Pizza is a personal thing.
We like it how we like it, and anything else, well, it just isn’t pizza. Unless, of course, you’re the type who could eat any iteration of crust, sauce and cheese and call it a treat.
We had both types of pizza-philes on The Herald panel that reviewed a take-out order from Major League Pizza. This family-fun restaurant moved from a Smokey Point strip mall a year ago to a prime downtown Everett location, just a few storefronts south of Romio’s Pizza & Pasta and El Paraiso Mexican Grill on Colby Avenue.
In short, the pizza was a hit.
Did Major League knock it out of the park? Well, not exactly, but that’s not Major League’s fault. That’s pizza.
We ordered three 12-inch mediums and chose a different crust for each one. Crust here is hand-tossed every day, according to the owners.
By far the most popular pizza was the First Pitch on garlic-herb crust ($14.99 for a medium) with olive oil, fine bits of basil, garlic, fresh Roma tomato slices and mozzarella.
This was the one that made my eyes roll back into my head.
I loved the crust. It was garlicky and herby, as promised, with a texture that seemed somewhere in between hand-tossed and thin. It wasn’t floppy like New York style, but it also wasn’t thin and crisp like a wood-fired pizza. It was just right.
I would have liked whole basil leaves, rather than the tiny sprinkles, but I inhaled every bite.
Though this is the pizza that disappeared the fastest, one of our critics gave it a thumbs-down: “It felt covered in oil, and not in a good way.”
Her favorite pie was the one that defied expectations — the spicy Thai chicken on beer batter pan crust ($16.99 for a medium) with Thai peanut sauce, grilled chicken, spinach, mushrooms, roasted red bell peppers, peanuts, garlic, red pepper flakes and mozzarella.
This seemed to me like a pizza that easily could go wildly wrong, and, yet, we were all pleasantly surprised. Its flavors and ingredients really worked together and it held together for easy eating.
It also had a nice spicy finish that I thought could have been stronger for a dish with spicy in its title, but maybe my piece just didn’t get enough red pepper.
I was pleased that no single element dominated the dish, including the peanuts, which were used sparingly, just enough to complement the Thai theme. Even the spinach worked.
Our Thai pizza’s beer batter crust was bready but not greasy. It reminded me of a homemade pretzel: chewy, tender and a bit sweet.
Our third pizza was the Home Run on the buttermilk crust ($15.99 for a medium) with marinara, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, Italian sausage and mozzarella.
It was delicious, “not overcheesed,” according to one reviewer, and all the ingredients were fresh and tasty.
Major League also offers a respectable selection of entree and side salads. We sampled the Italian ($3.99 for a small) with red onions, green peppers, pepperoni, salami, tomatoes, olives and mozzarella.
Though it was supposed to be mixed greens, it was mostly Romaine. However, the lettuce was very fresh and tasted like it had been chopped minutes before, not days ago.
Our salad included half a dozen deep red grape tomatoes, not the sad, pink wedges you get at most places, and sliver-thin red onion pieces that were just right for a salad, also freshly sliced.
You’ll probably get good service. I did.
Both the owner behind the counter and the woman helping him in the big, white, open kitchen, were cheerful and offered to help carry my order out to my car.
You can eat in at Major League if you’re up for a casual, take-out atmosphere. Floor-to-ceiling windows bathe four red, white and blue tables in light.
You can watch the Mariners on a small flat-screen TV and look at old black-and-white photos of baseball players on the walls.
Pizza by the slice costs $2.49.
Welcome to Everett, Major League. We hope you stay.
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.
Major League Pizza
2811 Colby Ave., Suite C, Everett; 425-259-5554; www.majorleaguepizza.com.
Specialties: Pizza
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.
Alcohol: No.
Vegetarian options: Yes.
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