Mandy Phillips hates tomatoes.
"Hates," said the 27-year-old Texas native and Web content manager with I-mean-business conviction. And yet, she chose Arris' pizza and bruschetta, neither shy with the round, red fruit, as her ultimate Springfield meal.
"That's how good it is," she said. "It pretty much rocks my world."
Phillips has been coming to Arris' Pizza for about a year, having been introduced to it by her brother who insisted she try some of the leftovers sitting in his fridge. Soon after, they dined there together, tried a couple of new pies and their drool-inducing bruschetta, and decided that it was one of the best meals they had ever had. She's been a vocal fan ever since, bringing friends, out of town visitors, and now a certain entertainment Web producer to try their spectacular offerings.
What we ordered:
The Penn's pizza -- a thin crust pie with tomato sauce, bleu cheese, Canadian bacon, roasted garlic and pineapple. This is one of Mandy's go-tos and now I see why. I'm usually more of a purist when it comes to pizza — pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, you get the idea. But this one, I gotta say, was really, really good. Before the pizza arrived, Mandy and I were discussing how we were a bit of the dissatisfied camp when it came to pizza options in town. We agreed that there was a lot of OK, just nothing stellar. That is, until Arris' Greek-inspired cuisine came ohpa-ing into our lives. This is pizza that tastes like pizza should — hot and fresh with quality ingredients and just the right amount of cheese. It was my first time at Arris' and I quickly decreed it the best pizza I've had in Springfield. Judging by the rumblings amongst friends and coworkers ("I make out with it," said one), I don't think I'm alone. Glancing around and seeing framed photos of local boy Brad Pitt, posing with Arris' beaming staff, led me to believe there were, indeed, legions of other like-minded others.
We also ordered the bruschetta, which as Mandy portended, was unlike any I had ever had. It was a round bread boule, toasted and cut in cubes, drizzled with olive oil and topped with herbs, scallions and feta cheese. The perimeter of the bowl was rimmed with cross-sections of roma tomatoes. You grab a cube, slide a tomato on top and enjoy the party in your mouth.
Both of our items arrived piping hot and in no time. "I've never had anything but unbelievably good service here," Mandy said.
Verdict:
"It's far and away the best," Mandy said, and I'm inclined to agree. My return trip has already been plotted.
Price: Penn's pizza: 10" $8.99, 12" $11.99, 14" $14.99; Bruschetta: $7.99
Location: 1332 Republic Rd (417) 881–7260. Check here for other locations.
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