Piece O' Pie: More Than Just A Piece Of Pizza

It wasn't too long ago I found myself constantly wishing people understood what a vegetarian/vegan was. The word was so foreign and people always stared at me oddly when I revealed I was one. Growing up in Boston, it was hard to find a vegan restaurant and the few that existed didn't last very long before shutting their doors for good. In the past year, Boston has grown way more vegan friendly, with restaurants popping up almost out of nowhere.  I found it even more shocking when Piece O' Pie, a completely vegan pizzeria, had a deal on groupon and it sold out way before the day was even over. I was lucky to be one of the 1000 people to purchase the deal. This place is a true gem and quite possibly one of the few vegan pizzerias in the country. Furthermore, the menu features innovative items from any type of faux meat you could possibly think of, to homemade tofu ricotta and pesto sauce.  I ventured to the restaurant last night with high expectations, which were more than exceeded.

We took advantage of two discounts by ordering separately. My mom and I ordered a large Hawaiian pizza, composed of Canadian bacon and organic pineapple chunks, to take advantage of the Wednesday special: buy one large two topping pizza, get cheesy bread for free (worth $5). This came out to around $19. My dad used the groupon, $8 for $16 worth of food to order a medium The MD pizza: herb-roasted onions and zucchini and apple sage sausage, which came out to around $18, but with the groupon it only cost about $10. In total, we paid $29 for a delicious and very filling meal.

First, the cheesy bread came out. It was basically a huge loaf of bread coated in daiya cheese with a thin layer of oil brushed on top. The outside was nice and crisp, while the inside was soft and gooey. The daiya cheese was lightly seasoned and so well melted, it literally took over the bread.

Next, the MD pizza came out. It was loaded with extravagant toppings and densely composed of chunky tomato sauce and layers of mozzarella daiya cheese. I love that this place doesn't scimp on the toppings, but rather cramps as many items as they can possibly fit.

  The grilled onions and zucchini were well-seasoned and softened from roasting in the oven. The pizza was so savory from the chunks of field roast sausage and the herb flavoring on the zucchini and onions. The cheese was so well melted on the pizza, it gently stretched and expanded as I bit into it. The tomato sauce was sweet and fresh and a great contrast to the zesty toppings.

Next up was the Hawaiian pizza, which was massive. It was coated with chunks of pineapple and small pieces of bacon.

At first glance, the bacon appeared rubbery and I was a little afraid to eat it. I'm so glad I did, because it had such an extreme clash of flavors that actually worked really well together. The cheese on this pizza was a little more greasy, but not to the extent that I felt disgusting after eating it. The chunky tomato sauce added a light sweetness to the hickory smoked bacon on top, that was further contrasted by the juicy pineapple.  Both pizzas succeeded in having a crispy crust that was enjoyable to bite into with the continuous coverage of daiya cheese.

This place is so reasonably priced, considering the high quality toppings and massive portions. In addition, there's usually a daily special going on, which greatly reduces the cost. I prefer to order the specialty pizzas because they are typically cheaper.  Also, if I dislike an ingredient, they will usually substitute it at no extra charge, as long as the ingredient is equivalently priced on the menu. Furthermore, this pizzeria is thinly disguised as a bakery, grocery store and even has an eclectic buffet for Sunday brunch, with everything from french toast to macaroni and cheese.  I will be sure to go back for more pizza and may even try their Sunday brunch!