TL;DR: You can have the Italian places doing all they can to get the best experience one could buy with their money, you could default to one of the mediocre chains if you really would want to, some places also offer an experimental twist - which honestly, as provided some of the biggest flavour explosions I have experiences - but honesty is the best policy, which we have right here with PitStop Pizza. A pan-European sort of ideal, the creations are decidedly homely, are just as good as each other every time, and the peripheral items they offer allow PitStop to develop its own distinct personality. Thank goodness for this one being in the neighbourhood.
Instead of the isolation that pizza tends to experience being roped into being exclusively Italian cooking, the folks right here have done a fusion of influences from neighbouring European nations, giving themselves a distinct identity in conjunction with an eye for quality. Some places pop up and go like a damp squib, but years later Pit Stop still is right here all modest and homely. Maybe I haven't had a lot of pizza in recent times, or done much of the Italian either, but with the pizzas that they had on offer, it was hard to fault them. While staying fairly true to the Italian style of keeping it simple, they are plentiful with the portions they offer and will definitely be a reliable fallback when many guests are around.
The new year had already started and it had really started to kick off with us wrestling fans - that in particular, WWE. I know it is the new year for real nowadays when it comes around to the Royal Rumble. Like with any of the events, that meant getting some delivery to eat while watching. If it is wholly possible, for anything that is the Big Four I try to make it the big banana of delivery - pizza. Not only that, but when it comes to those super-sized shows it is one kind for each match that they have. Luck was on my side this time. Going through the UberEats app, I had somehow not gotten to Pit Stop Pizza after all these years, and on the day they were good and ready to go. Hence, all it was was a matter of plugging the order in, arranging for when it shall arrive, then sitting back and waiting for the car to pull up.
It does not take very long for it to all be made and arrive. Nothing is done before the order is made, and from there quality control is insured. After that, it was quick with the driver getting to the house. Everything was still pipping hot, and that was good enough for me.
Pizza is their major selling point as per the name, however there are a few other characteristic items that they have on offer to distinguish them from other local competition. You don't get many truly European places in town in such a manner as this. First off is the pizza menu: nothing flashy to see here. Instead, you get the traditional lot expect from most outlets, a specialty range that is mostly vegetarian, some that are undeniably Australian in flavour and influence, and even a vegan range. Top that off with pizza-shaped garlic bread, and you have a decent range that suits the majority of palates.
Other items that are on the menu include lasagne, and several Serbian specialties. These are bureks (in several flavours), chevapis,and a few other meaty delights. For anyone who likes there desserts, they treat you well in that regard. Several types of fruit pie, and baklava are made with a vegan recipe, plus they try their hand at a dessert calzone. Ice cream and gelato are also for sale.
Okay, so with this big event it had seven different matches on, which seven different kinds of pizza - or in this case, six varieties with something sweet thrown in for good measure. Each one was pretty much a reliable traditional recipe, which all the more made it a fair trial to see just how good the fare was. These suckers would still be considered thin crust, though you would be hard pressed to fold any piece in half. The chefs did not go overboard on the ingredients, yet allowed a decent layer and limited the number of ingredients for each variety in order for the tastes and aromas to not get overcrowded. They are a bit of their own thing.
Starting up was a four cheese pizza, where the four cheeses were mozzarella, ricotta, Parmesan, and feta. It was a simple one, that had footing of both the texture of the cheeses alongside their different tastes. Mozzarella, as the go to cheese for pizzas, did its job well enough - stretchy with a mild flavour. Pamesan has that distinct sharp bite, while feta was creamy creating a second sort of sauce on top of it all. To this day, I still have no idea about ricotta on its own accord. Still, with the combinations of textures and tastes, they have balanced this four cheese selection out good enough.
For those considering themselves spice fiends, the Diavola might well be up your alley. A glorious fiery trio of pepperoni, hot sausage, and jalapenos may well be all you need to stave off the cold. The pepperoni was salty and had enough of a bite to satisfy me, the sausage was definitely something out of a delicatessen as opposed to defaulting to a supermarket's meat section, and when jalapenos are thrown into the mix they will add just a bit of spice to liven it all up.
Personally, I am under the opinion that in going to any kind of eatery, the chef's specials/house special et al should always be given consideration to try. Especially when it comes to pizza - these are often made with passion behind them, and even possess a unique sort of palate. That was the case with PitStop, as their house special was a combination of pepperoni, hot sausage, feta cheese, and olives with a good garnish of garlic. I quite liked this one as well - I could imagine something like it coming out of many kitchens in many a Little Italy across the world, or at least from New England kitchens. Both the sausage varieties contained a piquant bite from the use of spices, the feta cheese was smooth and creamy, but the strong flavour was the responsibility of the olives. And how could I forget the garlic?
What kind of pizza party would be complete without some variety of the pepperoni thrown in for good measure? It is all in the name, and these guys compliment it with some capsicum. I will acknowledge that the capsicum added a sweet kind of flavour to the pizza, which does - as a maxim - compliment the spicier sort of flavours. This is being said as someone who is far from finicky, capsicum can be taken or left on a pizza - I won't pick it off if I find it on there, but I won't go out of my way to request it as a topping. In saying all that, still a classic even if it does not get up there in terms of quality as others.
We don't need any introduction with capricosa. Always a favourite on any respectful pizza menu, the meaty combination of pepperoni, leg ham, and bacon, does well in complimenting the more textural mushrooms, along with the distinctive olives. When reading that description though, my question was - where are the anchovies? Hence, for this one I added them as extras. What you have right there is one classic recipe that stands the test every time.
Last, and it is certainly not least, this is one variety which requires no introduction or explanation either - Napoletana! Three basic ingredients - you got the sauce, some cheese, and anchovies. Simplicity is at its best right here. The saltiness of the anchovies comes to play, the overlooked subtly of mozzarella cheese becomes apparent, and the sweetness of the tomatoes in the sauce is at its most present. Many experimental chefs around the world can do the strangest, most inventive, and left-field maneuvers when creating pizza flavours, but when it comes to the crunch few are better than a nice Napoletana.
As something sweet to have afterwards, and with coffee, I folded and threw some baklava into the mix. The original gangster of almond and cinnamon did the trick. - whatever they used instead of honey, that I would like to know. The pastry was thick and absorbed whatever the syrup they used was, with the nuts on the inside creating a decent crunch. Whatever the situation is, it is hard to go wrong when it comes to baklava.
Coming down to the crunch, PitStop Pizza did very well with their fare. It had been quite a while coming that I would get around to trying them out, and whenever that occurs one thing is or certain - I at least tried them out. These are the kinds of pizza that i would describe as solid. Nothing wrong with them in any way, even with a discerning palate they do it all right and with quality in the front of their minds. Every type that I ordered stood with its own strength, and the ingredients were astutely selected every time. Adding more onto that, I can be assured that the peripheral items are just as good with the same eye for quality, making PitStop one worth place to give a try.
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