Most of the time, I try to be healthy. I eat what I know is good for me — carrots, kale, quinoa. But sometimes, the stresses of college climbs onto my shoulders, knocks away my nutritional awareness, and screams one word in my ear: “carbs!” If you are feeling the same way— whether it be because of a breakup, a bad grade on a midterm or a brazen regard toward life— a visit to Pizza Craft Artisan Pizzeria is bound to ease your qualms while satiating your stomach.
Although Pizza Craft is about a 20 minute drive from campus, planning your trip on a Wednesday will save you all the money you spend on gas and more: all pizza pies and pastas are $10, and if you are of age, all bottles of wine are half off. Last semester, a friend and I took advantage of this deal countless times.
Our regular order was a white pie called the Bianca, and much like the name indicates, it’s a pizza topped with white cheeses, mozzarella, taleggio D.O.P., ricotta and pecorino. It already comes with fried sage and garlic confit, but as a true garlic fiend, I am always willing to spend an extra dollar to have my pizza loaded with extra, slow-roasted garlic. Sometimes, I brought along more than one friend, and we tried new but still delicious pies like the Spicy Soppressata with long hot peppers and torn basil or the Forager with truffle cream, truffle tremor, and wild exotic mushrooms.
After an exhausting struggle with friendship and physics this week, I decided on carb therapy at Pizza Craft. Afterall, the strong smell of garlic tends to distract from any secondary disorder in one’s life. I brought along my friend, Sarah, who had never been before and requested a table outside. Located on Southwest Second Street in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the outdoor tables offer a comfortable ambience complete with well-dressed strangers and friendly dogs. We tried to order freshly-squeezed lemonade but were told the restaurant was out for the day. Still, our server kept us hydrated with filtered water that she poured from a classy glass bottle. Between tilting our heads back to look at the blush hues streaking the sky, we sipped and talked about the Rainbow Kitten Surprise concert we were going to see after, our mutual financial irresponsibility and how excited we were for our pizza to be ready. We had ordered my regular Bianca sans extra garlic, and when it arrived we happily burned the roofs of our mouths scarfing it down. I was far too focused on eating to note how long it took, but we did finish our entire pizza before the table next to us who had received their own pie several minutes before. We did not stop there. Since we did not spend money on the lemonade earlier, we diverted our funds to cannolis, Sarah ordering the nutella version and I the original. We swapped plates several times, sampling the different flavor combinations, and our sophisticated taste buds reached the same conclusion— cannolis are delicious.
After we cleaned off our plates, we were able to head over to our concert venue only one block over with satisfied bellies and the knowledge that our great night would only get better. Physics and friendship troubles forgotten, I let go of my worries with pizza, music and the reassurance that life provides comfort if you are willing to seek it.
