It’s National Pizza Month.  Yes this is a thing.  It seems like you could come up with a day, holiday, or month long celebration for just about anything.   When it comes to pizza, if everyday was pizza day and every month pizza month, I doubt you would get many complaints.

I wasn’t necessarily going to try and make these posts a bit larger than life because of said event, but a dear friend suggested we brainstorm and take this to the next level.

With that we go to one of those big time places in the Baltimore area, Squire’s Italian Restaurant.

Right outside the city, in Dundalk, this is considered by many to be an institution.  I actually heard that phrase, in regards to this place, by a good friend tonight, that I had to use it for the title.

I knew the place existed for a long time, but I didn’t know their family went back nearly 100 years. That will make anyone sentimental, nostalgic, and think of this place as a second home. Here’s a history lesson for you, and for me too!

I’ve only been here a handful of times, but never actually ate their pizza.  Maybe it was all leading to this moment earlier today.

My previous visits had to do with playing social sports nearby and coming by for a drink, some appetizers, and not much else.  I knew they had pizza but never actually had any myself.  For people in the area that sounds weird.  I take it as it wasn’t meant to be until now.

My pal and I were seated in effortless fashion and we decided on some onion rings for the appetizer.  Nothing out of the ordinary but they did taste better than most onion rings I’ve had at similar restaurant set ups.   So they were really good nonetheless.

After some careful deliberation, we decided to go with the Seafood Pizza. And not just any seafood pizza but the Signature Seafood Pizza. In hindsight I can see why.  It seemed fitting. We didn’t want any heavy protein and loads of vegetables didn’t feel right either.

Those pieces of shrimp and crab meat and shrimp were profound and all over the place. I’m grateful it wasn’t a halfway amount of seafood that you may find in other establishments.

And man were those chunks of shrimp and crab meat scrumptious.  This was absolutely fantastic.

The crust was somewhere between thin and Sicilian style, so it was refreshing and a change-of-pace to what I’m used to.  I appreciate how our medium pie was cut into smaller pieces.  We had two slices apiece, so there is something to be said about portion control, even if was unintentional.

Yes I did like the crust.  I had my two slices rather quickly.

If there was one initial issue, it was that I felt the seafood didn’t gel with the tomato sauce. I thought it was standard tomato sauce at first.  But if I remember the menu, it did say spicy red sauce.   And that spice kicked in a few seconds after the first bite and it’s still resonating with me as I write this a few hours later.   I had thought that maybe a white clam sauce would work better, but now I don’t see it.  It might have been to rich and the seafood we love, along with the crust, and a certain Baltimore spice would have gotten lost in the shuffle.   Speaking of which…

…I almost forgot there was Old Bay as well.  That might be that be a hint of Old Bay, but nevertheless this pie came together like clockwork.  The whole equaled the sum of its parts.  Everything about this pizza meant something and it wasn’t overloaded with toppings of spices.  This is just a straightforward pie with some of the staples of this area, but without all the bells and whistles you may find elsewhere.

Now I was reminded why locals and folks from nearby neighborhoods are drawn to this place and keep coming back. It’s the simple things. The service was friendly, the atmosphere was simple, yet cozy, and the overall vibe was approachable and unpretentious.  More of this please and nothing else.   What took me so long?

And I love that my leftovers still had that amazing taste while lukewarm. The cheese hardened and with the seafood still in tact, it made for wonderful seconds at dinnertime. And speaking of another meal…

Lets do it again sometime soon, shall we!

I love the photo of Squires, past to present.  I’m glad I got a snapshot.

What a fantastic experience!

All The Best,

Ideen