Datsa Pizza | 907 N. Pennsylvania (downtown Indy) | Visited: Friday, November 28, 2014

datsapizza.com

Intro

My brother (a transplant from Los Angeles and now a ten-year resident of the Circle City) swears by this place. Based on his recommendation, I had tried Datsa a couple of times in the past. But we had yet to work it into our Slices of Indy rotation. 

Another thing the Hollands had never checked off our family to-do list was to go downtown for the world's largest Christmas "tree" lighting ceremony. Since my new office overlooks Monument Circle, it was a chance to see the annual event from the warmth and comfort of a 13th story vantage point. 

So, with those goals in mind, Benjamin, Amy and I set off for our chance to kill two birds with one trip downtown.

Atmosphere & Service

Since it was the day after Thanksgiving (technically Black Friday), we figured the restaurant would be crowded. We figured wrong. Truth be told, we were the only people in the place for most of our meal. 

The 36-seat restaurant is cozy (if not a bit cramped), with local artists featured on its walls. The staff of two was friendly, accommodating and contemplating shutting down (since they weren't busy) to head down and watch the lighting ceremony themselves. Not sure if they decided to do so or not. 

My previous two visits to Datsa had been at lunch, when business is a bit more brisk. Datsa Pizza is conveniently located on Penn, just northeast of the main library and catty-corner from the amazing new farm to fork restaurant, Plow & Anchor. 

Pizza (breadsticks)  

The breadsticks looked and tasted pretty decent. Above average. I'd give them a solid B in my breadstick gradebook. 

Since we were sans Sophia for the evening (Wesley was missing, too), we went with the Datsa Meaty Meat pizza, featuring sweet or spicy sausage (we chose the former), pepperoni, ham, ground beef and bacon. 

The crust didn't seem all that flavorful, but the combination of the rest of the toppings made for a delicious overall experience. 

In conclusion, I think Datsa is a good value for your pizza-buying dollar. You should give it a try the next time you're at the main library or meandering near downtown. 

Verbatims:

Ben: Breadsticks are doughy. The pizza is, um, hot. Tastes like some other place, but I'm not sure where. 

Brice: Sticks are solid, not too garlicky. Good cheese sauce, pretty sweet marinara sauce. Meaty meat has good flavor. 

Rating (out of 8 possible slices)

Dad: 5.0

Benjamin: 6.0

Noble Roman's Take-n-Bake P'za | 11725 Fox Road | Visited: Thursday, April 24, 2014

nobleromans.com

Intro

I have fond, delicious memories of Noble Roman's Pizza. 

Growing up on the northeast side of Indy, it was THE go-to pizza place. Old-school cartoons and black-and-white Three Stooges episodes on the projection TV. The giant window into the kitchen with a kid-friendly platform that allowed to you watch your pizza being made. Thick-crust pizza with giant dollops of tangy sauce. And, by far, the best breadsticks on the planet.

From an advertising standpoint, they pushed their pies (and burned their brand into my young, impressionable consumer mind) with a creepy-yet-lovable monster with tomatoes for eyeballs. (I tried finding some of the old TV spots, to no avail.)

Several years later, as a freshman at Indiana University, I would swing by the Noble Roman's on Kirkwood and wolf down two orders of breadsticks and a Coke before Finite Math on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Which really helped kick my Freshman 15 (and then some) into high gear.

As time went by, the Noble Roman's product (and, by default, the Noble Roman's brand) deteriorated. They started adding more QSR concepts in gas stations and C-stores—while their traditional locations kept getting worse and worse. The NR on 96th street (somehow) managed to remain open during its slow, downward spiral (though the sticks were still good). I often compared it to a rest area bathroom with free drink refills. It was that bad. The restaurant (and even the employees) were a disheveled mess. Not surprisingly, that location finally closed after a long, lingering battle with operational deficiency syndrome. 

Atmosphere & Service

Back to the present. 

Driving to and fro (fill in some destination in my busy driving-kids-around schedule), I noticed the NR P'za had opened its doors near our house, in the space formerly occupied by another brand that met its demise—Blockbuster Video. 

The exterior signage (above) is bold, graphic with a modern flair. The look is far removed from its traditional-looking predecessor, but that's okay. Makeovers, if done right, can help polish a tarnished brand. But the product/service needs to walk the talk as well.

