ICYMI: Here's some great pizza 'Pi' options around Greater Gardner
GARDNER ― This year's Pi Day got snowed out. But if you still want to celebrate, there's plenty of opportunity to enjoy some unique pizza pies at popular restaurants locally.
Pi Day was founded in 1988 and is observed every March 14. (For those unfamiliar with the holiday, it was established to honor the mathematical constant, Pi, which represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. As an irrational number, it goes on forever and cannot be expressed as the ratio of two integers, but the first three significant figures of the calculation are 3.14 – or 3/14, to put it in calendar terms.)
The holiday’s activities include contests to calculate pi to its highest number of decimal places, doing something irrational, and eating pizza pie.
In the spirit of the festive season, we asked a few Greater Gardner restaurant owners which pizza they would recommend to anyone celebrating the Pi holiday.
Sorrento's Brick Oven Pizzeria - 487 Chestnut St., Gardner
The establishment’s two most popular items – Suzie’s Favorite and the Napoli – come from its menu of traditional pizzas, according to owner Geraldo Sousa. But he recommended that customers looking for something different try the not-so-traditional Steak and Cheese pie.
“It’s like a steak sub that people can get everywhere, but on a pizza,” he said of the dish that includes shaved steak, peppers, onions, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. Sousa added that it was something of a hefty pie. “This pizza weighs almost three pounds – the dough is one pound, it’s one pound of meat, and a half pound of cheese, so it’s two-and-a-half pounds just with that. It’s pretty good.”
More:What is Pi Day? Why mathematicians and bakers unite to celebrate
Patriot Pizza and Subs - 52 Pearson Blvd., Gardner
Owner Adel Daoud said his favorite choice was a basic cheese pizza but said anyone looking to try something different should take a look at his shop’s Big Mac pie, which replicates the popular McDonald’s sandwich in pizza form.
“We use Thousand Island sauce instead of marinara sauce,” he explained. “And then ground beef, tomato, pickle, and maybe bacon. It’s very popular and people really like it.”
Town House of Pizza - 71 Main St., Westminster
The Big Mac pizza is also the popular choice at the family-owned and operated Town House of Pizza, according to owner Tony Mansour.
“It’s really a different combination of ingredients, including the special sauce which we make right here,” he said. In addition to the sauce, ground beef and cheese, the pizza features pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and onions.
C & S Pizza - 188 Central St., Winchendon
And one more recommendation for the gourmet Big Mac pizza comes from C&S Pizza owner Kamal Ghattas.
“It’s very good, it’s delicious, and a lot of people like it,” he said.
Village Pizza - 65 Main St., Ashburnham
With ingredients including hamburger, sausage, pepperoni, ham and bacon, the shop’s Meat Lovers pizza certainly lives up to its name, according to owner Sam Botrous.
“It’s made with love, and it’s very popular,” he said. “And everything on it, including the meat and the sauce and the cheese, is delicious.”
Gabby's Pizza - 255 Central St., Winchendon
Owner Sam Boulis recommended that customers looking for something different try the store’s Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza.
“The mixture of the three toppings and the sauce, people really love it,” he said.
Village Pizza & Subs - 5 Elm St., Baldwinville
The owners of the shop, Cindy White and Morgan Grase, said their Steak pizza, which includes steak, onions, green peppers and mushrooms, would be the pie they’d recommend to customers looking to try something new.
“The steak is a Chair City special blend, which is the best steak,” Grase said. “It’s popular on our grinders, as well.”
Reno's Pizzeria - 132A Patriots Road, Templeton
Choosing a single option from Reno’s menu was not easy for owner Sam Grigis, who said the shop’s House Special – featuring hamburger, pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, onions and peppers – and Chicken Bacon Ranch – grilled chicken with bacon, Ranch dressing and mozzarella cheese – were among his favorites. But he said if he was forced to choose a favorite, it would be the Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, which features grilled chicken, broccoli and white alfredo sauce.
“We have really good marinated chicken, and our alfredo sauce is the best,” Grigis said. “It’s very popular.”
Gardner Ale House - 74 Parker St., Gardner
There was no hesitation from Ale House owner Rick Walton when asked to choose a favorite pizza from his menu – it’s the pepperoni, no question.
“When it comes hot out of the brick oven with our house-made dough, sauce, and plenty of pepperoni, I think I can eat the whole thing by myself,” Walton said, adding a recommendation for non-meat eaters. “If I’m going veggie, I get a cheese pizza and get peppers, fried eggplant and artichoke hearts. One of those and I think I could be a vegetarian!”
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Pi Day pizzas: Big Mac, bacon chicken ranch, veggie, steak and cheese
