Pizzas
Made of Gold
August 29, 2007
Factoid #1
by Scott
Muoio
Romio, Romio, why for art though
prices so high, Romio?
For my entire life I have known, enjoyed, and cherished
pizza. Yes, that fine tomato, cheese, and dough delicacy is as
near and dear to me as my family, my friends, and my beloved cat,
Oliverus. I have tasted good pizza, such as the giant-sized slices
from The Sawmill Tavern on the boardwalk in Seaside Heights, New
Jersey, mediocre pizza at Mike’s Restaurant in Davis Square,
Somerville, Massachusetts, and horrendous pizza that tasted more
like cardboard than pizza at Alex Pizza, also in Somerville, but
mercifully now out of business without so much as a peep. I have
dined on pizza for dinner, enjoyed a slice for lunch, gorged at
3am after some drinks at the bar, and even eaten it cold for breakfast
while my roommates enjoyed cereal and juice over Good Morning
America. And yet, for all my varied pizza-erific and not so terrific
endeavors, never have I seen pizza treated with kid gloves until
arriving in Seattle, Washington. Until then, it was always the
food of the masses and we were charged accordingly.
In The Pacific Northwest, however, pizza life is very different.
It isn’t that pizza, itself strays too far from the tried
and true formula, it’s still for the most part sauce, cheese,
and dough (though finding it by the slice can often be a challenge),
it is that it’s price tag is astronomical compared to just
about anywhere else I have ever ordered. Take for example, the
two biggest local pizza chains in Seattle, Romio’s and Pagliacci’s.
These fine establishments charge $16 for a 15” and 17”
pizza, respectively. Yes, $16 for a regular no topping pizza,
nothing added, nothing taken away. Compare that to Mike’s
large 16” plain at $9 a pop and four ginormous Sawmill slices
with four small drinks (easily more than any large pie you’ll
find in Seattle) for about $10 and we’re talking horses
of a completely different color.
So why this mind-boggling discrepancy over something so obviously
the same? Perhaps someday I will learn the mystery of Seattle’s
pizzas made of gold (no Italians in the area, high-import cost
of tomatoes, low supply/high demand!?) or maybe I never will,
but no matter, I will soldier on, holding my head high and prepared
at all times to break out my credit card with each and every pizza
order. I'm learning, Seattle. I'm still learning.
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Noted something strange or interesting in or about
Seattle? Tell us about it. Email scottmuoio@undependentmedia.com
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