Picky, selective, restrictive, or just plain snotty?

Well... I guess that depends on the perspective. I like to think positively, so I'll take selective. If you are also selective, or otherwise have restrictions related to your eating, or maybe you are pizza-curious, you might be interested in Pizza Fusion. Its on P'tree Rd., right in the middle of Heartbreak Hill, and put a little too much emphasis on how wonderful they are, but... I'd still recommend it. These shoes are some that the Pizza Fusion folks would approve of, not ones I own. :)

I joined a fellow food lover for lunch there recently, and I'm quite sure we both walked away satisfied. Our server was also the dude who sat us, and was one of those guys who is really good at acting like he spends half his life in a yoga studio (although he may or may not ever have done the first sun salutation). He briefed us on how the menu works - you can create your own pizza (crust, sauce, cheese, and toppings), choose a specialty pizza, or venture into one of their other options, which include a few starters, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. This was not my first visit to Pizza Fusion, and I've now tried a couple of salads, and that's definitely a good place to start. The greens are very flavorful and fresh, and there are just the right amount of toppings on the salad for my taste.

Of course, you would never make it through 2 paragraphs of conversation with any staff member at Pizza Fusion without hearing about how environmental they are (which is nice, but is not going to affect whether I go to a restaurant, honestly, and to have it rubbed in my face constantly is a bit of a turn-off), or about how they are so very organic and considerate of you, their consumer. To this end, the crust offerings include a gluten-free option (which, again, I really appreciate), an organic white option, as well as a multi-grain crust. On my first visit, we tried the organic-white crust, while on this trip, I had an individual multi-grain crusted pizza. Both were decent - nice and thin, not burnt tasting, but not the most wonderful crust that will inspire my next environmental crusade, either. In order to meet even the most "selective"/"restrictive" diner, they also offer a number of vegan options (go veg!), including soy cheese (they promise that even carnivores love it, but I haven't yet been with a carnivore who was interested).

Their other toppings are definitely worth trying, though... the veggies are fresh and at least some of them are slightly less-than-run of the mill (although there are artichokes, onions, and olives, there are also zuccinis! crimini mushrooms! roasted portabellos! not to mention, um, organic pepperoni. Because everyone I know who craves pepperoni really prefers the purity of the organic... Snarking aside, I do appreciate the organic option, but I just got OVER it because it was in my face ALL THE TIME.

Is it a pizza Al Gore would like? Absolutely. So would many other people! With a side of pretension, of course.

My dining companion on the most recent trip was having a carb-friendly day (off to run 20 miles the next day), so we finished the pizza excursion by walking next door to Cami-cakes, a small cupcakery next door. Absolutely adorable. As each customer exited, she wished to each one, "have a tasty day." To you too!

The toppings