IBJOpinion

DINING: (Piz)'Za made for the middle of the night

Back to TopCommentsE-mailPrint
Dining - A&E

If you’re in Broad Ripple and hungry for pizza, you’ve got lots of options.

You can go for the carefully crafted local favorite, Bazbeaux. You could tap into your Indiana University nostalgia and get a pie from Hot Box (Pizza Express by any other name is still Pizza Express); try newcomer Greek’s; dig into more of a restaurant pie at Union Jack; or you could make use of that coupon that was stuck in your mailbox and go to Papa John’s, Domino’s or any of the other chain places.

But what do you do if it’s the middle of the night on a Thursday and you and your entourage have the munchies? What then?

Well, for that very specific demographic group of pizza eaters, there’s now ’Za (801 Broad Ripple Ave., 602-3753), which is open until 4 a.m. Wednesday to Saturday. It’s an ambitious little place that obsessively limits its menu to pizzas and breadsticks, makes its own dough, and stresses creative toppings. I wish I could report that what I sampled justified the cost but, alas, the place had yet to be fine-tuned when I visited. Then again, it was during daylight hours, so I may have missed something.

Three choices are available by the slice, but we went with full pies.

A 10-inch Fresh from the Earth veggie ($12) on a wheat crust included spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, red onions, artichoke hearts, peppers and white sauce, but was dominated by whole heads of broccoli, turning the already small slices into awkward canapés. A 10-inch Thai Pizza ($12) lacked distinct spices and clear personality. Even the breadsticks ($5 for five with 75 cents for an extra sauce) were uninspiring. A 14-inch Create Your Own ($9 plus $1.50 per toppings) was edible, but offered nothing that would make me return here over the other choices.

Unless, of course, I find myself stumbling out of Rock Lobster and everything else is closed.

———

Second in our month-long exploration of new restaurants in the city’s cultural districts.

ADVERTISEMENT

Post a comment to this story

COMMENTS POLICY
We reserve the right to remove any post that we feel is obscene, profane, vulgar, racist, sexually explicit, abusive, or hateful.
 
You are legally responsible for what you post and your anonymity is not guaranteed.
 
Posts that insult, defame, threaten, harass or abuse other readers or people mentioned in IBJ editorial content are also subject to removal. Please respect the privacy of individuals and refrain from posting personal information.
 
No solicitations, spamming or advertisements are allowed. Readers may post links to other informational websites that are relevant to the topic at hand, but please do not link to objectionable material.
 
We may remove messages that are unrelated to the topic, encourage illegal activity, use all capital letters or are unreadable.
 

Messages that are flagged by readers as objectionable will be reviewed and may or may not be removed. Please do not flag a post simply because you disagree with it.

Sponsored by
ADVERTISEMENT

facebook - twitter on Facebook & Twitter

Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ on Facebook:
Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ's Tweets on these topics:
 
Subscribe to IBJ
  1. Many serial killer types and psychopaths work as lowly bureaucrats, just waiting to impose their wrath on a powerless person, child, or pet. Don't forget, the BTK killer was a dog catcher.

  2. If a television station wants to improve viewership, get rid of the local blackout. I was born by the brickyard, and have attended 15 or more races. I have children now, I won't attend unless circumstances are perfect. As those with growing families know, they never are. I'm always impressed that upwards of 250,000 people attend the 500. However, as a growing, or, more apt, sprawling city, Indianapolis and its immediate suburbs count almost 2.2 million. Show the race live, let the venue get a kick-back on revenues, and open-wheel racing might have a fighting chance to be relevant again. Just in time for those tax-payer lights to make sense.

  3. John Moore, I too have had the same issue recently. A property next to my house was on the Land Bank and I was interested in purchasing. When I tried to contact Reggie, I got back emails that had nothing to do with what I asked about. Actually my latest response from him was on this past Friday. I had asked about how to buy the property and if it was still available. His response to me was to contact the mayor's office to get the schedule of his appearances. (???) Hopefully the city is able to do something to fix what this guy has done, it would be nice if they would take the properties back and sell them properly so land owners like me and you mother would have a fair chance.

  4. I too work in the industry, with over 25 years of experience and your political spin has probably nothing to do with any rebranding. "Let's dress it up" would have nothing to do with the government "telling us how and what to eat." Give it a political rest. And being a producer for a radio show doesn't mean you've been involved in advertising and branding for 30 years.

  5. Ms. Morris did not understand the ways of the business world, otherwise, like the IMS, she could have petitioned the State Legislature for a handout of State Funds for her charity work. Ms. Morris should consider becoming a state lobbyist for Lemonade Stand Operators.

ADVERTISEMENT