mmm-yoso!!!

Nordstrom-Lunch in the Department Store (again)

Thank you for reading mmm-yoso!!!, this food blog with almost daily postings.  Kirk is a bit busy with work this week and Cathy finally has some free time, so she will be posting.

Eating at restaurants located within other businesses has been a longtime way to keep people from leaving a store and possibly not returning to complete a shopping trip.  I've written only two other posts about Nordstrom, but have frequented it many times. I do love their coffee and sometimes stop in just to be able to sit down and enjoy a cup. 

 You can walk up and grab a menu to decide what you'd like to order and your first stop will be some friendly servers who can take your order, or maybe just hand  you a cup or bowl of fresh soup. Trays are next to this station. You can walk to the register and pay...perusing other offerings along the way...perhaps your order will change, or have additions. 
As in one of the previous posts, the chicken, apple and Goat Cheese salad ($14.25) is a regular choice. Tender, white meat chicken is mixed with baby greens, fresh Granny Smith apple slices, dried apple chips, spiced candied almond slices and onion, all topped with a champagne vinaigrette. This is a satisfying meal.   
Next to a display of the soups available was a display plate of this rustic Cheddar chive biscuit ($2.25).  I thought this would go with the salad.  I was correct. Light, flaky/crumbly (like a savory scone) this biscuit has wonderful, fresh flavors. 
 A pepperoni and mushroom pizza($13.25) was also an order, since there were three of us this day. 
The very thin, fresh crust was still chewy as well as crispy (but not cracker crisp).  The fresh, juicy shiitake mushroom slices and thin pepperoni, as well as basil and oregano toppings on the Mozzarella and aged Provolone cheese was so perfect- each item had a unique flavor, even the slightly sweet tomato sauce.  This was a great pizza.
Of course a 'meal' of pizza and salad was just so perfect; balanced and with such a variety of complimentary flavors.  
You seat yourself here, but have your receipt and there is a waiter who will assist you with beverages as well as other needs (water, silverware, boxing up leftovers).  We had ordered the Creme Brûlée dessert ($6.50) and our waiter said he would bring it out, freshly Brûléed, when it was time.  
Wow.  The fresh vanilla custard (heavy cream, egg yolks, vanilla bean; you can see 'specks' of vanilla throughout) topped with a thin layer of fine sugar crystals which are either heated with a torch, or melted in an oven until a thin, delicate crisp top forms was just so simply delightful.  Always a special treat here at the Cafe. 

Nordstrom Cafe Website There are different restaurant levels at the various Nordstrom store locations.  This one was in Fashion Valley

 
Even though you have already paid, the traditional chocolate mint stick is given. A wonderful ending to an always great meal.

Clearing Out the Memory Card - Happy Hour at Et Voila! and Tribute Pizza

Just a quick post with mostly photos of two of our favorite Happy Hour places.

Et Voila!:

You could say Et Voila is the Missus's favorite little restaurant. We've gotten into the habit of having happy hour here just about every other week.

First off; the Huckleberry Bourbon is half price ($7) during HH.

And we've found our "happy rotation" of three dishes. They fry things really well here and that Pork Terrine reminds us of France.

Which makes for a nice light dinner for us.

We've tried a bunch of other items on the Happy Hour; but we've settled on those three.

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116
Happy Hour:
Sun - Fri 430pm - 7pm
Saturday 430pm - 6pm

Tribute Pizza:

Another favorite of the Missus. The drill here is to get the Biancoverde with Pepperoni during HH; it's under ten bucks.

And heck; the Meat, Cheese, and Veg board, always with the three veggies, and usually two cheese, unless there's something we like with regards to charcuterie.

It's served with the Foccacia of the day....some of which are really great.

So, even though I want that Sea Salt Focaccia with 'Nduja, there's just no way I can put that away.

Tribute Pizza
3077 N Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104
Happy Hour:
Tues - Fri 4pm - 6pm

Blaze Pizza (Fast Fire'd, customizable)

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog you are reading on this not too humid day.  Kirk is busy (with work), Ed(from Yuma) is also busy (even though he is retired) and Cathy (who appears to Have time)  is writing this post.  

Driving around while getting hungry, The Mister and I were near Native Foods and noticed yet another customizable pizza location (sad that my favorite had closed).  We decided to try Blaze. 

 Ignoring the fact that "fire'd" is not a word, the idea of being able to watch your pizza being constructed, see it being placed in the fiery oven and having it ready by the time you find a place to sit is fascinating; fast food that isn't all fried or particularly heavy.

