Bazbeaux Pizza

Okay, okay, okay, so for all of you big Bazbeaux pizza fans, we finally gave it a try. And the long and the short of it is...we are not converts.

It was a cold Sunday evening and we were in the mood for pizza. The Broad Ripple location worked best for us and we were immediately impressed with the fun, eclectic atmosphere. It seemed to be a welcoming joint for families, college kids, dates, and the like. We saw the garlic bread had been advertised as "award winning" so Ozzy had to sample. Um, a hoagie, toasted with a minuscule amount of garlic butter. Not award winning. Please tell us the periodical that gave it said award.

Fred decided to start with a spinach salad with the creamy basil dressing. That was really something! We ordered the large, to share. It certainly had some awesome ingredients...bacon, mushrooms, egg, kalamata olives, mozzarella cheese blend, and some red onion, which we delicately removed. The house made dressing was excellent and paired very nicely with the fresh spinach. It was the highlight of the meal.

Then, came the big disappointment. We decided to go for a half and half. Half the Bazbeaux Special(basil, sundried tomato and garlic) and half eggplant and goat cheese. One thing we commend them on is their excellent array of fresh topping choices, but the yummy stops there.

Fred & Libby were both underwhelmed by the crust. It was the thin-crust, white flour variety. We noted before ordering that they offered both hand-tossed & thin crust with both white & wheat options. Upon ordering, we were not given an option to choose, therefore assumed that the "special" came on a particular crust. Too bad it was lifeless; like a cracker with less taste. It had no personality and did nothing for all of those fresh ingredients.

Fred has since wondered if this could possibly have been the original recipe that gave Bazbeaux its start. It seems more likely that through either under-training, neglect, or cost-cutting what was once a pizza crust has now degenerated to a cracker-esque flour concoction. This theory would be given greater weight if, in fact, the garlic bread HAS, in the past, been a true award winner. Libby concurs.

Furthering the disappointment, The Bazbeaux Special had a funk going on. Libby wasn't sure if it was the basil or the garlic, but something was off. On the other hand, the eggplant and goat cheese was an excellent combo, if only the crust could have stood up to it instead of detracting. Just a damn shame.

Fred found the sauce good, had some zest, a thin sauce, not too chunky and it paired well with the toppings. The bottom line, Bazbeaux is the epitome of a "toppings" pizza place. Excellent ingredients, top quality and an amazing array, but if you were to order a straight up pepperoni pizza, would they have a leg to stand on?

http://www.bazbeaux.com/

Wrap Up

Price-$-$$, Good price. An entree salad for $6.50, not bad at all.

Atmosphere-***, Fun, inviting atmosphere that makes you want to stay awhile.

Service-***, Standard waitstaff service, fast order time to table service. Was it an oversight that the crust options were not presented while ordering?

Overall

Fred - C, It's sad when the starter salad was the best portion of the meal at a well-known pizza joint.

Libby - C-, So disappointed with the pizza, but the salad was a pleasant surprise.

Ozzy -B, He ate the garlic bread without complaint and it was a kid friendly environment.