PFOTW Trey Mason - Blaze Pizza Review

Pizza Boy values a number of things; dough, sauce, cheese, and toppings to name a few. Close to the top of the list is honoring our loved friends who share a peculiar affection for the holiest of slices. That's why Pizza Boy has decided to start a new weekly(ish) segment - Pizza Freak of the Week. Also seen as the headline PFOTW, this segment features a guest review, poem, playlist, vidoe, or any other pizza

themed and love filled submission.

This week's post comes from our friend Trey in Maryland, and his review of the newest pizza joint in College Park, Blaze Pizza. Trey even included some of his own Haikus! Check it out!

“Have you heard of the new pizza place on Route 1?”

If you’re from College Park, MD, the only thing you could think in response is “ugh, another place to hobble into late at night and receive the greasiest piece of meat and cheese you can find.” No matter how much I love such an experience, it’s just not that good. However, Blaze Pizza is no such place.

Entering the building is the first of many pleasantries. Lots of bright, warm colors create an instantly comfortable atmosphere – comfort is a key element to enjoying food. Grabbing a menu to peruse, I begin to chat with some other patrons:

“Have you been here before?”

“No, my friend told me I should go sometime.”

The hype was real and I was ready to find out if it was worth it.

I continued looking at the menu: multiple cheeses, sauces, and toppings to put on my pie. Living in College Park had led me to forget there was anything more than the $5 jumbo slice from previously mentioned late night pizza joints. As I existed in this state of shock, I heard the call of a particularly pleasant employee asking for my name.

Blaze is described by many as “the Chipotle of pizza places,” and that is only slightly inaccurate. Chipotle workers tend to deal with such a high volume of customers in short amounts of time that it becomes difficult for them to develop the personal relationship with customers that Blaze boasts. 

My pizza princess at Blaze, however, wrote my name on the wax paper and passed it on to the next young lady who very excitedly asked me what sort of sauce I wanted. I was getting pumped up merely from the level of enthusiasm from these people. Was it in their job description or were they genuinely this excited about making Trey’s pizza? I don’t know, but man was I hungry.

Going down the line, I added topping after topping, thrilled that my options were so open. The best is when I requested mozzarella and ricotta. The cheese girl threw it on there and said, “You want cheese? Damn right you do. Cheese, biyatch!” Whether or not she was technically allowed to say that meant nothing.

I waited the promised few minutes for the pizza to get blazed, and it was time. I was prepared for the experience of this pie.

The first – and arguably most important bite – was great. A chunk full of ricotta, green pepper, and spicy red sauce held within the folded pizza boat in my hand stood no chance of survival. Although I’m no proponent of thin crust pizza, this was stellar.  I was surprised that a pizza cooked in a few minutes could taste so thoroughly done, but it happened. And it was delicious.

My only complaint is that it was sort of messy and that the cheese and sauce would slide off a little bit occasionally. It is partially my fault for getting ricotta, which isn’t known for its ability to hold fast to the crust, but nevertheless I had a little mess to clean.

If you are around the College Park area and are looking for a better pizza experience than you could get anywhere else, then I suggest you opt to get Blazed.

Blaze Haiku

Make your own pizza

What a novel concept, no?

I’ll give it a try

Enter willingly

Take my time and make a pie

Watch it quickly bake

Take it to my seat

Tummy grumbles anxiously

Awaiting the bite

Taste the ricotta

Swimming through the spicy sauce

Perfect temperature

Nearing the last slice

Don’t want this to ever end

Let me order more!

It’s time to move on

I’m left craving, wanting more

Why’d you leave us, Dad?