This post is 14 months in the making.   If you’re looking for a positive, uplifting, and energizing post, then you’re going to be delighted.  That’s my goal. It’s the holidays and it’s a myriad of emotions but I want to side with the joy, peace, and spirit of what it’s all about.

Yes, pizza makes everyone happy.  This is why I decided to do this after months of deliberating.   Dramatic much?    It’s all about enjoying yourself in whatever you can and whatever you’re doing.

I’ve always adored Red Star.    I sometimes feel smitten.  It’s a place off to the side of the commotion on Thames Street in Fells Point and I suspect that’s how many people like it.

For me it’s always been the starting point or official meeting point before or during a festival of special event.   Two of the big ones being Fells Point Fun Festival and the Old Thyme Christmas which took place this past weekend.

I exhausted the Fells Point posts when the fun festival was rescheduled. But I made reference here that there was one more place I hoped to get to. This is what I was alluding to and a few friends had known that.  It’s a bit exciting and a tad melodramatic to speculate on what is coming and how I would frame it, but I’m loving every second of this one.

Back in October of 2014 during a previous incarnation of the fun festival, we ate upstairs and I saw pizza on the menu.  First, I never knew there was a dining area on the second level and I never knew they had pies.  If they’ve had then for a while I’m sorry it took so long guys.

If I remember correctly, the pizza may have been squared shaped but I stand corrected if that wasn’t the case.

When some pals said they would be able to join in the holiday festivities, I knew this was the week to write about it.  Call it a prophecy, clairvoyance, and or maybe just some holiday cheer.   This is one of the places that inspired this blog.

This will be a recap of their entire pizza menu.  Very exciting I know!  It’s the completist in me that showed up for this one.  That’s five pies and I will attempt to truncate the verbiage on each.

Pie #1 is from Fells Point Festival Day 1:

Per the friendly bartender’s suggestion I ordered the Prosciutto.  This was fantastic but you’ll see a recurring theme, I could barely finish half of this. It was so filling and full of sensational toppings.  The garlic makes this pie for me.  The arugula was delightful too.

As you see I picked off the toppings and enjoyed them in solitude. It jokingly became a white pizza. This wasn’t the intent, yet this was gorgeous.  I enjoyed my time solo before meeting up with friends.

A nice glass of vino will be accompanying some of these works of art.   I shared my leftovers of day 1 with friends, and the reaction was universally positive.

Pie #2 is from Fells Point Festival Day 2:

I went with the mushroom.  I’ve always had an affinity for them however they’re prepared.  I enjoy them raw. I also enjoyed them on this pie.   This is how a pie comes together with the right toppings and nothing gets misdirected or forgotten.  The caramelized onions taste perfectly and complement the balsamic drizzle.  The goat cheese does it for me.

Again, I couldn’t finish it but that’s more on me than the pizza itself.  I enjoyed the leftovers.

Pies #3 and #4 are from Old Thyme Christmas this past Saturday:

But before that, we ordered a bowl of garlic and sweet potato fries mixed together.  Yes a bowl and not a plate.   This was stellar.

The buffalo chicken might have been my favorite.  It wasn’t too spicy and just felt so comforting. Maybe because we were about to drink a plethora of egg nog, that this was the right prep for it.   The celery does it for me.

And the presentation charmed the heck out of me.  They all look great but this one I find just a little more special. Why?  I don’t know.  Ask me tomorrow and I might say another one is my favorite.

The cheese was exactly what you want.  You can judge any place by how their plain is. And if they’re doing that right, then it’s concrete and unequivocal evidence that everything else will fall into place.

Finally, pie #5 was a carry-out order from yesterday.

Notice some Christmasesque colors?

This was the Mediterranean Veggie and this was the one I came closest to finishing it.  For OCD sake I wanted to get this to finish the five-pack.  I’ve said it ad-nauseum on here and with friends that pesto makes everything better and it does.

This felt like a thinner, flakier crust than the others but that could be all in my head.  And that’s not an insult.  The thinner crust across-the-board worked perfectly for all these pies.

The word count is a bit high so I will conclude this momentarily.  Go here. I love the atmosphere.  And over the years the staff has always been pleasant and attentive.  The dimly lit lights add character as well.

I’ve had all kinds of great food here and will look forward to doing so again.

This place is a labor of love and I look forward to showing more affection to well-deserving places again throughout the holidays and into the future.

Take good care and happy holidays!

Best,

Ideen