Authored By melisefrey

What can calm rowdy children, overworked employees and angry drunks? Simple: A pizza party! (Tip: Keep the children away from the drunkies.)

I recently traveled to Miami to escape the cold weather, and I unexpectedly wound up eating the best pizza I’ve ever had. Since returning to Chattanooga, I’ve visited several restaurants in a frenzy to find anything like it. Instead, I formed an idea: Visit local restaurants, sampling similar foods at each, to discover which places do it best. Chicken, martinis, cookies-I’ll eat it and then tell you about it.

But before we travel too far, let’s begin with everyone’s favorite: PIZZA (which should always be screamed with delight). This time, I focused on local places located downtown.

Community Pie

A much-beloved downtown eatery, Community Pie specializes in Neapolitan-style pizza, the oldest style of pizza making. It’s hard to find in Chattanooga, so Community Pie certainly wins a few novelty points. To get a good sample of the menu, I ordered their Margherita and sausage and peppers pizzas. The food came out quick, loaded with large chunks of mozzarella. The toppings were fresh and crisp, and the crust was so light you could eat an entire pizza by yourself and not feel stuffed afterward (which I did). In fact, you might still be hungry (and I was). Although the toppings were tasty, I could have done with a handful more.

My biggest annoyance with most pizza places is the crust, and Community Pie was no exception. Crust can make or break any pizza. Even the best toppings won’t cover up too crunchy, too thick, gooey or burnt dough. Because the wood-fired stoves at CP produce an intense heat, the juice from the toppings drips, producing a floppy crust with the occasional burned spot. You might not notice, as the toppings hide it pretty well, but you won’t catch me eating it to the end. Overall, CP is worth the unique experience, but the crust keeps it from being truly delicious.

Crust (Broad Street)

“Superfamouscrackerthin,” Crust’s tagline proclaims about its pizza crust. This was the first time I had dined at Crust, and it certainly wasn’t as fancy-schmancy as the other restaurants I tried. Then again, it’s not trying to be. Replicating my meal from Community Pie, I ordered a pizza that was half Margherita and half sausage and peppers. When it arrived, I was glad that there really was no crust at all; instead, the toppings were spread all the way to the edge. Although “crackerthin,” the crust wasn’t too crunchy or dry.

The drawback was their sugary sauce. I made it through the first few bites so I could judge it fairly, but by the end, I was piling on red pepper flakes to counter the sweetness. Another big difference between Crust and higher-end pizza places was the cheese. The lack of fresh mozzarella made their pizza, in many ways, resemble store-bought quality. But at least the toppings were fresh. The service was friendly, the price wasn’t terrible, and you can save a few calories with the thin crust. However, I’ll definitely opt for a different sauce next time.