Pie for Pizza and Music Talk

Since I was meeting a pizza-loving friend for lunch today, I suggested we check out rva's latest pizza destination, Pie, across from Balliceaux. My friend has always said he could eat pizza every day of the week, so it wasn't a hard sell.

Pie replaces Si on Lombardy and the interior looks exactly the same, not that that's a problem since Si was an attractive little place. The menu was simple and included various heats of wings, salads and red and white pizza. We went with the Blanca (extra garlic, Fontina and mozzarella) with pepperoni to ensure a little grease with our white sauce. Our server told us that it's the owner making all the pizzas because, despite having owned restaurants for years, a pizza place has always been his greatest desire.

The thin-crusted pizza pleased us both, with loads of garlic, plenty of cheese and enough pepperoni to satisfy our need for meat. There were only two other diners in the place when we arrived and as they left, they both stuck their noses over our pizza and swooned over the smell. It was alluring.

After making short work of our pie, we chatted up our server about the house-made dough, the new pizza oven, their soft opening, and plans for delivery; when I asked if they'd be delivering to J-Ward, he said the owner hates to say no, so it was likely they would.

My final question was about the dreadful music being played (bleh! Liberty radio) and he explained that he'd forgotten his iPod, so had reverted to the radio station already set. I wanted to know what would have been on his iPod, so I'd know how much better than Liberty it would have been.

He named a few bands on his playlist (Kings of Convenience being one!) and we quickly digressed into a discussion of our similar taste in music. He said, "I am so impressed that you know all these bands," which led to a big old music conversation about post-rock, indie rock and local music. We'd even been to several of the same local shows, so we got to compare notes. Before long, he told me that if I ever need someone to go to shows with (and I do sometimes), he would love to get out to hear more live music. And then he thanked me again for such an excellent music conversation, an occurrence he says almost never happens. How tragic is that?

So I left with a full belly and a potential band buddy, a great outcome for lunch. Next up was the driving portion of the afternoon, as we cruised east to chart unfamiliar roads. Williamsburg Road led us right by Country Style Donuts (a favorite of friends of mine who need a late night sweet after the bars close) where I got a chocolate-glazed cake donut. True, the woman behind the counter looked at me like I was from another planet, but who cares when I've got a crusty frosted donut in hand?

We drove out past the airport, up through the battlefields and looped back around through the projects. Crossing into Hanover County, it was amazing how quickly we began seeing barns and silos, spurring a discussion of why anyone would choose to live in those areas. Yes, we're city folk and we just don't get it.

I greatly enjoyed my pizza and music talk, my friend took more pictures of my legs for my profile and I saw parts of Richmond I'd never laid eyes on. Now that's what I call a good afternoon.