I know pizza. Back in my hometown of New Haven, Conn. we do pizza to perfection. Aside from a certain snooty university that shall remain nameless, pizza is about the only thing New Haven is famous for. It is not unlikely to wait up to two hours for a table on a Friday night at one of the approved parlors. So you see, I am positively homesick for a decent slice. Nothing near the Homewood campus comes close; Crazy Mario's and Poppa Johns just don't cut it. Therefore, I decided to trek it out to Fells Point for what's been called Baltimore's best pizza restaurant: Brick Oven Pizza.
Selection is definitely the big draw at B.O.P. They offer your basic greasy sides: mozzarella sticks, fries, potato skins, etc. and a few respectable pasta dishes, but skip all that and go straight to the pizza. There are over 50 toppings that will make you stare slack-jawed with intimidation: Spam, asparagus, eggplant, refried beans, corn, potato, carrots, sour cream, cream cheese, goat cheese, Soya cheese, gyro meat, turkey, clams and shrimp are just a few of the more adventurous options, but they have all your classic favorites too. Chip in with your friends and get a ten, fourteen, or eighteen-inch pizza or build your own slice.
Watching the waistline? B.O.P. also has an impressive selection of wraps and even "Teri's Atkins Salad:" garden salad topped with cheese steak. Don't care about your waistline at all? Finish off the meal with the chocolate pizza: puff pastry, raspberry glaze, dark and white chocolate topped with fresh strawberries, kiwi and banana. Wash it all down with one of more than 27 flavors you can add to your soft drink, tea or coffee.
The atmosphere is sure to keep you entertained while your pizza heats up in the genuine brick oven. Play some video games, listen to your favorite tunes on the jukebox, inspect their wall of framed accolades and celebrity pictures or buy a t-shirt to commemorate your trip. Before your meal even arrives, you get the sense that this is pizza with a gourmet touch. The square pedestal tables, linoleum floor, and ceiling fans remind you of a pizza parlor, but the walls are covered with a mural of Baltimore and framed with red neon lights.
Brick Oven Pizza is definitely a bang for the buck. Even if you miss the lunch special (Six inch pizza, side salad, and a small drink for $5.75), you'll get your money's worth with a bucket of soda and colossal slice of pizza literally covered in your topping of choice. I ordered one slice of fresh tomato and spinach/ ricotta and one slice of crab and mushroom and could barely get through both.
It's easy to see why B.O.P's been named best of Citysearch.com since 2001. As George Carlin proudly proclaims on the outside banner, "The pizza was great:" crust that is clearly superior to anything a standard oven could cook up and rich, hearty tomato sauce covered with tons of fresh toppings and oozing with cheese. Carefully presented and full of flavor, you'll almost forget you're eating off paper plates with plastic forks. I'm partial to New Haven pizza, but after all, that's a five hour drive away. Brick Oven Pizza is Baltimore's best solution to my culinary homesickness.
With festive surroundings and dazzling slices, Brick Oven Pizza's only real drawback is that it's not closer to campus. Be prepared to shell out about twelve bucks for a taxi to Fells Point (and since parking is harder to find than an attractive Hopkins student, you'll need a cab), but with its funky shops, the famous Broadway Market and scenic harbor you'll be tempted to spend the afternoon there anyway. Or, since they're open late, consider it a late night snack after a night of drinking at Fells Point. And finally, the best part of B.O.P: it's B.Y.O.B!
Perhaps, Kevin Bacon said it best with the quote beside his framed portrait: "B.O.P should stand for Baltimore's Only Pizza!"
