After the excitement of the holidays and the ice storm, last week was my first full week back at the office and I decided Friday night would be the perfect night for a Pizza. Peterborough has a number of tasty pizza places to choose from and I decided to try the latest to open, Pizza Pizzazz. Located in the Monadnock Community Plaza, they are open daily from 11am to 10pm and accept credit cards and ATM cards.

Cheerful holiday lights welcomed us as we opened the door. Pizza Pizzazz has an open and lofty space with warm two tone walls. We walked up to the brick oven styled counter – which reminded me of a theater stage – to look over the selections offered. Pizza Pizzazz has an abundance of offerings including pizza, calzones, subs, pasta, fried dinners, salads and a variety of appetizers. Prices are very reasonable. Some items on the menu include; $11.95 for an 18inch Italian style pizza, $12.50 for a gourmet Four Cheese pizza, $5.95 for a 12inch Eggplant parmesan sub, $5.75 for Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread – which is a delicious grinder roll filled with an even mix of aromatic garlic and herbs.

We placed our order with a friendly counterperson and took a seat in a wooden booth that was decorated with a vase filled with poinsettias. A slight background noise of kitchen music could be heard as I watched the staff prep our meal in the stainless steel appointed kitchen. A fair number of people had gathered for an early Friday night. I was happy to see quite a crowd for take-out – considering that Pizza Pizzazz has only been open for two weeks. Pizza Pizzazz offers comfortable and inviting seating for those who choose to wait for their take out order. I saw several pies and hefty paper sack wrapped subs go out the door. A table of three satisfied customers near us was devouring substantial foil swathed wheat wraps with a variety of contents. You can select any of the sub ingredients and choose to envelop them in your choice of a sub roll, Syrian bread or a wrap – plain or whole wheat.

Our buffalo chicken wings were brought to the table. Yum! The smell alone was worth going out on such a chilly night. To my delight the wings had a nice heat and weren’t slopped in sauce – they were fried so that every bite was at first crisp and then filled with tender, juicy meat. The blue cheese dressing was in an enlarged side cup and filled with chunks of actual blue cheese. Usually I have to request additional dressing – not so at Pizza Pizzazz where they give you plenty of dressing for the ten savory wings.

Fresh out of the kitchen our pizza arrived. It was brought to our table piping hot after the staff cleared our previous dish. Crust. It is all about crust for me. We tried the Greek crust. It is the type that has grinder/Italian bread styled outer ring and an airy but solid base that allows for eating with your hands. They are generous with toppings. We enjoyed the fresh spinach and sausage combination. Their sausage is sweet and sliced just right – not too thick nor thin. The cheese bubbled into a perfect tone of gold and we liked the mild tomato sauce that didn’t saturate but rather complemented the ingredients of our pie.

I had to return a few days later to try the other pizza they offer. I called in an order for the regular 18inch Italian pie with what they call a “special sauce.” People from NY and NJ listen up – you may have found what you have been longing for! This style of pizza is baked on a screen pan and allows for a bubble or two to build along the edge of the crust. Memories of the Upper East Side slices I enjoyed years back came to mind as I bit into the flexible yet dense and chewy crust. The sauce is robust with visible herbs and chopped tomatoes which tingle on your tongue and the cheese is distributed evenly throughout the pie. I will definitely order this again!

I advise you to visit Pizza Pizzazz soon to check out their vast selections and generous portions – you won’t go home hungry.

Price: $22.36 for 2 Included: Buffalo Chicken wings, Large Greek pizza with 2 toppings and 2 bottles of soda

Hillary’s Hint: When ordering pizza make sure to ask for the type of crust you want – either Greek or Italian