I don't know if it's the franchisee's fault, but it seems like the interior would have been a lot better had they spend another $5,000 to $10,000 on their build out. Just sayin'. It seemed unfinished and not very well thought-out.  

So, with this whole take-and-bake thing, you're supposed to take the food and then bake it. 
We walked in and were greeting by a very friendly and helpful teenager. He explained the concept, wrote down our order, and handed the ticket to the folks behind the counter to make our "fresh" pizza.  

So far, so good. 

Grocery stores have employed the "put crap near the cash register so you make an impulse buy" for years. 
So maybe that's why NR has a six-foot shelf dedicated to pizza-related items, featuring everything from pizza-slice-shaped baggies to industrial-sized cans of cheese sauce to laser-guided pizza slicers. Tackiness and brand schizophrenia its best. 

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Honestly, I don't really 'get' the Take-n-Bake concept. I think I've purchased Papa Murphy's only once or twice in my lifetime. It makes no sense to me. It's not convenient to cook it myself and there's not really any big cost savings. And it doesn't taste any better than many other options out there. Someone, please, explain it to me. Thank you.]

Pizza (breadsticks)  

The breadsticks? I did detect a very slight vestige of deliciousness of days gone by, but cooking it in my own oven didn't come close to capturing the same flavor and texture. Crispy on the outside, sort of blah on the inside. #EpicDisappointment #SoNotWorthTheCarbs  

The pizza? Sadly, it didn't produce the synesthetic flashback I was hoping for, either. We didn't go with the classic deep-dish, but the hand-tossed was just a sad excuse for a pizza. The Hollands went with half cheese, half pepperoni, and it was just uninspiring. The rectangle pizza they served back in the day at Mary Castle Elementary (with the obligatory side of canned corn) had better flavor. I'm sure if you piled this pizza with toppings it'd be less offensive, but the crust, sauce and cheese were bottom notch. 

Verbatims:

Sophia: Okay...for frozen pizza. Good dipping cheese.

Ben: Not enough sauce on the pizza. The breadsticks taste like pretzels at a baseball game.   

Brice: Price was fairly cheap. So was the flavor. Never again. 

Rating (out of 8 possible slices)

Dad: 2.5 (tied for worst so far)

Benjamin: 4.5

Sophia: 4.0

Bazbeaux | 811 E. Westfield Blvd. | Visited: Sunday, March 30, 2014

bazbeaux.com

Intro

Bazbeux is consistently ranked among the top pizza places in Indy and I'm sorry that it took us until our SEVENTEENTH review to get around to checking out this Circle City mainstay. 

Actually, full disclosure, I've probably only been to Bazbeaux a couple of times in my life. And have consumed it only a few more times as a carry-in lunch or affordable (yet tasty) craft services.

Of course, I was familiar with their fun jester logo, but never really knew the back story. If you want to learn more about the legend of Bazbeaux, the court-jester-turned-culinary-master, click here.


Atmosphere & Service

Given that it was one of the first warm spring evenings, I figured the place would be uber crowded. It was not. As with most Broad Ripple hangouts, the atmosphere is comfortable and easy going. Just like the Hollands. 

Pizza (breadsticks)  

Okay. Yet another pizza place that doesn't serve breadsticks. Dumbfounded. Anyone out there know the answer? Not a traditional menu item? Disparate oven temperatures? Restaurants just wanting to mix things up? 

So, instead, we went with the cheesy garlic bread. I would describe it as more cheesy than garlic, which is a good thing in my book. A decent tide-us-over-till-the-pizza-arrives option, but nothing overly impressive. 

We ordered two pies: the Colossus and the Bazbeaux. We decided against the plain cheese (going against our usual pizza-ordering M.O.). 

The Colossus has pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, mushroom, red onion, green pepper, and black olive. I'm never really a big fan of green peppers, but decided to stick with the toppings the way the cook intended. Overall, it was very tasty. Nice and fresh. 

The Sophia

The Bazbeaux was a lighter option—not overly filling (with its thin crust) and a very salad-like or appetizer-like entree: fresh basil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes. Again, the toppings seemed fresh and high-quality. 

