Pasquales

Alright. That's it. Next time we'll remember to take a gall-darned picture. It was a beautiful pie too.....

OK. That's out of the way. We decided to try a hole-in-the-wall place that we've driven by for years. To be honest, we didn't have a good reason for not trying it sooner, and we've definitely been missing out. Pasquales, for those of you not native to Indy's south side, is located right across Madison St. from Greenwood Park Mall. Don't blink. You'll miss it.

It's not much to look at from the outside. As a matter of fact, until you see the open sign, you may assume it's not. Inside, it's surprisingly inviting with it's open kitchen and non-imposing size. It's easy to strike up a conversation with the people near you as the seating is reminiscent of a diner. The jukebox, though not loud enough to hear, was actually the only piece of electronics within the dining area. No TV's. No other distractions other than the entertaining view of the staff obviously having a good time preparing pies in the kitchen.

We were happy to see that Ozzy responded very well to his surroundings and seemed more content waiting for his food than we've ever seen him in any other establishment...just humming to himself watching the cooks do their thing. The decor is definitely circa 1980's, but according to the literature, the place has been around since 1953. It was certainly full of regulars carrying out and dining in. People seemed to know each other and what they wanted before they walked in the door.

The pie was ready in 10-15 minutes(pepperoni and anchovies and a kids spaghetti for the wee-man). This was a counter pick-up with self serve beverage/utensils and bus boy set-up. The really fun part was being able to see everything made and served right from the kitchen. There's nothing like watching people in their element, listening to 80's radio and serving up the same thing they've made a thousand times before. While waiting for our food, Fred realized that every other order had contained the breadsticks...hmmm, perhaps an oversight that will be rectified at our next visit.

Now, the food. Fred was still chuckling from the reaction of the chefs once they read the order for anchovies...guess we're in the minority here, as usual. The pizza was 15 inches, their largest. Good. Great sauce, zesty with a strong hint of basil and a crust that had that great chewiness with a crispy outside....a combination that has stood the test of time. When our food arrived, we found the kids spaghetti came with two pieces of garlic bread. Ozzy was silent. He finished both pieces, then moved to the spaghetti...no complaints, no requests, no stopping. Pasquales had already won 4 chevrons from the most finicky of our team! While Fred and Libby found the spaghetti sauce to be too sweet, it was an excellent recipe for any tot.

As beer snobs, the selection was of the typical bud/michelob variety, but coke products sufficed. For those interested, buckets were available to entice patrons to sit and stay awhile.

Wrap-up
Price-$, Cheap eats!
Atmosphere-**, Simple, low-maintenance, yet somehow homey.
Service-**, Self-service. But the staff were very accommodating.
Overall
Fred - B+, Darned good pizza. Wish I'd known about it years ago.
Libby - B, I will definitely be going back. And next time I must try their "famous" meatball sub!
Ozzy -A+, see above.