Adventure #6: Eastside Pies

Nestled in the rapidly gentrifying East Austin, Eastside Pies has the stature to be a hidden gem:

There are about 5 tables, all outside. The ordering space is fit for about 4 people standing like sardines, the rest of the line stretches outside. It seems only three people were working.

All of these things seem to indicate a tiny shop with a tiny following, but this pizzeria is a mighty mouse! We had a 5-7 minute wait in line (with others stuck behind us;) seating took some standing around and glaring to come by, and the activity was frantic. Without having a taste of the goods, I was speculating that these people were here for some damn good pie, and Eastside delivered!

I'm not certain that Karin was as ecstatic about the pizza as this review sounds, but she was in agreement with the following:

- Awesome crust: the crust was thin and crispy, but still flexible. It had an almost crackery taste to me, which worked very well with the. . .

- Delicious sauce: the sauce was more sweet than spicy, with a definite personality. It was also well distributed on the pie.

Now, we're assuming that those two features hold constant across all pies here, which is enough reason for a hearty endorsement, but let's take the time to talk about our specific pizza, the Buscemi.

The Buscemi comes with sausage, jalapeños, onions, red peppers, and cilantro. Sounds spicy, you say? You'd be kind of right, but the peppers are sweet where the jalapeños are spicy, and the sausage is bland where the sauce is bold.

Wait, what? Yes, dear readers, we experienced a sausage fail. There just wasn't much taste to it, or, as Karin so eloquently put it: 'The pizza lives up to it's name - the sausage is Buscemi's snaggly teeth!' This is where Karin and I differ - she felt this was a significant detriment to the pizza, while I ate more than my fair share and wished there were about 3 more pieces. This combination of crust, sauce, and (mostly) quality ingredients is hard to come by, so get over to the east side for some Eastside.

(And bring a chair. And some paper plates.)

-Ian