It's A Beautiful Pizza 1/5/10

It's A Beautiful Pizza
SE 33rd and Belmont in Portland, OR
January 5th 2009

General Information: It's been around as long as I have been in Portland, though at some point in the last 10 years it moved across the street from its old location. Tells you how long its been since I've been here. Across the river. East side of town.

The Story: The LAST stop on Frank and my slice hopping adventure. We arrived at about 7:00. Drove over the bridge Belmont and parked right outside of the joint.

-The Pizza-

1 Slice Of Pepperoni (each)

Crust-

Crust was good, but not great. Your common type of pizza crust, but a tad better. Thin as fuck under the toppings, but nice and crisp. If I get this crust quality anywhere, I can't complain about it, just a tad above average. The second best of the slice hopping. (Ray) Very average crust, but not awful. Not great either. Probably the weakest link of the pie.

Sauce-

The sauce was GOOOOOD. I couldn't SEE it on my pizza, but I could FEEL it. It kind of reminds me of getting a BJ through a glory hole, something I have never and will never do. Though eating this pizza isn't as mysterious or risky as a BJ through a glory hole. I was impressed. It really brought the flavor but didn't hurt the flavor of the rest of the pizza. (Ray) Nothing out of the ordinary or above and beyond, but quality. Tasted good... Plenty on it.

Toppings-

The pepperoni covered almost every square inch of the slice. There was only a little bit of cheese visible around the topping. Fantastic. The best pepperoni we'd had that evening. Cooked well, tasted great and there was plenty of it. Like hot drunk slut from the University of Arizona. (Ray) If it had been from ASU, it would have been better... Obviously. The quality of the pepperoni was very average...not good, not bad.

Cheese-

Fuck the cheese was good. By FAR the best cheese of the night. It was stringy and flavorful and best of all, STILL MELTED and looked fantastic. There was also the correct amount of cheese. It was a standard mozz, but just QUALITY! Why can't other places that serve pizza by the slice have cheese that looks like this? (Ray) Best cheese of the night. The pizza had been in the heater for a long time, but the cheese seemed fresh. Wasn't OUTSTANDING cheese like that of NYC Pizza in Vancouver, but it was quality and great for a change from the previous joints of the night.

Overall taste-

SHIT YES! A great flavor all around. Nothing really stood out as ruining the flavor of the pizza. I would probably have shit my drawers if the crust from Tribute's was on this pizza. Fully enjoyable in every way. (Ray) The quick BJ at the end of the day. You didn't get your best O, but you drained either way.

Value-

At $3.00 a slice, not only was it the cheapest slice we had this evening, but it was also the best tasting and by far the biggest slice. FANTASTIC value. I will return again and again. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I'm thinking about going again right as I'm typing this. (Ray) EASILY the best value of the night.

-Beer-

On tap-
Great selection of regional and local micros and imports. Tremendous beers. I had a Ninkasi Believer. A double red ale that at first when it was still cold it was a bit bitter, but as it warmed I enjoyed it more and more until it became one of the more satisfying beers I've had in a long time. The beer was a tad steep at $4.00 (Ray) Expensive beers. Stick to the pizza and water and you'll be happy with the trip.

Bottled-

Large selection including domestics as well as more imports and local micro's. Fantastic selection of beers to try with your pizza. Great selection, like the tapped, but not affordable.

-Atmosphere-

Location-

This area of Belmont is fantastic. It's in a street side shop near some other fine establishments. It's easy to find, convenient for most folks and parking on the street is free and was well available right at the busiest hour of the evening. (Ray)

Exterior Atmosphere-

Not much to look at on the outside. It was fairly boring, glass windows, but it had a very nice sign above the sidewalk to make it easy to see. (Ray) Extremely dull outside, and perhaps not representative of the pizza on the inside.

Interior Atmosphere-

The look of this place reminds me of any hippie run pizza joint, Grateful dead shit everywhere, tie dye etc. I don't know how else to describe it, but that isn't what makes it so great. There is something for everybody. The tables are big enough and spread far enough apart to allow room for comfort. The music, while your standard hippie far is turned down far enough so that Frank and I could have a conversation without raising our voices. We were able to sit back, relax and have a conversation while occasionally shooting our gaze toward the two TV's playing the Blazer's game. A truly rewarding experience, as simple as it was. (Ray) Very open room, lots of space, quiet music, good pizza smell.

Service-

The guy that served us was quick, friendly and didn't act like a jackass. You can't ask for much more than that. (Ray) Bearded as FUCK.

-Review Notes-

Overall one of the best pizza experiences I've had, and certainly the absolute "By The Slice" pizza experience I've ever had. They have made a repeat customer out of me. NOT ONLY THAT, but they provide a Gluten Free option too, if you order a 12 inch version of their pie. Fantastic that they would accommodate those who have an unfortunate dietary disease. (Ray) Good. Not the best pizza I've had by any means. But a SOLID slice option.

-OVERALL RATING-

9/10. A great pizza in just about every way. A slightly better crust still wouldn't push this to the top, because that is practically unachievable. (Ray) 7/10 for overall pizza. If there was a slice only option it would be 8/10.