Had lunch today with Joel at a new pizza place, Little Sicily. I think the location was a pizza place previously as well, but this was new to both of us and I think relatively new in town. It is located right on the corner of Buchert and Keim. I ride my bike past here all the time, maybe next time I'll stop in for a slice.
I called in advance to ask if it was alright if we brought some beers to enjoy with our lunch and there was no hesitation, BYOB welcome. It looks like a typical pizza place. You go to the counter to order or pick up your food, there are a few pizzas behind glass you can order by the slice and they have a bunch of cookies in plastic clam shell containers that I forgot to ask about. We decided to order the Margherita pizza and an eggplant parm sandwich. We sat down and poured a homebrew first. For two craft beer drinkers there was some concern about what beer really goes well with pizza besides Bud. I think a belgian/saison or light IPA work well. Our food was delivered with plates and utensils to our table.
The pizza got pretty high marks from both of us. The sauce was fresh tasting, not sweet or overly spiced. There was fresh mozzarella as you would expect on a Margherita pizza and also pieces of fresh basil. The crust was crisp, but maybe could have been a little less flat - maybe a little more rise? The center of the pie, like the points of the slices, were pretty floppy and wet. Overall the flavor and texture was pretty good.
The eggplant parm sandwich was on a long roll that was toasted and perfectly crisp on the outside. The eggplant itself was thin-sliced and fried. It was topped with some melted cheese and finished with a little sauce. When I squeezed the sandwich there was a little oil coming out of the eggplant and you could taste the frying oil, but it didn't drip so I don't want to say it was overly oily, that was just part of the flavor. I thought the texture was perfect. There wasn't too much cheese either which I think can be an issue for pizza place fare.
I definitely want to go back to try their plain pie - or get one delivered. The service was friendly, the food was good and the place was clean and welcoming. Now I have a new menu in my drawer for takeout! Thanks to Joel for the company, the suggestion of a new place and for getting me back to reviewing local places. It really makes eating out more interesting :)
