Southside Flying Pizza
2206 S. Congress, 442-4246
Sunday-Thursday, 11am-10pm; Thursday-Saturday, 11am-11pm
www.southsideflyingpizza.com
In what feels like an embarrassment of riches, another quality pizza shop has opened on South Congress. Southside Flying Pizza has taken over the former Dairy Queen/Freddie’s Haircuts location, and transformed it into an unpretentious, first-rate pizzeria. Partners Bill Graham and Brad Yerkes have created a comfortable neighborhood hangout, one that combines East with Southwest. The dining room is simple, and the aroma of pizza baking provides all the necessary ambience.
The pizza is Neapolitan-style, and the semolina-enriched dough is hand-tossed. The outer crust has a firm, chewy texture with full, aromatic bread flavor. The tomato sauce is house-made, and they’ve kept it simple: crushed tomatoes, garlic roasted in olive oil, and fresh basil. The cheeses are imported Italian mozzarella and Romano. Each topping is $1.50 per pizza (including the expensive ones), and there are 26 to choose from, including portobello mushrooms, prosciutto, artichoke hearts, Gorgonzola, and Southside’s signature house-made Italian sausage. Pizzas are $8 for a medium and $10 for a large. Southside also offers a lunch/afterschool special between 11am and 4pm: $3.50 for a personal pizza, toppings 50 cents each.
There are three salads to choose from, and all three rise above the commonplace; in addition to salad mix and tomatoes, the house salad is topped with honey-roasted pecans and feta cheese. The spinach salad comes with red onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and feta, plus bacon and hardboiled eggs. The Caesar adds kalamata olives, pepperoncinis, and tomatoes to the usual cheese, romaine, and croutons. The lettuce and spinach in the salads are so fresh they are squeaky, and the dressings are perfect. All of the salads are $3.50 for a small and $7 for a large.
Italian hoagies ($4 half/$8 full), calzones ($11), and stromboli ($11) are also available, as are beer and wine. In every way, the team at Southside puts in that extra effort that makes all the difference, from making their own dressings, sauce, and sausage to remembering your name. And … drum roll … they deliver to the entire 78704 ZIP code! – Kate Thornberry
This article appears in November 3 • 2006.