r With every pregnancy, I crave something different. With my first daughter, it was Lucky Charms. With my second daughter, it was cinnamon rolls. With my son, it was pizza. I could not get enough pizza: the crust, marinara sauce and ooey gooey cheesiness. Toppings didn’t matter too much, just as long as it was hot and cheesy.
There are different levels of deliciousness for pizza. You have the “I just need pizza” level, which is your $5 Little Caesar’s variety. Hot and ready, but toppings are a little sparse and not the best flavor. Then you have the next step up: Domino’s with better toppings and a flavored crust that is pretty delectable. The next level up is the really yummy stuff. The pizza that isn’t just a crust, cheese and toppings; it is art. That is where Pier 49 takes you.
Let’s go through the basics and see how Pier 49 takes it to the next level. First, crust. Pier 49 has this thick, delicious sourdough crust. We aren’t talking bitter sourdough like they have at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco (although I LOVE that kind). This is a subtler flavor with a nice crispy outer crust and soft interior. I could eat the crust all day dipped in ranch.
Ok. Now the sauces. Pier 49 has a few options outside the range of the typical marinara. They have a creamy garlic alfredo, pesto, ranch and BBQ sauce. So you have quite a range for your bases. They then pair that delectable sourdough crust and sauce with some delicious toppings.
We got to sample the Lombard Street, Embarcadero, Nob Hill and Ghirardelli pizzas and a dessert pizza. My personal favorite was the Nob Hill, which had a garlic alfredo sauce, mushrooms, green onion, chicken and fresh tomatoes. The sourdough pizza crust compliments the garlic flavor of the alfredo sauce. I’m not normally an alfredo person – I’m more of a marinara gal – but this alfredo was rich and delicious. Then, to contrast with those creamy, rich flavors, there are the fresh tomatoes and green onions. Add in the chicken and mushrooms and you have a slice of perfection.
The Embarcadero pizza has the pesto sauce, cheese and chicken. The pesto is delicious and gives a great flavor to the pizza. The other toppings are simple and pair well with the sourdough to make a pretty delicious piece of pizza. The Lombard Street Pizza is a BBQ pizza with red onions, chicken and BBQ sauce. Our family favorite is the Ghirardelli, better known as Hawaiian pizza, with Canadian bacon and pineapple. The sourdough crust takes this classic to another level. All of the flavors in the pizzas are perfectly paired with the sauces, crust and toppings complementing each other.
The showstopper of the evening was the dessert pizza. We got the Strawberry Streusel pizza. I am not generally a fan of streusel-type desserts. They remind me of dry Danishes. But this was DELICIOUS. The sourdough crust was topped with a sweet glaze (not too sweet), big slices of strawberries and streusel. I fell in love with it. I wanted to eat the whole thing. It was just the right blend of sweet and fresh.rAs far as customizing your pizza or making it suit your dietary needs, they offer a gluten-free crust. If you have different taste preferences from the rest of your dining party, you can customize your pizza and have it without cheese or have different toppings on each half.
Pier 49 offers daily specials as well as a lunch buffet Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. where you can eat unlimited pizza (by the slice so you get a variety), a salad bar and a drink for $10. This is a great way to try out all the different flavors. They offer delicious salads with some pretty tasty ranch dressing that complement the pizza nicely. They have started hosting painting nights and band nights. Check out Facebook to see what events they have coming up this summer.
Pier 49 Pizza is located at 296 S. Main in Springville. They are open Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
