Pizza Persona-fied
By John DiGilio in Food on Dec 29, 2011 7:30PM
They say that you can tell a lot about a man from the company he keeps. Apparently, the same is true when it comes to what he puts on his pizza. From risk takers to traditionalists to fun-loving noshers, there are toppings to suit every mood and taste. The folks at Pizza Persona in Lakeview want you to come in and discover your own "pizzanality". We recently tipped you all off to their grand opening and day of free pizza samples. Now that the dust has settled and the sauce is flowing, we decided to return and sample a few slices ourselves.
Pizza Persona is located along the bustling Diversey shopping corridor in the spot that used to house Aladdin's Eatery. With a bright new interior and pretty sweet new concept, they are hoping to take the area by storm. Their offerings are simple and fun - personal pizzas made to order and fully customizable. You choose the crust (white, wheat, or even gluten-free), the sauce, and all of the toppings that suit you. With a selection of meats, cheeses, and vegetables, Pizza Persona is like the Chipotle of the pie world. There are even dessert options! Marshmallows on your pizza, anyone? For those who can't decide, they offer a selection of pre-set "personas" from which to choose. The Meathead, for example, features pepperoni, sausage, and bacon on a bed of sauce and cheese. Vegetarians can delight in The Hipster with its pesto sauce, low fat mozz, spinach, mushrooms, banana peppers, and garlic. The options seem endless!
We stopped in during the holiday rush hoping to discover our own pizzanalities and had fun placing our orders. Pizzas start at six bucks for a basic pie with premium toppings costing a dollar extra each. From the personas list, we chose The Purist. The combination of traditional sauce, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella chunks was simple and satisfying. We then customized a pie with red sauce, black olives, shredded mozzarella, sweet corn, and garlic. One of our favorite combos, the folks at Pizza Persona served it up hot and delicious. Finally, we hit the meat and cheese selections and threw one together with bacon, feta, green olives and basil. It was a tasty tour de force that left us full and happy. Did we discover a pizza persona that was uniquely our own? Not quite. Let's just say that we are happily schizo-pizza-tic! In fact, we can't wait to go back and try a few more.
Pizza Persona is located at 614 West Diversey Parkway.