Extreme Dining: Judgment Reserved

I hibernated all day on Saturday, seeing the sun and hearing the wind. I was hungry but not ambitious. I didn’t desire to sit down and be waited on so I called my mother and offered to split pizza with her. She accepted, knowing she could take it off of the money I owed her.

I called Extreme Pizza Kitchen and ordered a medium black olive, green pepper, and pepperoni pizza with an order of breadsticks and sauce. “We don’t have medium pizzas, only small, large, and extreme,” the young lady told me over the phone.

I digested the news and internally seethed like Bruce Banner. I bit my tongue in restraint, stopping myself from snapping her soul in half and then drenching it in bitter vomit. I drove in the windy sun, mourning the medium pizza I wouldn’t get to eat.

I strolled into the store, sunglasses on, eyes roaming, nose tasting. “That’ll be $20.14,” the young blond said. I handed her my check card and scanned the restaurant. It was an independent shop with feeling. The interior yelled “mom and pop,” everything being clean and crisp. The chairs were black vinyl, the tables were different heights with laminate tops, a television was in a corner next to the buffet that they offer during lunch and supper. As my card was being processed, I bathed in the simple glow of it all.
I drove to my mother’s house and we dined in front of the television. I opened the plain white box and beheld our pizza. I wasn’t impressed. I opened the breadsticks and was slightly disappointed. The toppings mixed well, but that’s of my own doing. The crust reminded me of Papa John’s while the look of the pizza reminded me of Duane’s. The breadsticks were mostly flavorless with some parmesan cheese thrown on but it added no flavor. The dipping sauce was served cold and dense. The pizza reminded me of other establishments. It didn’t project it’s own image either visually or with flavors. The lack of its own identity made the pizza average.
My mother enjoyed the sauce but was also not impressed by the dining experience
“You have to try one of their specialty pizzas to get the full effect,” my sister told me the next day.
“Where were you when I needed that information,” I asked. She shrugged her shoulders.
As I ate, I looked over their menu and was impressed by their selection. They have over twenty different specialty pizzas, including a peanut butter pizza and ranch pizza. They serve a gluten free crust, have two different crust choices in four different flavors, special toppings that can’t be found at any other pizza joint in the area, and nine gourmet sauces. They serve calzones, desserts, wings, nachos, breadsticks, and garlic bread.
My pizza may have been uninspiring but their menu convinced me that I still might find a bit of culinary heaven in their little home across from Cashwise.

If You Go

WHAT: Xtreme Pizza Kitchen
WHERE:1404 33rd St. S. Fargo
WHEN: Mon-Thurs 11-11, Fri-Sat 11-2am,Sun noon-11pm
INFO: 298-0420