Dining Out: East Side Pies

Austin, TX - I have a problem with restaurants that throw a lot of stuff on a pizza just for the sake of well, throwing a lot of stuff on a pizza. Perhaps they are aiming for those who may be impressed by that sort of thing. But Austin, as noted in this space, has many nascent pizza fans that can clearly see through that kind of obvious canard. Thats why it doesn't bother me in that least that East Side Pies has lots of pies with lots of stuff: because theirs is well thought-out and particularly well-executed. Thats why East Side is in my Pizza Wars Top 5!

Only 4 years old, this little pizza parlor could fit into any nook and cranny in Brooklyn or New Haven. Owners Michael Freid and Noah Polk knew what they wanted to create: and they haven't deviated. This is a fun place with thin crust pies that have a sharp, crackling, unrelenting flavor. Start with my favorite: The Homer. Mickey Mantle would have loved this one. Extra cheese, meatballs, onions, and red peppers. What an intriguing combination of ingredients and of tastes. And you want to talk creativity, then how about the Moondingo? Now this has a lot of stuff, but the combinations of ricotta, feta, Romano, goat cheese, mozzarella, bacon and mushrooms really works. This is not stuff just for the sake of stuff. Of course a prerequisite is liking cheese, but thats a given. And show me a pizza fan who doesn't like cheese? Another favorite is the Chicago. What could be better than Italian Sausage [seriously good Italian sausage] Roasted Onions and bell peppers? For me this a combination from pizza Heaven. My three favorite toppings yielding layers of flavor and that wonderfully crispy crust. And again, you can have a thin crust pizza where the crust tastes like matzo [unleavened bread] or you can have a real thin crust pizza that has staying power. And East Side pies delivers. [and they do actually]

Now I don't know if the Buscemi is named after my favorite actor from Fargo, Con Air and Desperado Steve Buscemi, but I think the bartender, Cheech Marin in Desperado would have loved a pizza with jalapenos, cilantro, along with sausage, red peppers and onions. I love the pie and I love the name. What more could one ask for? And how about the Guiche?
I've gotten letters about this one as it has lots of fans including me. The combination of spinach, goat cheese, and green onions along with roasted garlic and sundried tomatoes is enough to ignite a flavor rush that as mentioned earlier, is unrelenting.

East Side pies has a fairly wide delivery flight plan and they have great word of pie, so much so that they were swarmed at last years SXSW. Its not much for hanging around, but then thats never been the point. Its the pizza, dummy!