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    Restaurant Review: Yellow Brick Pizza in Victorian Village

    Yellow Brick Pizza in Olde Towne has always seemed like such a treasure; the sort of place that’s a one-of-a-kind. That said, there are now two Yellow Bricks. A second Yellow Brick made its debut over in Victorian Village in 2018. And, on reflection and reconsideration, more Yellow Brick is better. It seems selfish to wish there was only one. The additional location gives it more space to delight more diners.

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    Before getting into the culinary artwork, the house visual artwork is worth appreciating in and of itself. According to the staff (and the internet), the owner is astoundingly gifted with chalk, and so that means there’s a disturbingly realistic, incredibly large portrait of former Mayor Coleman, smiling from a lofty perch, in appreciation of the house pies. And there’s another of portrait of Tommy from The Room, promoting a “sh-room” pizza. There’s a veritable gallery of witty visual art to take in.

    Menu wise, things look familiar. There’s pizza, lots of pizza. Like any pizza place, you can start out with any traditional classic pie with cheese or pepperoni, but at Yellow Brick, a better, more memorable choice is to let the kitchen do its thing. Try out the Spicy Chicken Corn Chowder Pizza ($13). It’s built on a chewy crust with mozzarella, chunks of chicken, corn, roasted red pepper, onions, a little kale and a good dose of Cajun seasoning to tie it all together and give it a life of its own. Chicken often comes across as a “healthy” choice on pizza, and as such, a compromise. Poultry is perfect in this combo. No regrets.

    There is a deep-dish, stuffed pizza scene as well. For culinary history fans, the kitchen uses Tristano’s formula. The stuffed pies take a minute (plan on 40), but that’s the deal with stuffed pizza anywhere you go, it’s loads of dough to be cooked in its dual crusts. For pepperoni fans, this is the way to do it, because it’s everything a pepperoni pizza can be, with pieces enrobed in sublime mountains of oozy, drippy melted cheese, and chunky tomato sauce ($16.50).

    Of course, there’s more to life than pizza. There are meatball subs too. Here, they are prepared upright in a split bun filled with giant globes of house-made meatballs (delightfully coarse and not too processed) covered in sauce with a few banana peppers and then smothered in provolone that seals the combo together. For the money ($12), it’s the best meatball sub in town. It’s served with a side and the salad is several steps above our regular pizza shop iceberg n’ tomato combo. Instead, it’s built on tender mixed greens (yes, also with the tomato), but still, it’s a legit dose of vegetables.

    There’s also the Calzone. The purist approach works well in the Traditional ($9), with its fantastically aggressive double-dose of warm ricotta cheese teamed with mozzarella. The crust is baptized in a little garlic butter and parmesan, but there’s something about the simple purity of the version as a vehicle for melted cheese. And there’s a side of marinara, for those who can’t appreciate this joy.

    There is some as-yet unexplored territory at Yellow Brick. Case in point: An arsenal of tater-tot offerings, served with a variety of melted cheese toppings that expand into nacho and gravy territories. There’s a full bar, too. It’s everything you need in the pizza department at 245 King Ave.

    For more information, visit yellowbrickpizza.com.

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    Miriam Bowers Abbott
    Miriam Bowers Abbotthttps://columbusunderground.com
    Miriam Bowers Abbott is a freelancer contributor to Columbus Underground who reviews restaurants, writes food-centric featurettes and occasionally pens other community journalism pieces.
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