Slice of Pi: Green Pizzas for Your Conscience

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A few days ago, we heard from a very reliable foodie that Pi was the place to go for great pizza. We also heard that the owner of Pi was invited to bake Pi pizzas for the Obamas in 2009. (More interesting press about Pi can be found here.)

So, the Sister and I went to the Pi location on the Loop (other locations can be found here), the street which incidentally was renamed Barack Obama Boulevard, and to our delightful surprise, we discovered that Pi is an intentionally GREEN establishment that is also mindful of its communal responsibilities. Double kudos! I invite you to take a few seconds and do a happy dance with me to celebrate the fact that Pi serves up two wonderful things on God's green earth: great pizzas and a green conscience. Please note what Pi prominently proclaims on its very own website:   

Pi is committed to environmentally benign success. Doing good while doing well is fundamental to our work, and is manifested in our commitment to create an ecologically sustainable restaurant.  Pi invests in its community by sponsoring charitable events, donating cash and in-kind gifts to causes close to its guests and founders. While we may not be saving the world as a purveyor of Pi, we feel we can still affect change, influence others, and support the work of those in our community who are closest to those in need. 

Couldn't get the 3rd fella into the photo!

 Upon arrival, I was immediately taken with the wonderful summery atmosphere enhanced by the bright red umbrellas outside the main door, and the three chickens standing atop the half-wall in the middle of the pizzeria. Since we were seated at a table directly below the chickens, it seemed like they were overseeing that everything was in order -- that our pizza was hot and fresh, that our server was attentive and nice, that our neighbors were appropriately quiet -- but I also had a feeling that these gigantic overseers were going to peck me to death if I didn't eat everything on my plate. Don't worry, I cleaned my plate. In fact, I think it looks rather like I licked it (but I didn't!): 

Besides providing exceptional food (just read the menu), Pi upholds a model Mission Statement (establish pi as the premiere purveyor of the finest artisan pizza in the st. louis area while maintaining our commitment to social & environmental responsibility) alongside a Green Statement (to be a green steward, setting an example for restaurants, businesses & consumers to minimize our carbon footprint & create a healthier dining experience) to warm any green-pizza-goer's heart. What more could we ask for? Right?

What we ordered: Deep-dish deliciousness of half Bucktown and half Berkeley (b/c I needed to assuage my nostalgia for Berkeley).

bucktown – mozzarella, roasted chicken, artichoke hearts, red bell peppers, green olives, red onions, feta and sun-dried tomatoes. ($18 small / $23 large)

berkeley – mozzarella, portobella mushrooms, onions, kalamata olives, red bell peppers, garlic, and zucchini. ($16 small / $20 large)

I would encourage you to visit Pi if you are in the St. Louis area, because coming here, you will eat heartily and eat well. I guarantee that this will be a great dining experience that leaves you feeling like you did something good -- not like you didn't you something bad. A caution: The pizzas (especially the deep dish specials) are very hearty and a small size will suffice portion-wise for two people. The Sister and I ordered half of two different pizzas, and it was more than enough. We each ate two slices and even brought home some leftovers (and we didn't have any pre-pi or insalate). I would recommend ordering family style instead of one pizza per person; even the small sizes are fairly big. I say this because (1) it is MORE FUN to share pizzas -- you can try a slice or two of multiple flavors and ingredients, and (2) you waste less food.

I lift up this reminder because as the Sister and I were leaving Pi, we saw a table that had not finished their pizzas and I think if we put together all the slices that remained, we might have had one full pizza. That is sadness, folks. There is hunger out there and though I would never know that kind of hunger here, I do know it exists. This is real hunger that lasts and which gnaws at the stomach -- it's the kind of hunger which leaves you incapacitated, because you can eat 5 bowls of rice but you've only been given a spoon of water and you only get the spoon of water for an entire day -- for 10 days straight. Someone I knew described this hunger in this way, and I believe that we can combat that hunger. I wish that the folks who ate at Pi today had thought about it before they ordered. [Once, when I was at Zachary's Pizza in Albany, a friend and I had leftovers and when someone on the street asked us for money, I offered them the pizza and they took it. I'm not suggesting that everyone do this, but it is one option to consider.]

Blogging about food has not been a regular habit here at nothing but HAT's. Although I love food (it's not just for survival), I'm not a foodie and I can't pretend to write smart things about food and/or restaurants. Given yesterday's posting about the Chocolate Bar, however, plus what I've written here, I feel like a glutton -- as if I only think about food (in a gluttonous way). I am aware of the larger issues out there in the world, and I believe we strive to live each day as beings who are mindful of our neighbors near and far who are in need. We know the situation of global poverty and we have the resources to end world hunger. Therefore, let us feed ourselves, but let us also remember: eat well, eat heartily, eat mindfully.

This is the location we visited:

Pi @ the Loop
6144 Barack Obama Boulevard (Delmar)
St. Louis, MO 63112
314.727.6633 – phone
314.727.6655 – fax
Hours: 11am-Midnight Monday-Saturday | 11am-11pm on Sunday