Give My Regards to Broadway

This past week, Boyfriend received the awesome news that he's been accepted to the highly competitive doctoral program at one of the city's top universities.  It was a stressful process that will lead to Boyfriend taking a huge and exciting step in his career and life.  Clearly, this proud moment called for a celebration.

I told Boyfriend to choose anywhere for dinner for a celebratory meal and he opted for some "good pizza." Boyfriend and I have been searching the city for pizza in delivering proximity that can be our go-to for lazy weekends.  We've been through several options, but have yet to find that perfect blend of chewy crust, ample cheese and delicious accompanying breadsticks (the breadsticks are VERY IMPORTANT). 

We turned to our trusty deck of City Dining Cards (handy little cards offering discounts to local Pittsburgh restaurants) for pizza places around us and decided upon Slice on Broadway in Pittsburgh's Beechview neighborhood.  I had Slice once before when my employer ordered it for a department lunch.  I recalled that the menu featured some creative speciality pizzas, along with classic favorites, but I didn't feel that I was able to give Slice a fair shot during a working lunch. It's hard to focus on taste when you're typing, on the phone, and chewing simultaneously.  

   Photo courtesy of Slice on Broadway's Facebook page

Slice on Broadway doesn't offer much in the way of available tables, but the upstairs has undergone a recent renovation to include additional seating and a television.  The staff was exceedingly friendly as we walked in and that customer service continued throughout the evening.  Slice offers a beer selection, but also allows BYOB.  As Boyfriend and I have found a new obsession in O'Fallon Brewery's Cherry Chocolate Beer, we brought our own six-pack, which we carried upstairs to the dining room.  We had to ask a few times for a bottle opener, but the staff was quick and courteous in supplying one, which we probably should have thought to bring ourselves. 

I do feel the need to mention that the floors were extremely slippery! At first, I blamed my boots with lack of tread; however, Boyfriend's feet were sliding, as well, and our friends whom arrived moments later also commented on the dangerously slippery floors.  They weren't wet from snow outside or spilled drinks... Just slippery.  

The upstairs space is not sprawling, but it's easy to see that Slice's owners have done the best with what they have.  The chairs were pleasantly comfortable with plump cushions and the area was very clean.  

While we looked over the menu, we ordered breadsticks to quiet our bellies while we debated on what pizza to order.  The cheesy breadsticks were thin, hard and chewy, more like a pizza crust than a soft breadstick, like Boyfriend and I prefer.  I'm not sure it's an appetizer that I'd order again from Slice.  

The pizza selection is great and I enjoyed the personal and comedic touches throughout the menu, such as "if you order half a topping, you'll only be charged for half a topping.  That's just how we roll."  To me, that shows that the owners care about their customers and do this out of sheer enjoyment.  It's not a stuffy establishment.  It's fun for the sake of fun and pizza.

We finally settled on three types of pizza: half of a mushroom (Boyfriend's standard pie), half of The Athena, and a whole Fancy Pants.  To order, we had to go back downstairs (carefully, so as not to wipe out on the slippery floors) and pay upon ordering.  Certainly different than most restaurants, but if you don't mind getting up, then it's not too big of an inconvenience.  We did not wait long until our hot pizzas were brought to our table to devour.

While I didn't sample the mushroom pizza, it appeared to hold plentiful amounts of fresh mushrooms nicely distributed.  Boyfriend seemed to enjoy it quite a bit and had more than one slice.  The Athena is a white pizza topped with baby spinach, tomatoes, and feta; Boyfriend's sister, J.A. requested added artichoke to the pie.  Again, I didn't try this pizza, but Boyfriend, J.A. and M.W. all enjoyed it.  J.A. did comment, however, that the pizza could have used more cheese.  

We also ordered my choice, the Fancy Pants.  This pie featured pesto, prosciutto, sundried tomatoes, baby spinach and goat cheese.  I thought that this pie was absolutely delicious and had a great blend of unexpected flavors.  The prosciutto was subtle and not overwhelming, while the goat cheese wasn't overly pungent, but certainly made itself known.  We all agreed that Fancy Pants was awesome.

We had plenty of pizza to divide and take home at the end of dinner.  Boyfriend and I aren't convinced that Slice on Broadway will be our new go-to for our standard half-mushroom-half-plain pizza for those lazy Saturdays, but I will definitely be back for the speciality options, like the Fancy Pants.  The pizza is good, the customer service is great... Just watch those slippery floors so you don't fall and split your fancy pants.