My friends and I had an array of food options to choose from; Buffalo Wild Wings, Starbucks, Chipotle and Papa John’s were all a stone’s throw from where we lived.
We thought we were set, but there was one hole-in-the-wall spot we missed that would have significantly boosted the enjoyment we felt toward our food consumption: Sicilia Pizza.
The cashier told me the pizza place has been at the same location for 15 years, attached to Out-R-Inn on Frambes Avenue. It is an easy spot to miss — with curved brick steps leading to the entrance that elevates the shop from the street view.
I’m not sure if the shop’s hole-in-the-wall status was the reason people weren’t exactly breaking down the doors to get some pizza, but to be fair, it was a Wednesday.
When I opened the box, it looked like a basic, large pepperoni. However, the first thing I noticed right off the bat was the grease. It pooled a little and ran down the pizza when I tilted it toward the camera, like a river flowing around each pepperoni.
I grabbed my first slice and before I knew it, it drooped at a 90-degree angle. Talk about two strikes against the pizza: greasy and floppy.
My arch nemeses — people who dab their pizza with napkins — would have been turned off of Sicilia immediately.
But as my parents always said, “You can’t knock it ‘till you try it.”
I was taken aback by my first bite. The intermingling of flavors between the cheese and sauce overwhelmed me, causing me to forget about my preconceived notions of the pizza.
I then set my sights on the crust, which took the pizza to the next level.
I didn’t want the Pie Day Friday series to be an ASMR eating channel, but if it ever comes to fruition, I will specifically emphasize the delectable crunch in the crust.
My next couple of bites stopped me in my tracks, causing me to fumble over my words before finally settling on, “Yeah, this is some of the best pizza I’ve had since coming to campus.”
My friends and I demolished the large, eight-slice pepperoni pizza in about five minutes, and we were compelled to each get another slice to satisfy our hunger. That’s where things turned sour.
My advice? Don’t get just a slice, get a whole pizza.
I was thoroughly disappointed with the by-the-slice pizza in comparison to the whole pie. My best comparison would be to middle-of-the-mall pizza: a moderately warmed-up slice with pepperonis lazily thrown on top and an all-around disgrace to pizza everywhere.
Especially considering the convenience a single slice provides for Out-R-Inn-goers and individuals who don’t drag their friends along for a pizza review, it’s disappointing that the slices and the pies are not on the same level.
That was an unhappy ending to the experience of the original pie, which should not be dragged by the slice’s disappointment. So, I’m giving it an individual score to emphasize that the slices should not, under any circumstances, be chosen over the full pizza.
Entire Pizza Rating: 8.1/10
By the Slice Rating: 5.2/10
