Linda Falkenstein
Pizza Extreme's subs are a better deal with the twofer coupon.
I know that I appear to have picnics on the brain this summer, but this is the season for takeout. Takeout for bona fide picnics, or takeout because it's too hot to turn on the oven at home -- or maybe you're just of a mood that you don't want to spend time indoors cooking at all. Or maybe you're in a sublet with no kitchen at all.
While pizza is a classic takeout food for home eating, it is not ideal picnic food. Although there's been more than one camping trip where the food around the fire is a good old cowboy pizza, the pies tend to get soggy by the time you actually get the thing back to your site. However, we sometimes overlook the fact that many pizza joints have more items on their menus than just pizza. And at Pizza Extreme, these items should not be overlooked.
I'm not going to get into pizza here at all. Whole other subject. But I've been taking advantage of Pizza Extreme's web coupons this summer for some of their other fare, sandwiches and pasta dinners and salads, and am inclined to continue to take advantage of their online coupons.
I'll start with the pesto chicken fettuccine, a pasta entree highlighted as "new" on the menu. A generous serving comes in a round, aluminum carryout container. They don't stint on the chicken, and the surprise in the mix is yummy artichoke hearts -- no stinting on those, either. Garlicky, oily (but not too) pesto doesn't overwhelm the other ingredients. I stole some of the marinara sauce from the ravioli marinara to give it a little tomatoey zest. (Bonus: not one but two lunches with the leftovers, and it was just as good.)
I also liked the ravioli marinara with the big, flying-saucer-shaped spinach-and-cheese ravioli. The filling was weighted more to the cheese than to spinach, but the appealing, very tomatoey chunky sauce made up for it.
Also on the pasta menu: spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, chicken parmesan, and fettuccine chicken Alf redo. All dinners come with a somewhat forgettable side salad and a limp piece of garlic bread. All pasta dinners are $9.45.
Pizza Extreme has added to its line of subs and sandwiches, too. The buffalo chicken sandwich is a good rendition, with a medium-to-hot Tabasco punch on a breaded chicken filet and a side of bleu cheese. Next time I'd try to remember to ask for lettuce and tomato. The new pesto chicken sandwich takes advantage of their pesto, with roasted red peppers, cheese and mayo.
The Extreme also has a full selection of cold deli subs (the usual turkey, roast beef, ham and so forth) as well as hot subs -- meatball, and a roast beef with marinara, along with a ham and salami that's something like a Garibaldi, and a club sandwich-melt sub. All sandwiches are $6 and come with a bag of chips.
Those online coupons will get you a two sandwich-, two chips- and two soda-deal for $11; two pasta dinners for $17; any salad for $5, or a free pint of Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream with an order over $12.
