Pizza

I believe that pizza is the perfect food, containing all of the food groups and needing no utensils. And a good pie will yield leftovers, making lunch ("Or," says Summer as I type, "breakfast") the next day a snap. In the search for more sources of this perfect food, we've made some local discoveries.

Our first was Dion's. Still the go-to--especially since a restaurant opened not a mile from the house. They also sell slices and whole pies at Isotopes park; the game day triple play with pepperoni, sausage, and green chile is better than a hot dog.

This past October we tried Il Vicino in Nob Hill with Summer's parents. A classy joint, it seemed like it wouldn't be very child friendly, but then the waitress brought out a ball of pizza dough for each kids to play with while we waited. And the pizza with spicy olive oil and shrimp was wonderful.

Then, this past Friday, we tried the Old Town Pizza Parlor, located on Rio Grande just north of Central, in a 150-year-old adobe building. To be honest, we had low expectations of this new eatery, but we were very pleasantly surprised. We got the Farmer's Market, with olives, mushrooms, green pepper, red onion, tomato, and green chile. The veggies were piled high, and the crust was simple but satisfying. I'd like to go back to try their sandwiches and calzones.

Our next foray will be Farina, located in the growing East Downtown (or EDO, a bit of a ripoff of Denver's LoDo area). This pizzeria looks a bit trendy, but it's worth a try. We'll go for lunch this week when we just have two kids in tow. Maybe Tuesday afternoon...