The Pizza Sola Blog

Did you know that Thanksgiving Eve is one of the biggest party nights in the ‘Burgh, and is also one of the biggest nights for pizza consumption across the nation?

It’s true.

If you’re preparing a big dinner for Thanksgiving on Thursday, you surely won’t want to be fussing with dinner on Wednesday night — so why not pick up a Pizza Sola pizza from one of our 4 convenient locations?

We’d also like you to share your thoughts on Leftover Thanksgiving Pizza. Have you heard of this? We’re not sure we’ll be adding it to our menu any time soon, but it sure does sound intriguing. The concept is exactly what it sounds like — all of your leftovers from Turkey Day combined to make one glorious pizza. Order one of our more traditional pizzas to serve as your base. Then, add one your leftover turkey, cranberries, stuffing, veggies, and more to personalize it as your very own!

If that all sounds too absurd, we’re here to cater to your pizza needs whether before or after the holiday.  And don’t forget about our specials for Oakland: Saturday & Sunday Gameday Special (Dine-in Only) – 
Buy a bucket of beer (6) and get an 18″ plain pizza for $10 or 24 wings for just $15.99.

And, as Thanksgiving approaches, we want to thank YOU, Pittsburgh, for your business — now and always.

Now, eat up! Gobble, gobble.

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

With the winter holidays steadfastly approaching, many people will pack on a few pounds due to all of the delicious food all around.

But, if you’re having pizza for your office holiday party or enjoying a slice during a football game, it doesn’t always have to be “unhealthy.”

In fact, Pizza Sola offers many healthier pizza options:  try toppings such as fresh peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and spinach on a classic pie. Or, try a white pizza with chicken and broccoli. You may also enjoy The Herbivore or Sergeant Peppers – great ways to get your veggies!  There’s always the option of having one of our tasty garden salads or our Veggie Weggie Solazone if you aren’t in the mood for pizza.

Lastly, don’t forget about our signature Vegan Pie. This Vegan pizza is a cheeseless pizza with banana peppers and pineapple.

Other ways to make your pizza experience a little healthier? Opt for water to drink instead of pop or beer. Skip dessert (for now) or, hey, why not walk or bike to one of our 4 convenient locations?

However … we won’t be mad if you just want to indulge. I mean, the holidays are coming…you can always feel free to treat yourself, and burn it off later!

Whatever your pizza style, we ask you to enjoy any one of our tasty dishes.

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

We ARE a nation that loves our pizza.

Pizza is good….But, are pizza-flavored items good?

We’ll let you decide.

Take a peek at these crazy pizza creations.

• ICE CREAM: Max & Mina’s in Queens, NY, once tried to market a pizza-flavored ice cream. It was unsuccessful, but other odd flavors such as corn on the cob, whitefish, and beer-flavor survived!
• JELLY BEANS: Popular jelly bean manufacturer Jelly Belly has made, in addition to a “popcorn” flavor, pizza-flavored jelly beans!
• BEER: A company in Illinois has developed Mamma Mia Pizza Beer … a pizza-flavored beer that is currently on the market.
• POPCORN: A company called Uptown Popcorn sells pizza-flavored popcorn. Two of the best snacks for movie night, combined!
• HOT DOGS: Recipe site Yummly.com has a number of recipes for “pizza hot dogs.”
• PRETZELS: A company called Pardoe’s sells pizza pretzels, called “Pardoe’s Perky Pizza Flavored Pretzels!”

Of course, there are also gummy pizzas sold (a favorite candy amongst the kids!) as well as many a variation of the pizza-burger, pizza-taco, and pizza-bagel. Many common snacks come in pizza flavor, from Cheetos to Doritos and even Goldfish. Even some dog treats have pizza flavoring! An ideas-oriented website even had a thread of people posting about pizza and other food flavored bubblegum.

To each his own.

What is your favorite non-pizza, pizza treat?

Leave us a comment and let us know!

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

We know pizza is one of the most popular foods. We’ve done a blog on its history. And we serve it up – fresh and yummy - every day. So, we know our pizza….but even we were surprised by some of these fun pizza facts!

So, here’s sharing some awesome trivia facts. Category? Pizza!

The Margherita Pizza was named after a Queen.

Approximately 3 billion pizzas are sold each year in the United States…and that may be a low-ball estimate!

Popular international toppings include, but are not limited to: pickled ginger, minced mutton, and tofu in India, squid and Mayou Jaga (mayonnaise, potato and bacon) in Japan, curry in Pakistan, and green peas in Brazil. In Russia, they serve pizza covered with mockba, which is a combination of sardines, tuna, mackerel, salmon and onions. Red herring is also popular in Russia. In France, a popular combo is called the Flambee, with bacon, onion and fresh cream. Australians enjoy shrimp and pineapple on their pizzas; while Costa Ricans favor coconut. Yup — coconut on pizza!

America’s first known pizza served was in New York in the year 1905.

Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza each day!

93% of Americans eat at least one pizza per month.

The number one day for U.S. pizza consumption is Super Bowl Sunday, and second is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving — which is also one of the biggest drinking nights of the year!

Pepperoni is the favorite topping in the U.S.

Pizza is one of the “most-craved” foods in America. Also on the list? Cheese, chocolate, and ice cream.

