Tuesday, January 5, 2010

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.

4 comments:

  1. How long have they been open? What's the closest comparison in terms of other Richmond pizzerias? Glad to hear that the owner wants to do the pizzas himself (assuming he does them well).

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  2. I'm just an eater, so I'll leave the comparisons to you.
    And yes, pepperoni on a white pizza! You may be shocked to hear that I've also had bacon on a white pizza. And even sausage on a white pizza. It's a mad, mad pizza world for me.

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  3. My friend and I just ate at Pie two nights ago. As I type this I am enjoying the last two slices of my blanca (white) pizza, and yes, two days later its still that good!

    There was only one other table when we got there around 645ish Monday night. They were finishing up and left about 20 minutes after we arrived. The service was fine, nothing spectacular that I want to rave about. However, I do have one complaint and for me this is a biggie. It took a verrrrry long time for our pizza to be ready. And while its very good, things go downhill pretty fast when you and your dining companion start to wonder where the food is. Nonetheless, it was delicious and I'm chalking the food delay up to early opening kinks.

    Given that its literally around the corner from my house, I'm looking forward to giving it another shot. The opening of Pie and Balliceaux have been a very welcomed addition to our neighborhood and I couldn't be happier.

    @RVA foodie: as for a comparison, we tried to think of something similar and couldn't for the most part. My guess was Sette would be the closest comparison. But like @Karen, I'm also just an eater and have no business making serious comparisons!

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  4. I will go back and try another variety, but we had no service issues at all. In fact, our servere was a delight to chat up after the meal.
    Oh and thanks for letting me know that there are others out there who are just eaters with no particular ability to compare and contrast. I'll leave that to those who know food far better than me (i.e., almost anyone!).

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