For me, a pizza has always been this: a nice chewy crust, not too thin; a swirl of red sauce; a thick layer of melty cheese; and a nice mix of protein and vegetables. Sausage and spinach and mushrooms, for example; or chicken with sliced tomatoes and banana peppers for a little punch.
But salad? On a pizza?
My friend Erin recently ordered it while we were out for a night with friends at Guiseppe’s Pizza and Italian Specialties on Wheeler Road. I looked up, and she caught my glance. I’d been reading the menu, thinking of ordering my usual, Chicken Nicky — sliced chicken breast on penne pasta with a tangy sun-dried tomato Alfred sauce. But Erin urged me to try something different: “It’s really good!” she said.
I’ve been going out of my comfort zone recently with my dining choices—and trying to add more fruits and veggies to my diet. Plus, with the oppressive heat this summer, the salad pizza suddenly sounded less out there and so right.
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Our sassy waitress with her Northern twang immediately offered to put the dressing on the side—“so it wouldn’t get soggy in case you have leftovers. Although,” she said confidentially, “I usually eat the whole thing!”
Guiseppe’s has been serving up its Sicilian and Neapolitan pies and specialty pastas for about 30 years. You can design your own pizza or choose from their other gourmet options. Along with salad pizza, there’s white pizza, a loaded potato pizza, a buffalo chicken pizza, a BLT pizza and even their best-selling Margherita pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.
There are plenty of appetizers (one in our group ordered only the mozzarella sticks as a meal — they’re that good), such as mussels, fried ravioli and stuffed peppers; entrée salads; subs, Philly’s and other sandwiches; a huge array of pasta dishes, including Italian classics, chicken dishes, seafood dishes, and vegetarian options. Plus, there’s a great kids menu and desserts like cannoli, tiramisu, ricotta cheesecake, lemon cake, apple pie and a Brooklyn Blackout Cake, which sounds intriguing and decadent.
Inside, it’s as homey as our waitress made us feel: wooden tables and chairs, lots of Italian décor, stained glass lighting, and murals on the walls. Our group was tucked in a corner near a window, where we could catch up (in fact, we almost closed down the restaurant!).
In between stories, our waitress deftly slid over our orders. The salad pizza was huge — “we could have split this,” said Erin with a laugh. The dressing is a house dressing — Italian made with red wine vinegar. And the pie itself was loaded with crisp iceberg and other lettuces, torn into pieces; chopped tomatoes; and diced red onion. “I’ll bring you some cucumbers,” said our waitress. “It’s not a salad without cucumbers.”
I laid my cucumbers on my pizza like they were pepperoni, then shook up the salad dressing in its little plastic cup, drizzling some on my first slice.
If you’ve never had salad pizza, you might be surprised. It was really great. The crust was just slightly warm, nice and chewy the way I like it, with a smear of marinara. And the salad was excellent, crisp and fresh (perfect for summer!), and the tang and herbs of the Italian dressing just seemed right with both the salad and the tomatoey crust.
I have to admit, I ate half the pizza, but then as soon as I got home, I grabbed another slice for a late-night snack. For the next day, our waitress suggested we remove the salad part and heat the crust in a pan on the stove, but I chose just to eat it cold with the dressing drizzled on top. The crust may have gotten a little damp in places, but it was still a delicious light lunch.
So, salad? On a pizza? I highly encourage you to say yes.
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Make your reservation
Guiseppe’s Pizza and Italian Specialties
3690 Wheeler Road
www.guiseppespizzaitalianspecialties.com
Entrée cost: Specialty pizzas, $14.70 to $22.05
