15 July 2009

Sassy Pizza Pants: American Dream



Slice with Tomatoes & Feta, side of ranch & a small coke: $5.05

OR
Splitter- Mini Pizza, one beer & large salad: 18.95, 9.47 per person

If you like decorated cardboard pizza boxes as much as I do, then you will love the ever original American Dream Pizza. Established in 1985—and untouched since—American Dream is a neighborhood pizza joint with a rocked out, chiller than all chill feel. Red booths, tables with odd themes covered in that plastic stuff and walls decorated with customer colored pizza boxes. When I say chill, I mean they serve your soda with ice from a pink cooler the size of the amp Dave Chapelle brought to Pioneer Square. What isn’t there to love? Plus the staff is filled with sassy men, all wearing tees and jean shorts. The pizza guy, who I swear worked there even when I was in high school, confirmed, “No I’m not the owner, I’ve just worked here way to long. OK, Blogger girl, what do you want?”
Since coming here as a mere freshman at Central Catholic, the cool kids always got a slice with feta, tomatoes and a side of ranch. This combination is quite odd, but always hits the spot. Don’t try it anywhere else though—because it will fail horribly. Something about American Dream’s crust makes this recipe superb. The feta melts with the mozzarella, adding both texture and flavor and the fresh tomatoes, which are added after the pizza is cooked is their little specialty. Their crust is crispy on the bottom, but the crust-crust is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside and basted with garlic butter! Dipping each slice in their homemade ranch seals the deal. At the average pizza place, one slice leaves me sad that it wasn’t bigger, but here, I can barely finish a whole slice—but usually manage to do so and leave stuffed. These are huge slices with tons of toppings.
Another great deal is splitting a mini 8” pizza for $10.70; they will gladly do two different halves. My friends ordered the Marilyn Monroe: pepperoni, American bacon, green pepper, and fresh tomatoes, split with the Round Up: artichoke hearts, olives, fresh garlic and mushrooms. This pizza with a large side salad, shown below with tomatoes, olives and bacon and sides of ranch and blue cheese, left them really, really full and they still brought home leftovers. I would splurge and get two beers though, because splitting one is really no fun.


Blog dedicated to Jamie for the brilliant feta/tomato/ranch combo and to Syd, Annie, Chels, Molls and Margot for many Dream talks in those comfy booths.

American Dream
4620 NE Glisan St, Portland
Hours: Mon-Thur & Sat 11-10
Fri 11-11
Sun 2-10
American Dream Pizza on Urbanspoon

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