Photo by Amy DupuisCut a hard right into the new Ambassador Towncenter, past Nordstrom Rack and Petco, to find an assembly line of smiling faces ready to create your own pizza nirvana. It’s called Blaze Pizza, where you create your own from the all fresh ingredients available or chose from seven signature pizzas including BBQ and vegetarian.
Personally, I tend to stay away from the grease and heavy cheese of large pizza chains — it’s just an acid reflux nightmare. So I chose the Green Stripe, featuring melted mozzarella, chicken and roasted tomatoes drizzled with a pesto sauce and cooked to perfection in an open gas-fired stove. This pizza was clearly a reward for all my years avoiding Pizza Hut and Domino’s. My guest chose the more traditional Meat Eater pizza with pepperoni, crumbled meatballs, red onion, mozzarella, red sauce and added mushrooms.
The staff was happy to accommodate my request of “very light on cheese,” but still added enough to keep the flavor present. And anything I wanted on or off my pizza, they were ready to do, and do quickly. No onions, no garlic, no problem, because the night could go anywhere. The location makes it ideal for turning a quick bite into dinner and a movie, while the casual atmosphere dampens those pre-date jitters.
The first bite of crisp, light crust washed down with a local brewed Ragin Cajun beer was the perfect commencement. The pesto was fresh and the roasted tomatoes were an excellent addition of color and flavor, making the pizza not only delicious but beautiful to look at. After filling up on only half the pizza, I was content with having the rest for breakfast.
For more information about Blaze Pizza go to blazepizza.com.