 Even better, the selections here are a bit different.   For one, there are four types of pre-made salads to choose from (although you can make a personalized/'Build Your Own' salad from all of the pizza toppings).

  There are a variety of sauces and cheeses to use as a base and the amount of ingredients available is excellent; even if you 'Build your own' pizza, using a lot of toppings, the cost is $8.25 (there is only an extra charge if you want a thicker crust or a gluten free crust).
 The system here is a bit more organized; when you order, your name and a number that is embossed on a metal tent-shaped piece are coordinated, so that the pizza in the oven doesn't get lost/given to someone else.  {Let's just say I have received free pie coupons more than once because another customizable pizza place has given my order to an unsuspecting pick up.  It is so easily preventable.}

   As I was staring at the menu, "Salad Pizza" ($8.25) had me curious.  It's a baked (fast fire'd) pizza dough, topped with pesto sauce and the cooked bread is topped with  your choice of any of the four salads available that day. In this case, I chose the tomato and mozzarella salad.  Gosh, this was perfect- salad, bread with the garlic-y pesto...a meal.  Since it was our first time here, a "Simple Pie" ($5.75) was ordered.  Mild tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese-simple. This was pretty much perfect; it reminded my of pizza we got in Naples, Italy, decades ago.      On a return visit, the Salad pizza topped with an arugula salad that had fresh blackberries was available.  Again, a great meal.     There is a "2 Top"  pizza available ($7.50) and since I did want to try the sausage here, a sausage and mushroom pie was ordered.  This was, also, perfect.  So pleasant and cheesy, plus those fresh mushrooms- wow.    Being a creature of habit- another tomato mozzarella salad topped pie was ordered. This time I did remember to take a photo of the thin crust with just the basil topping showing.   Most recently, a "Build Your Own" salad, using the base of the Caesar salad and adding bacon, chicken and a selection of vegetables ($8.25) proved to be so large that it wasn't finished in one sitting.  A good and healthy choice.  

Everything is fresh and good here. 

Blaze Pizza, multiple locations across the USA, Website

Clearing Out the Memory Card - Toronado, Hess Brewing, And Tribute Pizza

The Missus's hairdresser now works in North Park. During the last two months, the Missus has asked me to drop Her off....lucky me! There's no shortage of places where I can, ahem, "pass the time" while waiting for the Missus. Like......

Toronado:

It's been a while.

Had a nice New Belgium Le Terrior. Perfect temperature.....

Toronado
4026 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104

The most recent time, it was.....

Hess Brewing:

It had been a couple of years since I'd been here as well.

A nice 8 West on a rather warm day.

Hess Brewing Company North Park
3812 Grim Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

And in case the Missus is hungry after getting Her hair done. Well there are a lot of options here as well. Like a recent favorite of Hers....

Tribute Pizza:

On this day, the pizzas were much better than on previous visits......

Tribute Pizza
3077 N Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104

I think I'm going to make sure the Missus goes in for a trim on a regular basis!

Tribute Pizza

For a few weeks before we left on our trip, the Missus was really into pizza. She's kind of over Bruno for now and wanted to try other places. Of the several we tried; two became Her favorites and warranted, in some cases multiple visits. One of these was a place recommended by my good friend Candice......Tribute Pizza.

Located in the renewed and revitalized old Post Office on the corner of Grim and North Park Way, in what is now called the "North Park Post Office Lofts", and catty corner to one of my favorites, Lucky's Golden Phenix. We both liked the wide open industrial, but comfortable space, and the seats were in themselves fine. There's an interesting gastropub meets pizzeria vibe here. A big plus; the staff is very nice as well, with an ok beer list.

As you can tell in the photo on the right.....I guess some folks really want to take a photo of the place!

In addition to pizzas there's the now required cheese and charcuterie plates, which looked quite large and a couple of salads; like the "put on a egg on it brussels salad" ($11).

The Missus loves Her brussel sprouts and these were nicely shaved and topped with a lovely egg yolk. So you'd think She'd be just all over this. Strangely, She didn't care too much for this, as the dressing was a bit too sour and the egg yolk and pecorino romano really didn't add that mild savoriness and sweetness that brings out the best in brussel sprouts. In talking to our wonderful Server about this salad; we found out that we might...depending on how busy the kitchen is, get lardons and Balsamic on this salad as well....which would definitely make it a winna'. So perhaps in the future.....

Hands down, our favorite item here is the wonderful; yeasty, warm, slight crusty Sea Salt Focaccia paired with the spicy, spreadable salumi known as 'Nduja ($9).

