The number of die-hard Pogo fans is shrinking, just like The Greatest Generation. Pogo was a comic strip from the gifted Walt Kelly, light-hearted and cynical, simple and sophisticated, and now nearly forgotten except by aging true believers. So we need to explain that our opening salvo on this review comes from the collected wisdom of Pogo, whose most famous statement was, "We have met the enemy, and he is us." He also corrected an earlier writer who offered the mathematical formula "pi r squared," to determine the circumference of a circle when the diameter is known. (Pi has an infinite number of numbers, beginning with 3.14159.)
"Pie," said Pogo, "are round. Cobbler are square."
Pi is another entry in the current explosion of non-chain pizza restaurants. Located in the east end of the Delmar Loop, besides a tendency towards punning on its name, a practice of which we approve, it distinguishes itself by an emphasis on eco-friendliness, a San Francisco recipe for a cornmeal crust, and one remarkable dessert. Chris Sommers is the casual, friendly owner; Ryan Mangialardo is the chef.
With a choice of thin crust (12" small, 16" large) or thick (9" and 12"), we’d generally vote for the thin. St. Louis should be thrilled with this crust. It’s very thin indeed, and very crisp, thanks to the cornmeal in the dough. There’s wheat flour, too; we’re not talking a thin layer of baked polenta here, but the texture is clearly influenced by the corn, and it’s a pleasure. Our "Lincoln Park" thin crust featured mozzarella and feta cheeses, garlic, olive oil, fresh tomato slices, and a light shower of chopped fresh basil. We swapped out its zucchini for some anchovies. This must have been remarkable; on our second visit, the waiter remembered us as the couple who’d ordered anchovies. The pizza was an absolute winner, particularly that crust. On the second visit, a "Western Addition" deep dish sported mozzarella, ricotta and feta, the latter two blended with spinach, and onion slices, mushrooms and garlic. We admit we asked for anchovies on that, as well. Deeply cheesy and with generous layers of garlic flavor, the bottom crust was not the thick, often doughy, layer found too often, but thinner and, sure enough, crisper.
There are four named pizzas in each style, but a diner with special desires can choose among 25 additional toppings ranging from anchovies to zucchini.
The starter section, referred to as pre-pi, includes fresh bread and a "bulb" of roasted garlic. We hope that means a head and not a single clove. We investigated "prosciutto pi’tites," fontina and minced prosciutto rolled in coarse breadcrumbs and flash-roasted. Gooey but not runny, with a nice, spicy tomato sauce for optional dunking, they worked well. The BLT salad features real bacon, not the faux, along with red onions, chopped romaine, cherry tomatoes, parmesan, and some chopped pepperoncini to add a little hit. The whole thing was well above average.
And then there’s the post-pi. A hearty two thumbs up to apple pi, made in a deep dish pan and served by the slice. The apples’ juices are almost caramelized but the fruit itself is nicely tart, and the cornmeal crust works nicely with this sweet filling. Very few pizza places have remarkable sweets, but pi scores here.
About a dozen wines by the glass, all the beer is draft, and a menu of fancy drinks has just been put together. Service has been great, although things weren’t wildly busy on our two visits. Open late, which is a good idea considering that they’re right across the street from the Pageant.
pi
6144 Delmar Blvd.
314-727-6633
Dinner nightly
Credit cards: All major
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees: $11-$23
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/28/452199/St-Louis/South-restaurants/Onesto-Pizza-Trattoria.html"><img alt="Onesto Pizza & Trattoria on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/452199/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>
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We went there this week. Got the lincoln park on a deep dish crust. I usually don’t like deep dish because it’s too greasy. This wasn’t greasy at all. Really good stuff!