My wife and I found need to be at the intersection of 1604 and Culebra (or near there) this evening to make a run into our local Home Depot. As we had not engaged in a proper meal in hours, we decided to call into the newly opened Rome's Pizza, and order up some to-go snackage.
Before I get to the vittles, I need to report a serious issue at this newly swamped intersection and the approaches thereto; San Antonio still does not know how to synchronize a traffic light, or, there is probably an off-duty police officer in front of the Wells Fargo bank, screwing things up.
My friends (in my best John McCain voice), it is only going to get worse. The reason my wife and I hate Bandera Pointe (the intersection of 1604 and, well, Bandera), is that there are too many vehicles trying to be there at once. Well, welcome to Alamo Ranch. Same problem.
But enough of my traffic whining. Let's talk about pizza. Rome's Pizza.
We ordered a 12 inch pepperoni and just for good measure, a Calzone with pineapple and ham. In case you aren't familiar with the nomenclature, a Calzone is an oven baked half moon turnover stuffed with pizza sauce, mozzarella and the pizza toppings you order. When we lived in Italy, we would have a similar thing called a fritilli which was fried instead of baked. Good times.
As soon as I walked in to pick up the order, I was pleased to see an very clean and seemingly well organized operation. I will confess that the prices seemed a bit spendy, but you have to pay for quality. Anyway, the place looks nice inside but not anything boothy like a Pizza Hut. More of a Subway or Jasons Deli.
When we got the food and headed home, I have to confess that both my wife and I were not immediately impressed. Mostly because of the size of the pizza compared to the price. Keep in mind, we were literally 100 yards from Papa Murphy's - easily the best value of any person seeking to gorge themsleves into a new pants size for under $15.00. The pizza looked thin and the Calzone looked small in the box it came in.
But when you are stuck in traffic, things don't always appear to be as they really are. Oh sure, with my wife driving, I could have easily just grabbed a slice and started tossing pizza down my gullet, but I opted to wait the short drive until we got home. And once there, we could really smell the goodness and start to dig in - and only then did it become apparent that Rome's is a winner.
Like many of you, I suffer pains from most of the pizza sauces found in contemporary pizza today. That is one of the reasons I like Papa Murphy. The dipping sauce that came with Rome's Calzone and the sauce that grazed our pepperoni was purely excellent - not acidy at all. Kudos! and of course, the pizza crust was thin and excellent.
The Calzone had a nice crust and was soft, not disturbingly hard or burnt like the one we had at House of Pizza on our last (and I do mean, last) visit.
So there you go. Bring money, bring an appetite and don't let the rush hour traffic get you down. Rome's Pizza gets a Tasty Treat.
I'm sure you've tried the new Rome's. How did you like it? How was the traffic. Leave a comment if you'd like...
Nearly twenty Great North West residents came out to pitch in with a little hard work and lots of fun in an effort to spruce up the Ridge Creek Park located in the Ridge Creek subdivision. Leading the effort, A-Team coordinator Mr. Mike Yager and GNWCIA Directors Guy Pucci and Richard Garcia.
Prior to the kick off of the festivities, Mr. Yager spoke with the assembled volunteers to provide a few safety tips and develop a plan of attack for the park. Thankfully, Fred Murphy and the GNW Maintenance staff had gone in on Friday to do a lot of preliminary work, and on Saturday, Fred was on-hand to help with tools and implements for the A-Team members to use.
With a plan, the volunteers spread out at started tackling the dried vines that had covered the front fence.
Others immediately took to the trees needing cutting and several picked up rakes and brooms and clippers to help.
I have to tell you, my wife and I didn't even realize this park was here in the GNW. The main focus seems to be one of those big jungle-gym pieces with slides and tubes like you might find at a McDonald's Play area. 
Director Pucci busted out a can of spray paint to spiff it up a bit. Beyond the play equipment, the park has some benches and that is about it. But it is a nice open area. I am told at one time there was a volleyball court, but it is no longer active. The cool thing is, this park is fenced. I don't know if dogs are allowed, but I could see us taking our big dog out for a game of fetch here.
More importantly, spending a few hours at the Ridge Creek Park represented the resurgence of the A-Team, a group of residents who seek to make things in the community better through volunteering. 
I was very pleased at the beginning when Mr. Yager spoke of the need for everyone participating to only do as much as they could or wanted to do. Nobody was to feel that if they didn't stay as long as others that they were not doing their part. I like that and I appreciate that attitude.
I have heard that some people are leery of volunteering for things because they feel as though they are obligating themselves to a full time situation. 
I hope people can look at our experience with the A-Team during this event and get from it that maybe they can give it a try if only for an hour at a time or only once in a while. Anything is better than nothing.
Around noon, Director Pucci called in for a little sustinence and before long, The House of Pizza had delivered some awesome goodness for everyone to partake in. Additionally, there were plenty of water and sodas available to keep people hydrated.
I hope this was just the first of many opportunities for us to get together with the A-Team and help out where we can and meet with friends and neighbors in the GNW. Wanna learn more? E-mail me and I'll put you in touch with Mike.
Before I get to the vittles, I need to report a serious issue at this newly swamped intersection and the approaches thereto; San Antonio still does not know how to synchronize a traffic light, or, there is probably an off-duty police officer in front of the Wells Fargo bank, screwing things up.
But enough of my traffic whining. Let's talk about pizza. Rome's Pizza.
As soon as I walked in to pick up the order, I was pleased to see an very clean and seemingly well organized operation. I will confess that the prices seemed a bit spendy, but you have to pay for quality. Anyway, the place looks nice inside but not anything boothy like a Pizza Hut. More of a Subway or Jasons Deli.
When we got the food and headed home, I have to confess that both my wife and I were not immediately impressed. Mostly because of the size of the pizza compared to the price. Keep in mind, we were literally 100 yards from Papa Murphy's - easily the best value of any person seeking to gorge themsleves into a new pants size for under $15.00. The pizza looked thin and the Calzone looked small in the box it came in.
Like many of you, I suffer pains from most of the pizza sauces found in contemporary pizza today. That is one of the reasons I like Papa Murphy. The dipping sauce that came with Rome's Calzone and the sauce that grazed our pepperoni was purely excellent - not acidy at all. Kudos! and of course, the pizza crust was thin and excellent.
The Calzone had a nice crust and was soft, not disturbingly hard or burnt like the one we had at House of Pizza on our last (and I do mean, last) visit.
So there you go. Bring money, bring an appetite and don't let the rush hour traffic get you down. Rome's Pizza gets a Tasty Treat.