The 'Nduja here has a nice bite to it and reminds us of a good porky spread tinged with Harissa.

When it comes to first trying out a new pizza place, the Missus prefers simple, and it doesn't get more basic than a Margherita ($13).

First off; the crust, like the focaccia, had a wonderful flavor and texture. For some reason, the rest fell rather flat. We didn't care for the tomato sauce, which we found watery and bland.......I look for that tangy-mild sweetness, that I call the "flavor of sunshine" and this didn't really have that. While I love the fork and knife style, slightly "wet", Neopolitan style pizza, the middle was way too soggy for us. The mozzarella was good, light milky-saltiness, but strangely, we found the basil tasteless. A mixed bag overall.

But the service had been great and we decided to return mainly for this.

And damn if this wasn't even better this time around; being a bit thicker and heartier.

If you've read enough posts, you know the Missus loves Her meatballs (yes, I know, there's a joke in there just waiting to come out), so we had to order it ($13).

We both loved the roasted peppers and onions; adding a bit of sweetness and pungency to a rather heavy version of meatballs. Ditto with the parmigiano reggiano, layering a bit of milky-saltiness. I actually enjoyed the very "meaty", yet moist and tender meatballs more than the Missus. She said these were a bit too heavy for Her, but still enjoyed them. The sauce was very hearty and thick, almost spreadable, a root vegetable marinara, that was very tasty.

Of course we had to try another pizza. And the theme of "Tribute", are well, tributes to other famous pizzas.....so we decided on the tribute to Chris Bianco's Pizzeria Bianco. If you're interested, Ed from Yuma has done posts on both Pane Bianco and Tratto. Anyway, we ordered the Biancoverde with Prosciutto de Parma ($18).

The crisp, slightly bitter arugula, savory-salty prosciutto, and garlic was such a nice match for the yeasty-bready crust. Chili flake kept your attention and the ricotta some creaminess and milky flavors along with the mozzarella. This was a nice pizza and one we'll have again.

For us, it seems that the star of the show at Tribute is the dough.....that focaccia and pizza crust is quite nice. We've really liked the friendly and helpful service as well. Interesting thing about ordering; when you walk in, you head up to the counter and can place your drink and/or food order there, before heading off to a table.

So, I guess the Missus is finally totally over Her "no-bread" phase in life....it makes for much better eating for us! And thanks as always for the recommendation Candice!

Tribute Pizza
3077 N Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours:
Tues - Thurs 5pm - 10pm
Fri 4pm - 11pm
Sat 11am - 11pm
Sun 11pm - 9pm

 

Pieology- customized pizza, customized salad (revisit)

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog, it's been around since 2005.  Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy continue writing about the mundane as well as the interesting meals they've consumed in and around San Diego as well as other places in the world.  Today, it's Cathy writing. 

About three years ago, businesses that baked customized pizza in wood fired ovens in about three minutes were a big deal and about eight different franchises were located in the San Diego area.  I wrote only about Pieology and Social Life (which has since closed).  It's not that I didn't like those sort of places: they were so similar in execution, product and pricing that there was nothing unique.  However, now that the chaff has cleared the wheat and only three other franchises plus Pielogy remain, there has been some refining.   The 'system' is the same, walk up, order  (choose a sauce, cheeses and meats and other toppings) and pay; get your own utensils and beverages. Your completed order is brought out to the table.

Pricing has increased only slightly (basically, any pie with an unlimited choice of toppings is $8.45).

 One of the 'Pieologists Favorite Pies' available is 'Alfredo's Alfredo' (this creation of preselected ingredients also shows the highest calorie count of 1080) Olive oil, three cheese alfredo sauce, parmesan, mozzarella, garlic, mushrooms, artichokes, fresh basil, grape tomatoes (then we added on bacon and olives, because at that point it didn't matter). This pie was excellent, rich and flavorful and enough for two to share.    A 'new' item is a custom salad ($9.25). (You can grab a classic or caesar, already made, for $8.45 or a pre-made side salad for $3.95).  In this case, you select your greens, cheeses and meats, fresh produce and toppings.  We asked for a few of each of the greens (Romaine, spinach and mixed), Feta cheese, bacon and then some artichokes, green & red peppers, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, shaved parmesan and a candied walnut topping.  The dressing was the creamy Italian.  The bowl is very large; I used my longstanding 'airplane salad' trick, taking off the lid pouring the dressing over and then replacing the lid and shaking the container instead of trying to delicately mix the packed ingredients.  This, again is large enough to share and , of course, very fresh.Another visit, The Mister ordered a 'Classic Margherita' (because the base is olive oil, mozzarella, parmesan, fresh basil and grape tomatoes) but then added mushrooms and sausage, to make the pizza unique.  This was also a very tasty pie.   The thin crust is just right and properly proportional for the ingredients.  

