Pizza! Pizza! Visits to Encore Pizza Co. and Centro.

UPDATE: Encore Pizza has since closed and relocated to Uptown Ankeny, rebranding itself as Uptown Food and Beverage Co.

Catching a positive word from coryeats' blog on the pizza buffet offered up at Encore Pizza Co. in Johnston, I finagled a ride for the price of lunch. The small but tidy salad bar offers up some fresh items to enjoy, while the selection of thin and cheesy pizzas sated my appetite nicely.

I was particularly impressed with the quality of the cheese used – a tasty blend of Grande mozzarella and provolone – and the finely ground Graziano's Italian sausage judiciously employed for consistent flavor in every bite.

After a beer crawl to both Confluence Brewing and Exile Brewing I was quite peckish and hopeful for eats from The Fighting Burrito [see blog post of later visits] but was disappointed to find they had just closed. Settling on pizza from Centro I ordered up a meatball and onion to-go while I enjoyed a pint from Bell's Brewery of Kalamazoo.

I was a bit taken aback by the price – $29.82 – but my alcohol-fueled hunger was in dire need and foolishly I didn't question the price. At home I tucked into the large pie – loaded down with savory meatballs and melted mozzarella – with relish. Chopped red onion added a complimentary flavor to the mélange. But in hindsight, I should have asked for an itemized breakdown of the bill.