Puttin' on the Fitz
The place at the corner of Western and Selby has been a lot of things in its life. A drugstore, part of the College of Visual Arts, and in the past few years 3 restaurants in quick succession — The Salt Cellar (steakhouse), Fitzgerald's (basic pub food), and now The Fitz (pizza). The space itself has changed a little in each incarnation, but has generally remained an open, friendly place (though a few too many tv screens for my taste — and partway through our meal the lights dimmed and the music for louder, while the tvs did not get softer).
Tonight, our friends CJ and Lauren were in town, so we suggested the Fitz as a dinner spot so we could show off our neighborhood a little. If we were to do it again...maybe not....
We had a reservation and were seated quickly, though I thought it was strange that they put as a high-top when they had several regular tables open. The waitress got us our drinks; though they have quite a good beer list and a lovely cocktail list, I was embarrassed for our friends when one ordered the local cider at our recommendation ("Oh, we don't have that anymore") and the other ordered the Jean Luc Picard cocktail off the cocktail list and was told "Oh we took that off the menu too." (she did like the substitute drink she ordered though, the Kon-Tiki, even though it did not have the fun, geeky, Star Trek vibe). Other frustrations included taking the top plate off the stack in the center of the table for an appetizer, only to find the one below it caked with cheese and other food, and having to send back my silverware fro similar food residue.
We did enjoy our meals. Beatrix liked the Italian Dunkers on the kids menu. One person had the burger, because he's on a low-carb diet, and found it perfectly adequate. Patrick had the Savannah pizza (think low country boil), Lauren the Athens (which she liked but the harissa was a little strong), and I tried the Naples to get a sense of the basic pizza (it was actually very good, but I expected fresh oregano, not dried, so was a little thrown).
Beatrix got a basic wrapped ice cream sandwich with her meal, and Lauren ordered the Izzy's salted caramel ice cream — and what's not to like about Izzy's? (In fact, the ice cream put us in a dessert-thinking mood and Beatrix was still hungry after we left, so we headed over to Grand Old Creamery).
It was not a busy night and the service was fine, and we have a chance to converse with CJ and Lauren. So for that reason, the Fitz was probably a good suggestion for a place to catch up with friends. However, to really show off what we have to offer as a foodie town — I don't know, I think maybe a solid "C." I used to tell my mom that a C was a passing grade, but I think neither of us really believed that.
Tonight, our friends CJ and Lauren were in town, so we suggested the Fitz as a dinner spot so we could show off our neighborhood a little. If we were to do it again...maybe not....
We had a reservation and were seated quickly, though I thought it was strange that they put as a high-top when they had several regular tables open. The waitress got us our drinks; though they have quite a good beer list and a lovely cocktail list, I was embarrassed for our friends when one ordered the local cider at our recommendation ("Oh, we don't have that anymore") and the other ordered the Jean Luc Picard cocktail off the cocktail list and was told "Oh we took that off the menu too." (she did like the substitute drink she ordered though, the Kon-Tiki, even though it did not have the fun, geeky, Star Trek vibe). Other frustrations included taking the top plate off the stack in the center of the table for an appetizer, only to find the one below it caked with cheese and other food, and having to send back my silverware fro similar food residue.
We did enjoy our meals. Beatrix liked the Italian Dunkers on the kids menu. One person had the burger, because he's on a low-carb diet, and found it perfectly adequate. Patrick had the Savannah pizza (think low country boil), Lauren the Athens (which she liked but the harissa was a little strong), and I tried the Naples to get a sense of the basic pizza (it was actually very good, but I expected fresh oregano, not dried, so was a little thrown).
Beatrix got a basic wrapped ice cream sandwich with her meal, and Lauren ordered the Izzy's salted caramel ice cream — and what's not to like about Izzy's? (In fact, the ice cream put us in a dessert-thinking mood and Beatrix was still hungry after we left, so we headed over to Grand Old Creamery).
It was not a busy night and the service was fine, and we have a chance to converse with CJ and Lauren. So for that reason, the Fitz was probably a good suggestion for a place to catch up with friends. However, to really show off what we have to offer as a foodie town — I don't know, I think maybe a solid "C." I used to tell my mom that a C was a passing grade, but I think neither of us really believed that.
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