ended up being a counter INSIDE the gas station (Valero gas station on Mnachaca and lamar). And they actually have some seating along the window-side.

Met Julio “Giovanni”, really friendly and he said they’ll be building a deck outside to eat your pizza, maybe even pair with a wine from the store inside (great idea!)

How was the pizza? Pretty good, reminded me of Whole Foods pizza, which I love. And the sausage on their tasted exactly like the ones from Ropollo’s.

Pizzas were good as usual.

Wow, had lots o pizza with some friends.

1) Blue with pepperoni (last time was Blue + sauasge)

2) Eggplant (Eggplant tapenade, capers, kalamata olives, Parmesan)

3) Margherita

4) Potatoes and Goat cheese.

5) Subterranean (Caramelized onion, fontina, mushrooms, roasted potatoes, basil)

My faves were Blue with pepperoni (yet again) and the potatoes with goat cheese. The eggplant pizza was just weird, didn’t like the odd flavors in there.

Check out Kev’s smashed ray ban’s. so sad…

Then there’s the food court. Their pizza section is lovely. They come up with interesting combinations of toppings, it seems to be new each time. Here’s to variety!