Pi, Pizza by Vallozzi
A Restaurant Review

Pi looks unassuming from the outside. This narrow restaurant is nestled into the 5800 block of Forbes Avenue, in Squirrel Hill, and it's easy to miss if you're making a beeline for nearby hot-weather favorites, Baskin-Robbins and the Cold Stone Creamery. Once you make your way inside, the industrial-style decor (complete with exposed beams and metal ducts) really doesn't give away too many clues as to what kind of dining experience lies in store. Huge and perplexing plaster models of an ear, a nose, and a sneering mouth dominate the walls.
 
Within moments, though, you will probably be absorbed by the menu, not to mention the wine list. The menu includes three daily soup selections, Appetizers, Salads, Tapas, Grilled Panini, Entrees, Pasta, and Specialty Pi pizzas. Everything sounds so delicious that it's almost overwhelming, but there are a few stand-outs. The generous Pi House Salad ($3.50) features tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, kalamata olives, and homemade croutons over baby field greens. The house salad dressing, a balsamic vinaigrette, perfectly complements the slightly bitter greens. As for the pizza, the Artichoke Pi is a personal favorite ($13.95 for a small, or $17.95 for a large). Artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, kalamatas, and provolone and romano cheeses are a robust group of toppings for Pi's signature pizza crust. This crust is flaky, light, and a little sweet, almost like a pastry crust. It blends with the rich toppings for an unforgettable pizza experience.

The Create-Your-Own Tapas plates are another main attraction. About a dozen selections are made daily, and you can choose from two to five of them to customize your meal; prices range from $5.95 to $12.95. Selections vary from day to day, but recent options include Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Breast, Crab-Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms, Eggplant Parmesan, and Artichoke Manicotti.

Pi is the type of restaurant where you come across many tempting items on the menu, but have a hard time breaking with tradition and ordering something new when you know your favorite will be absolutely perfect. (One pasta dish on my "Maybe One Day I'll Order That" radar is the Four Mushroom Ravioli, which are baked in a tomato butter sauce with fresh green beans and Asiago cheese.) But you'll have more than one chance - you're sure to make many return visits to Pi, and after your second or third meal you might even look forward to the sight of that strangely toothy wall art!

Address: 5829 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill

Phone: 412.521.3880

HOURS:

Tuesday - Thursday: 

11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Friday:  11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Saturday:  12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sunday:  12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Monday:  Closed

Publication of the
Department of Library & Information Science
School of Information Sciences
University of Pittsburgh  
135 N. Bellefield Avenue  
Pittsburgh , PA 15260  

biblio@mail.sis.pitt.edu