Santarpio's, East Boston

For some reason the idea of heavy weight boxing has become an easy analogy for comparisons everywhere. Products up against each other are often visualized on either sides of a ring, duking it out point for point. Well imagine, if you will, a competitor in his corner of the ring, his coach talking him up, boosting his ego, he looks determined, ready....and then his competitor walks to the ring. The confidence is unmistakable, and before a bell can be rung, our fighter has run from this competition, terrified and half way home already. Who could be so menacing? So assured of a win? In the pizza world-its Santarpio's Pizza in East Boston.

I love good pizza, and I will always have a very special place in my heart for Antonios in Amherst and will claim that its the best-but its not- not when Santarpio's is in town. Santarpios doesn't need to make their pizzas a work of art, there are no fancy toppings here, just good, clean, classic pizza, made the way it should be- with a little attitude.

The crust is homemade, without a lot of salt to it, which serves as the perfect holder of all of the other toppings. Homemade tomato sauce, where you can taste the herbs and the garlic, just the right amount of cheese, and then maybe some pepperoni, or sausage, or garlic, or jalapenos on top. Each flavor perfectly melds, the cheese is nice and melty and you can almost imagine your self in Italy, on a back stoop of grandmothers house, chomping down on a pie made with love. Nothing feels processed, nothing mass produced.

Now of course, Santarpios has a few other items on their menu. Their bar-be-que lamb skewers are fantastic, and I'm dieing to try their homemade sausage that they cook over a flame at the front of the restaurant. The serve great fresh bread that has the same subtle flavor as their pizza crust-and is perfect paired with some jalapenos. They aren't shy about heat in this place-honestly- they aren't shy about much. Get ready to be treated like a regular, or at least feel like you should be one. Have no fear though- the pizza is fantastic and worth the trip to Eastie to get.