A good choice for whatever craving you might have.  Hope you are staying dry!

Pieology (The Study of Custom Pizza) 5575 Balboa Avenue San Diego, CA 92111 (858)565-0600 Website

Scottsdale/Phoenix 1 – Sofia’s, Phoenix Art Museum, Craft 64

Kirk and Cathy have better or more important things to do than post at mmm-yoso!!!, so today here's the first post from Ed (from Yuma) about food and adventures on his and Tina's recent trip to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.

Sofia's

On our way up, as usual, we had lunch at Sofia’s in Gila Bend:

Nice decor at the little restaurant:

The chips and salsa are always good:

We enjoy the three taco combination plate with the customer choice of any three tacos. On this visit Tina had two hardshell hamburger tacos (what tacos were for most of us back in the 60s and 70s) and a soft carnitas taco:

And I ordered a simple green chili burrito:

Sofia's is good Mexican food and service, often by Sofia herself.

Sofia's Mexican Food, 530 West Pima, Gila Bend, AZ 85337, 928-683-6382.  Open Daily.

Phoenix Art Museum

In the Past, Tina and I have focused mostly on the museum’s extensive collection of modern works and Spanish colonial art. This time, however, we wanted to explore the Asian section of the museum. They were having a special show for the art of Martin Fan Cheng:

This painting could be from a food blog:

These trout in a stream look photographic as well:

I was amused by a 1976 painting by Lu Yanshao that uses traditional Chinese techniques to picture "Electric Power Station in a Mountain Village":

We loved this contemporary cerulean ceramic bowl:

Completely different is this bodhisattva:

The museum explained that this holy figure is dressed in women's attire since achieving the status of bodhisattva allows one to transcend sexuality.  

But my favorite item is in the permanent collection of the Museum, a remarkable piece entitled "Mass (Colder Darker Matter)":

It is like a giant mobile made from pieces of charred wood hung on nearly invisible wires and strings. As you move from place to place, it changes. Interestingly, the burned wood is what’s left of a rural church that ignited when struck by lightning. To me, this installation seems both ominous and numinous.

Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 N. Central Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85004-1685 (602) 257-1880

Craft 64

This new pizzeria, featuring rustic 900° wood ovens and house made mozzarella, was our choice for our first dinner in the Phoenix area. The exterior seems pretty ordinary, but it is nice to see a doggie friendly patio in front:

The interior was brightly lit, tastefully simple, and full of customers:

Thursday Night NFL was on the TVs in the bar and numerous animated conversations were all going on simultaneously, so it was LOUD. Sitting outside on the back patio would have made conversation easier, but all the tables there were taken as well.

Of course, they have 36 beer taps and an extensive collection of bottled beers and wines as well. Tina and I had a couple of their lighter beer offerings:

As soon as we tasted our locally sourced Farmers Salad, we understood why the place is so popular:

This was extremely unusual and extremely flavorful. Batonettes of fresh mango and jicama dominated, with wafer thin slices of watermelon radish, a sprinkle of radish sprouts, small strips of red onion, and cilantro leaves all contributing. The cumin lime dressing was a superb match, tempering the sweetness of the mango and giving a nice flavor boost to the usually bland jicama. Amazingly good.

We ordered two different pizzas. I wanted to try the very basic Senza Formaggio vegan pie with mushrooms:

Tina and I wondered if we would like this at all, but it was very tasty. The focus was clearly on the wonderful crispy crunchy crust highlighted with the nicely herbed tomato sweet sauce and olive oil.

Tina was intrigued by the idea of the Spanish pizza with real Spanish chorizo, sliced almonds, Spanish black olives, and a mild harrissa sauce:

Tasting it was a real experience. To the eye, it looks like a pepperoni based pizza, but to the mouth, the flavor panorama was  entirely different. The crunchy almonds were good, and the crust was magnificent.

We told our friends who were letting us use their North Scottsdale timeshare about Craft 64, they tried it, and Greg told me it was the best pizza they had ever eaten. Your results may differ, but it is damn good (can I say that?).

