Pizza? Pizza?
Sixty years ago, Little Caesars began a quiet march to ubiquity. Its $5 takeout pizza, so fast and cheap, defined for many the combined taste of dough, sauce, and cheese.
Is there any room left in such a crowded space? Enter Blaze Pizza.
Today a string of Neapolitan restaurants seems intent on pushing America's love of fast-casual pizza. Over the past few years these establishments popped up in Toledo with a similar and simple premise.
In an experience most akin to Subway, the customer approaches the counter, and staff members ready the start of a personal-size pizza. Upon deciding between several pre-designed pizzas or customizing your own, patrons move down the line choosing their ideal toppings.
Or, to let Blaze tell it: Buy the ticket. Take the ride.
★★★½
Address: 3330 W. Central Ave., Toledo
Phone: 419-463-9274
Category: Casual.
Menu: Pizza.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays; 11 a.m. to midnight Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Wheelchair access: Yes.
Average Price: $ Credit Cards: MC, V, AE, D.
Website: blazepizza.com
Summary: Blaze Pizza, 3330 W. Central Ave., Toledo, takes a practical approach to a classic food. The toppings are fresh and abundant, but skip the mediocre sides. 3.5 stars. $
“Blazing hot oven + dedicated pizzasmith + 180 seconds = fast-fire’d, perfectly crisp perfection. Sound good? Enjoy the rest of your day,” the company's website states.
I admit, it can all be a bit disorienting. My first trip to Blaze felt like an inundation of options. Signs with menu items hung above, and the labeled toppings themselves sat at the counter below. Both drew my eye as I tried mapping flavors that would combine well out of the oven.
My build-your-own pizza ($8.45) came with mozzarella and Gorgonzola cheese, banana peppers, black olives, and perfectly cooked whole roasted garlic cloves. It was exactly what I wanted on the pizza that evening. That is, of course, the point. The pizza was also wonderfully piping hot.
My dining companion chose the more straightforward veg out pizza ($8.45) with a few alterations. The staff appeared accustomed to build-your-own creations and was perhaps confused by a traditional menu route. Her order required a few clarifications.
On our second trip I went with the white top ($8.45). The white cream sauce, instead of traditional tomato, was excellent. Heavy and thick in the best way, it paired well with arugula added upon leaving the oven.
My companion ordered the build-your-own pizza ($8.45) with vegan cheese and various veggies. She appreciated the company's vegan options, but this location was sold out of vegan chorizo. It was disappointing, given the hype in the store's marketing. Vegan cheese was appropriately creamy and worked great as a substitute.
Our sides were mostly forgettable. My side salad ($3.95) was neither presented well in its plastic container nor particularly striking. The s'more pie cookie ($2) seemed creative at first but was overly dry, lacking the overflowing marshmallow and chocolate that make s'mores great. Dough knots ($1.95) were clever bite-size pizza portions of cheese and bread.
The interior had a somewhat sterile, industrial approach. It felt rather cavernous. Wooden tables line the seating area, with a number of booths throughout. I was thrilled, however, to see red pepper flakes in the classic pizza parlor glass shakers available for all diners.
Each time we visited there were a number of families enjoying dinner as well, which makes sense. The restaurant is an affordable dinner in which most everyone can agree. Pizzas are available in rapid order.
Blaze boasts its oven floor temperature typically ranges from 600 to 800 degrees Fahrenheit, requiring specific training for proper pizza rotation. Watching the employees' circular skill at work, both effortless and professional, I found myself impressed with the operation.
Here is a restaurant offering a product at temperatures well apace my trusty convection oven. Staff assemble pizzas in an assembly line that actually makes sense, producing at a scale to make the price right. They do so with proudly fresh ingredients, no less.
The final product is more a welcome pizza alternative than revolutionary act. But in one of the food economy's fiercest sectors, the battle for your sub-$10 pizza order, Blaze makes a pie worth the time and money.
First Published June 19, 2019, 1:00 p.m.