The Colossus 

The Bazbeaux 

Bazbeux is a solid, local choice for pizza in Indy (there are two other locations downtown and in the Carmel Arts District). 
I still prefer a hand-tossed crust and more sauce, but the location, the fresh ingredients and the welcoming vibe make it a great place to eat. 

Verbatims:

Sophia: It's poppin'. It takes like spaghetti. If the crust was more, it would clash (with the toppings). It's a good balance. 

Wesley: That may have been the best bite of pizza ever...for thin crust. I'm tastefully full... in my head. 

Ben: I don't like the toppings (based on the ones we ordered). 

Brice: It tastes like a garden of meat.  

Rating (out of 8 possible slices)

Dad: 5.5 

Benjamin: 6.5

Sophia: 6.5

Wesley: 6.75

Rockstone Pizzeria & Pub | 11501 Allisonville Road | Visited: Friday, December 20, 2013

rockstonepizzapub.com

Intro

When I heard about the name of this place, the first thing that popped into my mind was The Flintstones—with its modern stone-age parodies of (then-timely) celebrity names like Rock Quarry and Stoney Curtis.

I should have asked our waitress about the theme, but it appears that the connection is the wood-fired pizza (more on that in a bit).

We were told there would be a 35 minute wait (it was cold, rainy Friday night, so we waited), but we were seated in just 15 minutes. So far, so good. 

Atmosphere & Service

Rockstone's homage to Hanna-Barbera in giant mural form.

Back to The Flinstones theme. We sat in the back dining room, so we didn't see the entire restaurant, but the waiting area had a giant (insert your own adjective here) mural in the style of Fred, Wilma and friends. I'm trying to make these blog posts more positive, so I'll let you form your own artistic opinion.

It was strange, though, that the restaurant has a modern/
contemporary feel with these stone-age touches.

My brother suggested it may have been another restaurant in a previous life (although my research says it was a CVS) and they just added some additional "design" elements. Not sure. It just seems like an odd combination.

Cavemen's Room Signage

Waiting (less than we thought) area

From a service standpoint, I thought the hostesses and our waitress did a great job, especially for a busy Friday night. 

Pizza (breadsticks)  

I really wish restaurants, especially pizza restaurants, would pay more attention to the details. It's like a fine dining establishment not having a stellar filet or an amazing cup of coffee to complement their desserts. 

But in the spirit of trying to keep things non-negative, I would recommend something other than the breadsticks as your appetizer. The kids seemed to be okay with them, but they were also very hungry and I'm sure anything even resembling food would have sufficed. 

Once we get to 20 reviews, I think I'm going make a list of the Top 5 breadsticks in Indy. You can hardly wait, I'm sure.

Pizza-wise, we opted for non-wood fired (AKA handtossed) because we were told the larger 14" pizza wasn't available in the wood-fired variety (it apparently doesn't fit in their wood-fueled oven). We could have ordered two or three individual fiery wood pizzas to feed our crew of four, but my brain wasn't working well enough to figure that out. Of course, since it's been so long since our last blog post, I failed to take a picture of our pie. So I found a pic someone else posted online and included it below. 

Photo credit: Dave W. via Yelp

Our choice was half cheese and half pepperoni. Fancy, I know. But that's kind of our pizza M.O. My take: the flavor was just okay, but nothing overly unusual or spectacular. Crust. Sauce. Cheese. Just okay. The pepperoni was crisp and tasty (reminded me of Donato's pepperoni).

For whatever reason, Wesley really, REALLY liked this place. I'll let him have his own opinion, but I think he may have been somewhat swayed by how hungry he was and how cute the servers were.

I regret not trying the wood-fired pizza or one of their more "exotic" toppings. Based on Yelp/FourSquare commentary, it seems like there are several menu items that the online masses seem to enjoy.

So, while I didn't score Rockstone very high, I think we will definitely go back sometime—and I will have to offer up a second review. I always want to support local restaurants that support other local businesses (e.g., Smoking Goose) when I can, especially when they serve a solid selection of local and craft brews.

But no matter where the Hollands go, we always have a gay old time.

Rating (out of 8 possible slices)

Dad: 4.5

Benjamin: 5.0

Sophia: 5.0

Wesley: 7.0