Craft 64, 6922 E. Main St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251, (480) 946-0542

Le Eyzies de Tayac - Fonte de Gaume and back to Pizzeria La Milanaise

There was one reason why we came to Les Eyzies. It was to visit Font de Gaume, the only site in France with "polychrome" (colored) prehistoric cave paintings still open to the public. The catch was, there's no advance tickets sales, you need to show up and wait in line and purchase tickets for one of the "tours". The ticket office opens at 0930, we got there at 7am and there were already people in line for one of the 52 tickets available on this day! Carbon Dioxide is starting to damage the 15,000 year old paintings of 230 animals, so access is limited. We could have gone to Lascaux and visited the Lascaux II, which is a replica of the original, now closed to the public because of carbon dioxide damage....but seeing the real thing was on the Missus' bucket list, so here we were. One of the reasons we stayed where we did was that it was a short 2 kilometer walk up the street.

Folks were sitting around chatting, checking their smartphones, staring off into space, or like me, checking out this very social little guy, who seemed totally unafraid of humans.

Like clockwork, the place opened at 0930. We were about number 14-15 in line. The only English tour of the day was at 10am and we easily got tickets to it! Since it would be starting fairly soon we just hung around for 15 minutes and  off we went up the trail.

Of course photos aren't allowed, but let me just say, this well worth 5 times the 7.5 Euro ticket price....that's right, it seems they really care for this place and aren't gouging you. Much like the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, this place left us amazed and truly touched. The artwork is quite amazing, one of the particular paintings, which looked somewhat abstract and 3-d had our guide tell us, "see, even then, they had a Picasso!" And then there was the famous "Reindeer Kissing" painting. This is truly a worthwhile place to visit. I'm not sure how much longer it will be open to the public, but it is truly a treasure.

We left on a high, we decided to walk back into town and grab some lunch. But first, the walk......Les Eyzies is in essence a one street village, near the north end of that walk is the Hotel Cro-Magnon.

This hotel was built in 1868, basically on the site where the first Cro-Magnon skeleton was unearthed. The owner of the hotel was Monsieur Magnon and it was on his land the remains were found. Thus the name, Cro-Magnon....which in simple terms means, "Mr Magnon's Hole".....you gotta love that! Just think, all those guys you called Cro-Magnon.....you were calling them "Mr Magnon's hole......" Which might have been appropriate!

Turning back, it was time to decide on lunch. We were kind of tired...sleeping on what felt like plastic sheeting didn't translate into a good night's sleep and the Missus really enjoyed the salad She had the night before, so Pizzeria La Milanaise just seemed like the easy choice.

So the Missus got Her salad. Meanwhile, I decided to go just go for it and got the Pizza de Campagnade (14,3 €/about $16US), mainly because it was topped with...yes, this is the Dordogne...Foie Gras. My curiosity had gotten the better of me it seems...or maybe not as this was pretty good.

It was a nice thin crust, the edges charred, but not bitter. It was merely topped with foie gras after the pizza baking process, which answered my questions of how foie gras would survive on a pizza. Under that cheese was a nice amount of "magret fume" smoked duck breast which was quite good; the "sauce" was persillade, basically a parsley-herb-garlic-oil-vinegar mixture that really resembled pesto in this case. It was quite rich....as in after the salad, we had one-third of the pizza and the foie gras and took the rest to go. So here's the thing, sixteen bucks here in the Dordogne gets you smoked duck pizza topped with foie gras........

Pizzeria La Milanaise
41 Avenue de la Préhistoire
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, France

We walked back to our unit, stopping again at the win shop at the end of the street....this time we noticed a photo of the owner; the guy running the register, who looked a bit less dapper than this photo......his "Bond....James Bond" picture.

Getting back to the apartment, it was a bit too early for a nap, so we got into the car and decided to take a drive around the countryside. We came across a village named Campagne.

The Chateau and park was closed, but it was a charming little stop. Wikipedia says the population of this town is 345.

Which of course makes one wonder what life here is like......

Later that evening, while we finished the remnants of the pizza along with a nice bottle of wine, I noticed some movement on the hillside. There were some deer grazing. In some sense it looked so peaceful......in harmony with the surroundings. Perhaps this was what the beautiful Dordogne does to you.....

Continental Delicatessen (Escondido)

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this blog.  Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy write about food. Right now, Kirk and Ed are relaxing and Cathy is writing.

