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Pushing past Provel cheese at The Good Pie

Pushing past Provel cheese at The Good Pie

Call me a “Wisconsin cheese head” or a “food snob,” but St. Louis-style pizza leaves me baffled. The crust is as thin as a Saltine cracker. Cover it with tomato sauce and then load it with processed cheese and it has a cult following? Bon appetite . . . I don’t think so.

I needed an authentic pizza, and found it at The Good Pie in Midtown Alley.

Located on Olive Street, just minutes away from SLU, The Good Pie is nestled into an unassuming strip of buildings. The simple sign and tinted windows give off the impression of a stark hole-in-the-wall pizza joint, but don’t be fooled. Once inside, warmth comes from the brick walls, rustic wooden tables and tasteful vintage decorations.

While The Good Pie may seem relaxed, the owner, Mike Rudolph, is anything but when it comes to his pizza. Prior to opening his doors in 2008, he did extensive research in order to ensure he was creating a genuine pizza. To achieve this feat, Rudolph enlisted the help of a master from the pizza capital of the world: Naples.

Under the tutelage of the pizzaiolo– a title earned only after months of training under another master pizza maker– Rudolph and his staff developed the techniques to bring true Neapolitan-style pizza to St. Louis.

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Having arrived during the dinner rush on a Friday, my boyfriend and I had to wait half an hour for a table. We did not spend that time clutching a pager, waiting for the buzz of the hostess, but rather, we spent it by the fire pit on the patio behind the restaurant. After relaxing out back, we were taken to our table, passing the unique wood-burning pizza oven on our way.

As we walked by, we caught sight of a perfectly crisp and bubbly pie being pulled, finished with a drizzle of olive oil and whisked off to a table. No square slices, just delicious looking pizza.

Looking at the menu, I was immediately impressed by the wide selection of offerings. If you are in the mood for meat, The Good Pie has an impressive list of salume ranging from mortadella to capicolla. Each option is served with bread and costs around $13, but is definitely more than enough to share. Even though the cured meats were incredibly tempting, my eye was caught by the simplicity of the arugula salad, which is tossed in lemon oil and sprinkled with fresh pecorino cheese.

The flavors were bright and balanced, with the emphasis of the dish being the integrity of the ingredients. There was no heavy ranch dressing to blanket the salad in a monotone flavor– each element was enhanced by the other, thus creating a harmonious start to the meal.

I was also able to snag a bite of my boyfriend’s choice, the spinach salad. The greens were dressed in vibrant pancetta vinaigrette and tossed with Gorgonzola cheese, red onion and almonds. Though I still liked my arugula better, the spinach salad did contain a deeper richness from the flavorful pancetta.

Both were quite large portions and cost only $8 each.

Choosing a pizza to share was a difficult decision, but we ended up going with the special for that evening– a white pie topped with fresh mozzarella, kale, garlic and Guanciale. Often called  “Roman bacon,” Guanciale is a cured pork cheek. After just 90 seconds in the nearly 1,000 °F oven, our pizza was delivered to the table and ready to be sliced. Not having the patience to let it cool down, we dug right in.

This was a pizza I could appreciate and crave. The complexity of textures and flavors in each bite was wonderful, and a direct result of the unique cooking of the oven. Kale can be dense and bitter, but because of the high heat, it became delicately crisp. Sprinkled around the leaves of kale were the little nuggets of Guanciale that brought the fattiness needed to tame the acidic greens.

Underneath the toppings laid a perfectly melted bed of fresh mozzarella cheese. The intense creaminess indicated the freshness of the product, which I learned comes from a nearby farm in Illinois, where the cows are milked on Monday and the cheese is delivered on Wednesday.

My favorite part of the pizza– the crust– was kissed with the ashes of the oven, and had a terrific body and crunch. There was just enough to act as a solid foundation for the pie, but it did not distract from the flavors of the toppings.

For $13, I found this pizza a bargain, considering the high quality of ingredients and excellent execution. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to sample any of the other varieties, but after my dinner I would safely bet they are all delicious. The Good Pie will not break your bank, with menu items ranging from $10.50 to $16.50. If you have room, they also offer a changing list of gelato that is a great end to the meal, paired with a cappuccino.

While The Hill may be considered the Italian hot spot of St. Louis, I challenge you to push the Provel to the side, cross the street and give our neighborhood pizza place a try. Whether joined by family, friends or a date, trust me, you will not be disappointed with the authentic tastes of Naples that The Good Pie serves up!

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