For more fun pizza facts, check out this infographic!

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

Pizza. We accept it as a staple of our culture, but did you ever wonder where it all began?

The history of pizza is an interesting one.

Pizza. You’d think it’s been around forever….and you’d be correct. Historically speaking, pizza is a type dish that has existed since time immemorial in both Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. By the year 997, the term had appeared in Medieval Latin, and in 16th century Naples, flatbread was referred to as a pizza.

Back then, it was a dish of poor people, sold in the streets and not really considered a standard recipe for a long time thereafter. Before the 17th century pizza was covered with red sauce and then eventually replaced by oil, tomatoes or fish.

In June 1889, to honor the Queen consort ofItaly, Margherita of Savoy, the Neapolitan chef RaffaeleEsposito created the now-popular ”Pizza Margherita,” a pizzamade with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil, to represent the colors of the Italian flag. A fun fact? He was the first guy to add cheese. (THANK YOU for that!)

However, the sequence of events through which the earlyflavored flatbreads of ancient and medieval Mediterranean became the typical pizza dish popularized in the 20th century is not really fully understood.

One thing’s for sure – everyone from college students to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, from suburbanites to cultured foodies, can appreciate a good slice of pizza. Whether traditional or gourmet, pizza is here to stay. So stop by Pizza Sola for the best slice in the ‘Burgh!

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

Fall is upon us…. Football season and Halloween parties, too…. This means that a lot of pizza-eating will be happening as the months get colder and the leaves begin to change color.

So, what would your perfect “autumn  pizza” be? Would it have mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and butternut squash? Arugala, herbed ricotta, and carmelized onions? Or, instead of going the “fall” route, would you prefer a more “monsterous” pizza to get in the spirit of Halloween, complete with eyeballs made of mozzarella and black olives, and tomato sauce spilling out like blood?

Have you ever made a super creative pizza for Halloween or fall, like the pizzas we found on the Internet, below? If so, we’d love you to share your ideas and photos with Pizza Sola! We know the ‘Burgh has some foodies … show us what you’ve got!

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

In searching the web for some great Steelers’ pizza-party tips, Pizza Sola stumbled upon this photo of a Steelers pizza.

This particular pie is tomato sauce, mozzarella and goat cheese with  yellow bell peppers, roasted red peppers, and olives making up the logo.

This super-creative member of Steeler Nation showed us that, with enough imagination, it is possible to make a truly Steelerworthy pizza.

So, we want to know: what would you define as the ultimate Steeler pizza? Or, have you ever made a Steeler pizza like this? If so, please share!

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

We all enjoy a good slice of pizza now and then. But, did you know that there is some science behind the reason why?

Other than the obvious fact that it is amazingly yummy and totally delights our tastebuds (especially when it comes from Pizza Sola!) recent studies have found that comfort foods like pizza actually cause a positive chemical reaction in our body! According to Psychology Today and CNN, studies have confirmed what we already know — that comfort food – specifically pizza – not only makes us feel better, but also shows that that these kinds of foods change us even on a biological level.

Just think – now you can satisfy those late-night cravings without guilt — after all, you now know that it’s just that simple — we’re hard-wired to enjoy pizza!

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

“Aww yeah, pizza yeah!”

“It’s pizza tiiiiiime….”

The cast of MTV’s wildly popular TV show, Jersey Shore, is in Italy this season … and working in none other than an Italian pizza shop!

We’re not sure that we would necessarily trust Snooki to make us our pizza, but,  Pauly D claims he’d be good at spinning pizza – after all, he IS a DJ. (And, he was in Pittsburgh this past weekend – Pauly D, next time you’re in town, we invite you to Pizza Sola for pizza that is BPE…..Best Pizza Ever!)

So, the “Situation” is this – we are thinking that our New York pizza would be best for the Jersey Shore cast (after all, some of them are actually from NY and not NJ!) however, many of them have Sicilian roots, so, Pauly D, are you listening? Try our Sicilian pizza. Or, how about a pizza topped with “meatballs” since that’s what Snooki and Deena call themselves?

As for all of you Jersey Shore fans from the ‘Burgh, we want to know what kind of Pizza Sola you enjoy for your Jersey Shore viewing parties. Why not munch on some pizza as you watch the cast make pizza….and many, many gloriously bad choices?

It’s a good time – Pizza Sola!

Pssst…. PS: If you were to make an ultimate “Jersey Shore” kind of pizza, what would YOU put on it? Leave a Comment and let us know!

Check out this pic of Jenni “J Woww” making pizza in Italy.

~~ Ashley Boynes-Shuck

As the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Rises” has taken to the streets of Pittsburgh to film, converting our city into Gotham, Pizza Sola was left wondering …. What kind of pizza would Batman like?

Some reports state that Batman’s favorite food is nachos – so would he enjoy a cheesy slice with a touch of jalapeño?

Or, how about our Vendetta pizza? That sure seems appropriate given the history of The Caped Crusader.

We’re guessing that Catwoman would opt for one of our leaner choices like our vegan pie to keep her fab figure for that skintight black catsuit!

We asked in the past about your favorite Pizza and Movie pairings – so which pie would you choose for a Batman movie marathon?

– Ashley Boynes-Shuck