Why is a dive bar just off South Grand one of St. Louis' pizza-insider secrets?
Because the pizza is very good, and St. Louisans may be particularly quirky about their pizza. We can't think of another city where the cheese is the subject of so much controversy, for instance. We're fond of Imo's, and we don't know of another local chain with so many outlets and fans, but there are those who become near-hysterical over their dislike for that sort of extra-thin rendition.
Black Thorn Pub & Pizza looks as if it's been there for generations. The inside is darkish, simple to the point of rusticity, its primary decoration a series of dollar bills tacked to the ceiling, a jukebox, a couple of pinball machines and a bar-style shuffleboard. Before the city's smoking ban, the air was thick, but they've done a good job of removing most of the residual odor. Beer appears to be the preferred drink. The crowd is mostly young, and some nights it's a meeting place for girl-friend get-togethers. Crowded on weekends.
Menu cards are on tables, a larger one over the bar. The bartender takes food orders, makes drinks and does about everything except cook the pizzas. A loudspeaker announces each order; sometimes the bartender brings it to the table, and sometimes it's a do-it-yourself. Be warned: the pizza oven is small, and the wait can be more than an hour during busy times. We hear stories that even the salads can arrive on a, uh, rather leisurely basis.
So what's to eat? Three kinds of pizza, a couple of salads and some garlic bread. That's it, and the toppings list is rather brief, too. No pineapple, no pesto, no barbecued chicken. Not even any anchovies, but we soldiered on, despite that shortcoming.
The Caesar salad is better than one might imagine, romaine that is crisp, with a tasty dressing and fresh croutons. The cheese, of course, isn't Parmigiano, but generous shreds of mozzarella. Two sizes, but only the large for carryout.
Deep dish, thick crust, and thin crust are the big quandary. How thin? What's the difference between thick crust and deep dish? How deep is deep? We tried all three, and were very happy with two. Thick crust, shown here, is close to an inch thick, chewy and just a little yeasty. The sauce itself has a little heat, with a cooked-tomato taste and a nice layer of oregano. Ours wore bacon, mushrooms and onion, the latter still with some body and bacon losing only part of its crunch with the moisture, but still a good combination. Black Thorn uses mozzarella cheese, in all its stretchy-stringy glory. While we generally prefer a thinner crust, this was a more-than worthwhile substitute.
The deep dish crust itself isn't a whole lot thicker mid-pie than the thick crust version. It's at the edges that we found significant difference. The crust is folded inward on itself, enclosing some of the toppings to produce a stuffed-crust effect. The same spicy sauce, seemingly a more generous hand with the cheese, this one topped with fresh mushrooms and a double hit of pepperoni, a topping we're greeting with increasing fondness. Here's a picture of the deep dish; those plastic triangles are inserted in the carry-out deep dish to keep the cheese and the pizza box top apart, and do their job:
The thin crust came as something of a shock. After the irregularity of the thicker offerings, its symmetrical roundness was striking, and the texture was completely unremarkable, neither crisp nor particularly chewy. Flipping it over, we noted the small indentations that led us to think it may have been pre-made. Same sauce, a reasonable amount of cheese, and this time jalapenos that were spicy enough to have escaped from one of the Cherokee Street Mexican markets. That's it by the address and info.
Black Thorn is successful enough to operate on its own terms; we discovered, for instance, a firm policy on ordering takeout: Don't call until the official opening time (5 o'clock), and certainly don't order today to pick up tomorrow. But it's okay to order by phone while driving through Tower Grove Park, which can reduce the waiting time. Or go on a weeknight, and you'll have a fine pizza experience.
Black Thorn Pub & Pizza
3735 Wyoming St. (at Spring)
314-776-0534
Pizza nightly
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Tight but passable
Smoking: No
Pizzas: $7-$18