I was born and raised in a serious pizza town. Chicago has the best pizza in the U.S. After living (and eating pizzas) in other regions — including Dallas, Salt Lake City and Seattle — I've learned not to expect Chicago pizza elsewhere. But in every location, I stubbornly seek pizza that is at least better-than-average. It's a pleasant surprise when such "better-than-average" pizza offers good value, too.
The lunch deal at The Blind Onion, 6405 S. Virginia St. in South Reno, is outrageous — and guess what? Pizza at The Blind Onion, although not equal to Chicago pizza, meets my approval for pizza in the Wild West.
On my first visit to this tiny pizza pub, at the busy corner of South Virginia and Neil Street, I ordered the "Soda and Slice" ($5). This featured a one-topping pizza (extra toppings, 50 cents each) and a large, refillable soft drink. I was shocked to see that the "slice" was large enough to be two slices.
My toppings were Italian sausage and mushroom. The topping portions were adequate and very tasty and the crust won points for having a buttery flavor and a nice crunch at the bottom — at least in the middle of the pizza. The outer edges of the crust were "bready" for someone like me, who grew up on super-thin-crust Chicago pizza. (Yes, you read that correctly. It is a common misconception that all Chicago pizza is deep-dish or stuffed. Not true. There are three kinds of fabulous pizza in Chicago: thin-crust, deep-dish and stuffed.)
I'm not saying that the thick edges on The Blind Onion's pizza didn't taste good. The overall flavor of the crust was really nice; I'm just not into a lot of bread. I noticed there were jugs of honey on each table. Perhaps some folks like to use that to make the excess crust into a dessert. I was content to stick with shakers of Parmesan cheese and oregano, which made my pizza more zesty.
It was also weird to see that pizza at The Blind Onion is served with little cups of Ranch dressing. I've never seen that in my life. It must be a Portland thing! From what I read on the back of a take-out menu, The Blind Onion was born in Portland, Oregon and then branched out to Vancouver, Washington — two cool Pacific Northwest towns. (Not as cool as Seattle, naturally. Or Chicago. "Just sayin'.")
As for atmosphere, the South Reno Blind Onion is dimly lit and very casual. The bar dominates the room and there are a few tables.
Two Blind Onion locations in nearby Sparks, Nevada are said to have party rooms.
But although the South Reno Blind Onion doesn't look that much like a kid-friendly place, their groovy logo summons smiles from kids of all ages. The Blind Onion's name is Fred.
And along with official illustrations of Fred, children's drawings of The Blind Onion are plastered all over the walls of this pizza pub. Irresistibly cute.
The take-out menu for The Blind Onion describes it as "Your Neighborhood Pizza Joint." While I live much closer to Lamppost Pizza, near Damonte Ranch, I was sorely disappointed by the pizza there and would absolutely travel farther to The Blind Onion for better-than-average pizza and the great lunch special.
For more information about The Blind Onion, call (775) 351-2000 or visit
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