The Krusty Krab Pizza

 

Sean and I watched a lot of SpongeBob Squarepants, especially when he was very little. He'd always insist on dancing to the theme song when it came on, squirming his way in front of me as it played because he knew I'd swing him around.

We had DVDs that we'd inhale with the same collection of episodes.

We'd frequently laugh about -- and sing the song from -- the episode where SpongeBob and Squidward delivered a pizza.

And so when we saw our beloved Wawa had started producing pizza, that's exactly what we were reminded of.

Keep in mind, the idea of the Krusty Krab restaurant -- a burger place -- getting into the pizza business was rather incongruous. Of course, Mr. Krabs -- the money-hungry proprietor of the Krusty Krab -- felt that selling pizzas would line his pockets.

So the parallel sort of worked with Wawa -- essentially, a deli/convenience store -- making pizzas.

Still, if you know us, you know we were intrigued.

We ignored it until we couldn't do so any longer.

So we drove to New Jersey to try it tonight.

I know, I know. It's an outrage! How dare you? This is as bad as eating Costco pizza!

Well...

Look, I love pizza. All kinds of pizza. When in North Carolina, I'll eat things like Papa John's. I've had Pizza Hut and Domino's.

And I've had most, if not all, of the 20* or so pizzerias in Mahopac at one time or another. 

*It might be 20 now but Mahopac has had so many more over the years.

Believe me, I know what legit, great pizza is. I know from Grigg Street here in Greenwich to Sal's in Mamaroneck to Joe & Pat's on Staten Island and Patsy's in Harlem to Pepe's and Riko's and Colony and so on.

But I also recognize, in a pinch, that a Costco, Papa John's, etc will also do the job while likely making you long for the great stuff. It's also, frankly, cheaper.

For us, this was another one of our adventures. It's one of our quirks in which we're not hurting anyone and we're making ourselves happy. So, why not?

Now, to the Wawa pizza itself.

Of course, reviews have been mixed and I expected that. NJ.com called it "trash."

We elected to find out for ourselves.

It will come as no surprise that Sal's (my gold standard, on Mamaroneck Ave. in Mamaroneck, NY) is safe. So are most pizza restaurants that put care into making pizzas that are culinary delights.

But, still, it's quite tasty. It's different than Costco pizza but, as Sean said, it's on par with that same quality.

We ordered a 14-inch plain cheese pie and we, frankly, destroyed it. We sat in my car and finished it off.

Oh yeah, to that end, Wawa up this way could use some seating. We went to one in Florida that had outdoor patio seating.

I thought it could use a little more sauce but the cheese was good and the crust was chewy.

Look, if you're a pizza snob then there's nothing I can say to you. 

But, I'll put it this way. When I was down in Fredericksburg, VA a few months back there were times when we sat in the hotel late at night thinking about food. This would have done quite nicely, especially since the Wawa was essentially in the parking lot of the hotel.

Will I be yearning for Wawa pizza in the future? No, I don't expect I will especially because I'm normally going there for a sandwich and coffee.

But it's nice to have the option and I wouldn't hesitate to eat it again.

For the record, slices aren't an option. It's a whole pie or nothing.

Oh, and since you haven't asked, we've decided if the Atlanta Braves win the World Series, we have to go on a Waffle House trip. Waffle House, if you don't know, is based outside of Atlanta and has a concession location inside Truist Park (home of the Braves).

So, not that I'm rooting for them because we'll find a reason to go to Waffle House anyway, but still.

Oh, and to finish out, we never heard of the Krusty Krab pizza again after that episode.

But it lives forever.