The Mister and I have the habit of eating a meal before grocery shopping.  We've been in Escondido quite a bit and had noticed that the kitchen used by Vinz Wine Bar shared the courtyard and kitchen within this small business.  Continental Deli is just across the alley from Escogelato and has been there since about 2010.Walking inside, you are greeted with some glassed refrigerators holding pizza already sliced and waiting to be re-warmed. Walk  by it, pass the meat and cheese refrigerator (Thumanns Natural brand meats as well as some German cold cuts), peruse the menu board, order and pay and your food will be brought to your table. which is always covered with a colorful tablecloth.Each day, a home made soup is available until sold out.  This day it was mushroom soup ($3).  The thickener was potato and it was wonderful.Two slices of pizza and a self serve soda ($6) make a nice meal.  There were other pizzas with more interesting toppings available, but The Mister and I are simple folk when the pie is thin crusted.The #9 sandwich, Liverwurst and Butterkäse (butter cheese), on rye (and with onions, which aren't photographed because this is not my half) ($.6.95) is one of my favorite sandwiches in the world.  I enjoy this version because of the quality and freshness-of the bread as well as the soft cheese and fresh, thick slices of liverwurst.

This past summer, we purchased one of each sausage (knackwurst (pork), bratwurst (pork) and bockwurst (veal)) for a total of $4.Cooking each on the grill brought out the multitude of flavors from each of the various herbs  and spices used in the sausages.

Continental Deli is a great place for the people living in the Northern part of the county.  We're glad we found it.

Continental Delicatessen 120 S. Kalmia Street 92025 (760) 745-8007 Open Mon-Thurs 9-8, Fri 9-9, Sat 10-8 Closed Sunday   Deli menu is on the Vinz website

Sammy's Woodfired Pizza (Power Lunch)

Thanks for clicking onto mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Kirk and Ed(from Yuma)- both are busy, busy. Cathy is staying indoors today and able to blog, so enjoy reading.  

Sammy's Woodfired Pizza opened it's first location in La Jolla in 1989, now has eight locations in San Diego County with a total of 17 locations in California and Nevada.  The concept and menu began as simple (the owner, Sami Ladeki, didn't even hire a chef at first, because the menu was so basic) and has expanded into small bites and other items in addition to pizza.  It's not an 'Italian' menu (Sami is from Lebanon) as much as it's fresh and local (items are sourced from within 125 miles). The website uses the trademarked term "Healthy Global Cuisine".The former Naval Training Center, now Liberty Station, is listed on the National Register of Historic places and the former military barracks and other government buildings have been adapted as stores, schools and restaurants.  One of Sammy's locations is here.    

This past summer, an additional menu, the Power Lunch (available from 11 to 2 daily), was introduced.  Choose any two items for $10.  We've tried the whole menu except for the kale salad and the spicy Italian sausage pizza...
Mentioned at the bottom the regular menu is that water and bread are served if requested.  Two multi-grain crisps (really nice seeded crackers) and a few pieces of fresh made soft crusted white bread and butter is brought out.  
The fresh tomato basil soup has been different every time we've had it.  Flavorful fresh tomatoes, sometimes with the shaved Romano cheese at the bottom of the bowl, sometimes on the top and basil are the main ingredients.  Recently the tomatoes were supplemented with red peppers, which were very tasty and made for a different soup flavor than I was expecting.The butternut squash soup (on the right) is always tasty...made with fresh squash, ginger and apple, it is brisk and fresh...and sometimes a bit stinging from the amount of ginger while sweet because of the apple.  

The corn chowder (on the left, above) is the 'calmest' of all the flavors.  A bit sweet because of the corn and carrots and complimented by potatoes, celery and red pepper, it's just good and creamy.The salads  (on this and the regular menu) are always so very fresh and quite large, even at lunch.  The Greek (above) has all the standard ingredients (tomato, cucumber, onion and olive) as well as Feta and is tossed with a simple red wine vinaigrette.The arugula with calmyria fig salad is simple; the other ingredients are feta and toasted almonds, along with some of the broken crisps that are served with the bread plate, above.  It's tossed with a pomegranate based dressing.  This I crave.The pizzas are larger than a 'personal' pizza, cut into quarters.  The margherita (above) has the most wonderful fresh ingredients in addition to a perfect (to me) crust.  There's a roasted garlic sauce under the mozzarella cheese that puts this pizza into one of my 'sudden craving' categories.The pepperoni pizza has a house made tomato sauce that is lightly spiced.  There are some bell pepper slices as well as pepperoni with the mozzarella cheese and those flavors along with the chew and crunch of the wood fired crust are a perfect combination.

I hope your week is going well!

Sammy's Woodfired Pizza, multiple locations. Website