Nick Creegan
Before I walked into Shakespeare pizzeria for lunch, I had already made up my mind. I would be disappointed.
Greg Bowers of the University of Missouri faculty and Missouri student Gary Cotton claimed the place served the best pizza around. But before I even tried it, I was begging to differ.
I'm from New York. I know great pizza, and there is no way this place could be as good as these Missourians make it out to be.
The smell of sizzling mozzarella hit my nostrils and the sight of kids' faces covered with marinara sauce made me chuckle. I decided to keep an open mind. I gave the pizza a shot.
I'm glad I did.
I took a look around at the restaurant and noticed the unique brick wall decorations, such as the vintage five-cent Nichol Kola sign. The menu was also different. Never before had I seen two toppings menus. There was a section for "regular" toppings and one for "exotic."
I don't know what makes tomatoes or broccoli more exotic than anchovies, but maybe native New Yorkers are just used to every topping -- yes I'm biased.
I enjoyed the feel of this place, and in the words of instructor Leon Carter, I decided this pizza would have me "going to glory."
By the time we took our seats, my stomach was growling and I was ready to forget about whether this pizza was as good as a New York pie and just eat. Then the pizza arrived, all hot and bubbly, and I knew things would get messy. I guess that’s the reason Shakespeare’s does not offer napkins but, instead, hands you a big red rag.
The pizza was delicious.
Our SJI group of 11 students and 4 instructors devoured four pizzas as if they were our last meal. Knowing our editors, that just might have been the case.
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