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Red Tomato
4801 E. Indian School Rd.
602-95-1333

             Ahh yes; spring is finally here. So what better way to spend the dinner hour some evening than at a nearby casual restaurant enjoying a pizza nosh on their patio. Red Tomato (in the former spot of Western Pizza southeast of the Safeway center) has plenty of patio seating and a nice funky atmosphere inside too.
        Red Tomato’s interior offers a variety of seating options, including a large communal table at one end surrounded with tall tables for two with barstool seating and anchored at the opposite end near the bar with several lower tables for four with regular chairs. The small yellow, white and red pendant lights keep the space comfortably dim but not so much that a myopic person such as myself will have any trouble reading the menu. The modern furnishings are a sleek combination of wood and brushed steel. Part pizza place and to a lesser degree sport bar with several televisions tuned to some game or another are situated on three of the walls, but tuned to a low enough volume that we were able to talk without shouting. Red Tomato offers a couple of beers on tap along with several bottled choices, along with the makings of most of your usual cocktails.
        Appetizers cover the usual assortment of salads and fried tidbits, along with some more interesting choices such as the rib and wing assortment ($10). Companion and I split a crunchy order of deep-fried mushroom caps ($5) just to remind us of those wild days in the ‘70s when we used to get the munchies and head for Lunt Avenue Marble Club on Central and Camelback. Perhaps the realization that thirty years has passed since then led my companion to counterbalance the sin of deep fried shrooms with a healthier choice of the Caesar salad. Generously sprinkled with cheese and croutons, the crunchy Romaine and usual dressing were an agreeable combination.
We passed up the sandwich and burger choices on the menu for one of Red Tomato’s gourmet pizzas. I would have rather gone for making up my own pizza with a trio of my favorite toppings, but companion’s health kick disappeared as quickly as a roll of quarters near a slot machine. I found myself reluctantly agreeing to go along with companion’s insistence on ordering his usual “everything, but the kitchen sink” choice of the Ultimate Pizza ($20).
The wait for the hearty pie was short. My slice was still hot even after I had finished picking off the green bell pepper and pieces of onion. There was still plenty of pepperoni, sausage and ham still sticking in the warm, plentiful cheese atop a tasty basic pizza sauce. Red Tomato offers thick, deep style and thin crust and our choice of thin was nicely crunchy on the bottom, yet still chewy enough in the middle to satisfy anyone’s carb cravings.
One thing Red Tomato does differently from other pizza purveyors is that they cut the round pie into squares rather than diagonal slices, which is nice for those of us who like the middle gooey part over the more doughy pieces around the perimeter. Since companion likes the crust the best, it worked out quite well—he ate the outside pieces while I stuck to the choice “filet mignon” of the delicious pie.
        And for those who like pizza even better when they are sitting at home enjoying a pie while wearing their pjs, the restaurant also offers delivery. for everyone!