A pizza the action

Jennifer Holmes Arizona Daily Wildcat Jason Caringello shows off the different kinds of pizza offered at No Anchovies yesterday afternoon. No Anchovies, located on University Avenue, serves up many unique styles of pizza from teriyaki and potato-bacon to classics like cheese and pepperoni.

No Anchovies makes pizza with the most unusual toppings, things rarely seen on pizza, like ravioli. Their menu of run-of-the-mill, as well as out-of-this-world, toppings stretches across a huge board. Daily specials may include things like potato pizza, or more bizarre meat and vegetable combinations. Whole pies can be created from the toppings list, but I highly recommend the ready-made offerings, which are sold by the slice.

On a recent visit to No Anchovies, a friend and I tried, respectively, the mushroom and pepperoni slices. We enjoyed our pizza, especially the chewy crust, but it is really the unusual offerings which keep the restaurant packed at lunch time.

My favorite is the pesto and artichoke heart, which eschews the traditional tomato sauce for a basil, garlic and mozzarella experience. It's greasy in a wonderful way, and is also available with chicken instead of artichoke.

For an even more exciting experience, try the Mediterranean. This sauceless pizza not only boasts olives, artichoke hearts and feta, but little mint leaves. When my dining companion said, "There's mint on this pizza," I called her a liar and stole a leaf to taste for myself. Indeed, mint leaves on pizza. Brilliant.

A slice of cheese pizza at No Anchovies is $1.50. Mundane toppings like pepperoni are $.50 extra, and fancy slices like the pesto and chicken are $2.50. While some pizza joints offer cheap-o slices, no one pushes the topping envelope like No Anchovies. Best of all, this exotic experience is in your backyard.

- chlo‘ lung