Frequently, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s always-hungry reporter has lunch at a local restaurant and tells you about the experience.
By ANON E. MUSS, Journal Services
Oxygen.
Pizza.
That’s it. Those are the only two things I need to live.
Oxygen is a given. Our body has to have air to breathe. But for me, pizza is just as much a necessity. If the only thing available to eat the rest of my life was pizza, that would be a life well-lived. I might not make it to 80, but I would leave a happy person.
Smitty’s Pizza has long been a Shreveport staple. For more than 40 years, locals flocked to the Mansfield Road restaurant to enjoy brick oven pizzas that had a special taste. But this past January, Smitty’s moved to a new location (2525 Southside Drive, Shreveport) – which used to be a Pizza Hut. That change begged two questions: Would Smitty’s pizza taste the same? Would Smitty’s still have their popular lunch buffet? On a recent Thursday, I went to find out, and invited a friend to join me.
When I drove up around 12:15, I saw something unusual – plenty of available parking spaces. At the old Smitty’s, lunchtime parking was at a premium. Once inside, I found out why the new place had several open parking spots.
Smitty’s no longer serves a lunch buffet.
What? How could that be? It was so popular! Well, in doing a little research, I found that when Smitty’s changed locations, a decision had to be made. Because of space limitations, the building could accommodate either a buffet, or more seating. The owners chose to have more seats.
Hmmm . . . . If you do away with one of the main reasons people go to your place for lunch, do you need more seating?
Not on this day. For the duration of our visit, there were no more than six other diners. Frankly, it was a bit sad. Smitty’s lunch buffet used to attract quite the crowd.
“That was a huge bummer,” my friend said, “because I could go to town on some Smitty’s buffet. They would have lost money today, because I would have eaten a ton.”
So, instead of taking a seat before quickly getting up and claiming our spot in Smitty’s buffet line, my friend and I opened our menus. It didn’t take long before suffering sticker shock. “Look at the prices!,” my friend said. I had beat him to it. Of the seven main pizzas Smitty’s offered, a small (10-inch) was between $14.99 and $17.99. A medium (12-inch) was between $17.99 and $20.99. A large (14-inch) was between $20.99 and $23.99.
Yikes! As I write this, Domino’s is advertising any pizza, any toppings for $9.99. Pizza Hut is promoting a large pizza with up to three toppings for $11.99. Now, fans of Smitty’s will say you get what you pay for, and a Smitty’s Pizza is worth paying more. Regardless, my friend and I thought Smitty’s prices were high – especially for the size pizzas (small) we were going to get.
(Smitty’s did offer a cheese plus one topping pizza ranging from $8.99 for a small, to $16.99 for a large).
Before we placed our pizza orders, my friend and I decided to get an appetizer. Our choices were Breadsticks with Marinara sauce, Cheese Sticks & Marinara, and Boneless Hot Wings. We went with a small order of Cheese Sticks ($10.99).
When the friendly server brought our appetizer, I didn’t see what I was expecting. If these were cheese sticks, they were unlike any cheese sticks I had ever seen. They were basically a cheese pizza cut into strips. Now, let me be clear. The cheese sticks were outstanding! They were dripping with cheese, and so hot I almost burned my mouth. I wondered if maybe we had been served breadsticks instead. But whatever they were, they were so good, we didn’t ask questions. And the small order was so big, we were almost full before our pizzas arrived.
By the way, a word about Smitty’s new surroundings. The new building appeared much larger than the old one. There are two well-lit dining rooms, which were more modern-looking than at the old place. In total, there were 10 televisions for folks to watch. The furniture looked either new, refurbished, or both. I know our table wasn’t new, because it had a Smitty’s decal with the old address.
When our pizzas were served, they were just what we expected. I got a small Smitty’s Veggie ($14.99). You know how when you order pizza from a chain, the toppings can be a little sparse? Not at Smitty’s. My pizza was loaded – and I mean loaded – with everything promised: mushrooms, black and green olives, green peppers, onion, jalapenos, and fresh-sliced tomatoes.
The original thin crust (for an extra $1, you can have New York Style crust) had that brick oven taste. It wasn’t too crunchy, and it wasn’t too soft. Oh, and my pizza was piping hot!
My friend went with a small Smitty’s Meat Lover ($17.99) That meant pepperoni, beef, pork sausage, and Canadian bacon, with a little cheddar cheese on top. As with my pizza, his was covered with all of the above.
“Smitty’s is great pizza,” he said afterwards. “It has more toppings than any of the pizza chains. My entire pizza was loaded with meat. That crust (he, too, had the original thin) is undeniable. It doesn’t leave you too heavy after eating. A lot of times I can eat the pizza and not eat the crust, because I want to eat more pizza. But with Smitty’s, you eat the whole thing and the whole thing is delicious. It’s always been that way and it hasn’t changed.”
My friend washed down his pizza with a Dr. Pepper ($2.75).
The cost of our meal before tax and tip was $46.72. Wow. Again, that was for two small pizzas and a small order of Cheese Sticks.
So, here’s the deal. I give Smitty’s Pizza Three Forks. The food my friend and I had was outstanding. However, the prices kept me from giving out Four Forks. Were the Cheese Sticks and pizza worth paying more than what you would at one of the big chains? That’s for you to decide. I would have been happy with a less expensive pizza and cheese sticks. No, they wouldn’t have tasted the same as Smitty’s, but for me, money is always a factor.
If it’s not a factor for you, you’re probably already a Smitty’s fan. Regardless, the good news is that you likely won’t have to wait for a table at lunch.
1 Fork: Would rather eat a box of dirt
2 Forks: Will return, but only if someone else is buying
3 Forks: Will return and look forward to it
4 Forks: Will return and go out of my way to do so
Is there a restaurant you would like the Journal to visit for lunch?
Email SBJRestaurantReview@gmail.com.
