My new favorite PIZZA!

I've said this so many times, I should put it on a T-shirt.  Pizza is the world's most perfect food:  all food groups are deliciously represented all in one pie.  Is it fattening?  Yes, it can be.  Is it healthy? Yes, it can be.  Is it a most magnificent creation?  Yes, it is.

And, speaking of creation and creativity, let's talk about Columbia's new 

Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint.

 

 

Thank you to my buddy The April Blake , who clued me in about the Uncle Maddio's premiere party that took place this past Friday.  The restaurant is located in the Adesso building on the corner of Blossom & S. Main. Neil and the Vivver and I attended and had a great time.  

It was a special occasion, so I let her wear lipstick

First, we met the owners, Ted & Marcia who are super nice people.  We chatted with them and they gave us the rundown on how the restaurant works.  It's such a cool concept:  You proceed through a line to order your pizza.  You choose your crust (traditional, whole wheat, or gluten-free) then choose your sauce (Tomato-Basil Sauce, Zesty BBQ, Buttermilk Ranch, Spicy Buffalo, Herb Pesto, Olive Oil). Then the real fun begins: so many meats, cheeses (mozzarella doesn't count, it's a given) and vegetables to list.  So, you choose everything you want on  your pie and the pizza maker constructs it right in front of you.  From there, you order your drinks, and find a table.  Their slogan is "Served with Love" and that's just what the nice man who delivered ours to the table said as he presented it to us.

Very generous goodie bags

 Uncle Maddio's also has some Signature pies to choose from if you're not in the mood to create your own masterpiece.  The salad menu looks awesome too.  I can't wait to try the chopped salad.  And, there are paninis as well. Click here to see the menu.  

So many choices!

 The pizza was, in a word, fantastic.  Viv went with the all-time kid's classic "cheese."  Neil ordered one of their signature pizzas, the "Steak & Blue," which is a heavenly creation consisting of olive oil, mozzarella, blue cheese crumbles, grilled angus steak, roma tomatoes, garlic, spinach, fresh basil and balsamic glaze.  

The Steak & Blue

My creation

Vivian's cheese pizza

Tasty little side salad; croutons made of pizza dough!

I opted to build my own which was eggplant, feta, olives and tomato.  The three of us shared and tried all three.  None of them disappointed at all.  The crust is really crispy but not brittle and fragile.  The toppings were all fresh and the pizzas just looked pretty, quite frankly.  They serve 9" individual sizes, which I couldn't finish.  They also have an incredible deal for kids:  a 6" pizza made to their liking with a drink for $3.50. Those of you with kids know that the choices for children can leave a lot to be desired and they usually aren't a very good value.  This way, the kids can have control of what goes on their pizza which is a great way to engage them and get them excited about their meal.

Kids will fall in love with this place

Yum Yum, eat 'em up!

Here's another detail that I think is noteworthy:  The price of the pizza is the price of the pizza.They don't nickel and dime you with the old "per topping" additional charges. That's huge to me and it's little touches like this that win my loyalty.  I am excited that Uncle Maddio's has come to Columbia.  The USC students are going to be in hog heaven since they are right smack in the middle of campus.  And I suspect everyone else in town who tries them out will love this restaurant as well.  My family sure does!