She mentioned a pizza place in nearby Pocatello Idaho, called Pie Hole Pizza.
And I instantly fall in love. I HAVE to go check this place out, simply based on their awesome name.
Well I did, and I have to say, I was fairly impressed.
...mostly.
When I first arrived, I liked the overall look of the exterior. It had the 'hole in the wall' vibe going on without looking too trashy:
Three things I noticed right away:
- The "we are open late" sign, followed by
- The large amount of bars in the area (coincidence??)
- The $1 Pabst Blue Ribbon cans, all day every day. (Have I just walked into a hipster pizza joint?)
Inside, you can tell this place is a college hangout. Idaho State University is in town, and Pie Hole is definitely catering to that crowd. Snowboards line the walls as decorations. There is a chalk-written menu. Odd art on the walls. Electric stoner-funk playing though the speakers.
Me, at 31, felt a little old in this place. But I really liked the atmosphere.
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- Pizza
- Soda
- Beer
- Repeat
They had 'create your own' options as well as house specials. The one catching my eye the most was their Potato & Bacon pizza. It uses alfredo sauce instead of marinara, and then, well, potatoes and bacon.
Sounds odd, doesn't it? Well, when I was there, 3 out of 5 people were ordering that...
Service was friendly, beer was cheap, and they served pizza by the slice. If I'm a poor college student or a hungry stoner, this place seems like a great fit.
But what about a traveling salesman, just looking for some good road food?
(Notice how I haven't talked about the food yet?)
...meh.
You know those mall pizza places? (Sbarro, I think?) Yeah, the pizza looks and tastes like that. Flimsy thin crust, gigantic pepperoni slices that your teeth can't cut though, so you get the whole damn thing, and grease grease grease.
But, I paid $4.40 for a slice and a soda. Overall, I think I got what I paid for...
If this were a newspaper-esque restaurant review, I would give an overall rating of 4 stars out of 5. GREAT marks on ambiance, service and price, but the food brings the rating down. It's not bad, not bad at all, but not as high-quality as some other pizza joints.
But, alas, Pie Hole also has locations in the Boise market. I'll probably be back, so shove more pie down my piehole...
