Slice on Broadway, a Local Pizza Darling - #PGHPizzaWeek

Find me a single person that dislikes Slice on Broadway. I dare you. Watch the video above and try and find a severe flaw.

It's impossible. Helmed by Rico Lunardi, Slice on Broadway is a pizza shop that is slowly taking over Pittsburgh pizza. His aggressive and intelligent expansion has earned him a spot in PNC Park, replacing the bland Diamond Pizza shop. A win for all parties involved.

Rico's mission is to build out consistently delicious pizza and, basically, ensure that everyone in Pittsburgh has access to amazing pizza. He shows no signs of slowing down which is a boon for everyone in the area. 

I'm a big fan of what Rico has accomplished, heck the guy even got the mayor to declare April 14th as the official Slice on Broadway day in the city! If you haven't eaten a slice of Slice on Broadway, do yourself a favor and go to one of his locations this week.

What I Order

• Rico stocks his shops with rare meats for a pizza shop: I always get a pie with soppressata. 
• Pepperoni rolls aren a good side option!

Slice on Broadway Ordering Info

• Slice on Broadway website
• Find them on Twitter!
• Beechview Location
• Carnegie Location
• PNC Park Location

Slice on Broadway in the News

• Practice, Practice, Practice, Pizza
• Slice Highlight: Tomato Pie Pizza
• April 14th is official Slice on Broadway day in Pittsburgh.

Driftwood Oven Experiments With Square Slices - #PGHPIZZAWEEK

I don't know what kind of witchcraft happens under Driftwood Oven's pizza tent. Over the cold season, Neil and Justin set up their mobile home and zip themselves inside their pizza den. If you're at Grist House, Dancing Gnome or any other location they call home, to order the pizza you unzip their tent and enter the pizza cave.

The Driftwood Oven pizza cave is a warm safe place. Some folks linger inside with their beer and watch Neil expertly work the oven. Justin is a one-man-show ready to entertain anyone that enters. The pizza cave draws people in, like travelers gathering next to a warm hearth to rest their weary legs and tell tales of pizza.

On my most recent visit into the Driftwood Oven pizza cave, Neil had a tray of square slices. Driftwood Oven has been teasing square slices for a long time. In fact, I had sampled some square slices from Driftwood Oven months ago. The ones Neil are selling today is an evolution of that product. I asked him if this means he finally mastered the formula. 

"It's never perfect. You know that. It's a constant work in progress," was Neil's response. I suppose an artist is never truly satisfied. 

But square slices have a nostalgia to them. My uncle was so excited to see the slices on the menu that he ordered six. "Growing up in Beaver, it's all we ate. For your birthday they set down a platter of square slices," said my uncle, Don Erb, about his history with square slices.

Here Don uses the "blow on hot pizza" technique to cool it down a few degrees.

There is a rustic feeling to the square slices. It recalls memories of grandma pie: dough mashed into a square tray and plopped into the oven. It requires much less finesse than getting a round pie. 

Driftwood Oven's square slices were delicious. The slices were solid, sturdy, and provided a hearty crunch. In past iterations the inside has been much softer, so maybe they're trying to strike that crunch-to-soft-balance. 

still, it was beautiful and it was simple. I'm excited to eat tray after tray of their square pie in the coming months.

What I Order

• A margherita and something zany on the menu.
• Gotta grab a square slice as an appetizer.
• Get a pizza per person.

How to Hunt Down Driftwood Oven

• Follow them on Instagram
• Check their website
• Hit up their Twitter

Other Driftwood Oven News

• Pittsburgh Pizza Dojo Part 2: Pizza Boat vs Driftwood oven

• Driftwood oven Brings Pizza to Pittsburgh Pizza Deserts

• Recounting the first Pizza Dojo