Actually that title might be misleading, but I just felt like writing another holiday themed title for this blog.  We’re kind of in the home stretch here so I want to enjoy all the moments I can.  I want to look back on posts like this, knowing that I did my part to spread Christmas, or in this instance pizza, Cheer.

I’ve gone on in the past about how much Annapolis feels like Christmas.  And the downtown area always looks and feels magical.  Well this weeks pizza takes us back to Annapolis, but not in the downtown area.  And the pizza I’m about to review from Squisito, wasn’t from a recent visit.  So I may have this during a holiday, but not those ‘happy holiday’, we love to say in limitless doses.  I think this goes back to September, but I did take notes (actually no not really) and am happy to recap this experience to you.

Now this wasn’t like the other Squisito’s I’ve visited before.  The front signage was fancier than others.   This is a local chain but this one, aside from the logo, had a different look and vibe about it.  Again it’s maybe the Annapolis thing. There’s a bit of favoritism I show towards our state capital.

I’ve been eating slices, among other standard lunch and Italian fare  here for a couple of years, and have always considered it to be good to great food and service on every occasion.

And when it came to pizza slices, I always got the standard cheese, veggie, and various mat and veggie combinations.   But on this day I felt inspired.  I wanted something different.  It also seemed the Annapolis location had more slices to choose from than I’ve seen at their other stores.  Here I go again with the favoritism.

I went with the Philly Cheesesteak and the White Pizza with grilled chicken, tomatoes, and arugula.

Can you guess which one I preferred over the other

The cheesesteak was ambitious.  Now I’m not judging it versus how a cheesesteak from Philadelphia should taste. But it should still have that amazing melding of steak, cheese, peppers, on top of this crust.  So how did  this Philly Style cheeseteak taste on top of the New York Style crust?  I see an oxymoron here.   The pizza was wine but it seemed like it had been out for a while and may have been slightly compromised over time.  I envision this pizza would be so much better if fresher and right out of the oven.

It’s easy and hard to make a good cheeseteak regardless of the city.   And as a personal side, it may have just been a bit too heavy for me.  That’s a personal preference for me tat has nothing to do with the quality itself.

The chicken slice was the show stealer. Those are real, fresh, and genuine looking piece of chicken   I think I just used the same synonym or superlative three times over.  But this was a fantastic slice.  I love how basically the toppings were put on cold.  Literally they were cold.  The  chicken was heated somewhat but didn’t need to be.  The dichotomy of the heated slice with the chilled toppings was creative, unique, and endearing.  There I go with the three word narrative again.

Squisito is a model of consistency. They have great pizza and great service, that is approachable and welcoming.  And what’s the moral to this story?   Keeping it simple always works but going outside the norm of what goes on a pizza can be exciting and something I look forward to when seeing unique slices at the counter.

I look forward to being back again and enjoying another genuine and sincere experience. That’s what we should all strive for during the holidays and the rest of the calendar year as well.

Here’s their menu, growing list of locations, and contact information.

My Annapolis History Lesson can be found here. There’s lots of great places!

We’re this close to Christmas.  And I want to wish you a happy and festive celebration with the ones you love, and maybe have some great pizza along the way.  Squisito would certainly quality as that.

Happy Holidays,

Ideen