Tom's House of Pizza

3908A 17 Ave. S.E.

403-272-4232

Order: Big Lance Combo ($21). A 12-inch pizza topped with a mozzarella and cheddar cheese, Italian salami, spiced pepperoni, tender mushrooms, lean beef, chopped onions, fresh Italian sausage and imported anchovies.

Crust: Tom's makes thin-crust pizzas using a crispy base that has the ability to withstand a decent amount of toppings. I found mine hard to bite through near the outer edges.

Sauce: The tomato sauce really could have been used more liberally in my opinion. While I acknowledge there was sauce on the pizza, it didn’t make a lasting impression.

Toppings: Like the sauce, I think the pizza could have had more cheese. I'm personally not a huge fan of their placement of the cheese, which is immediately on top of the crust with the sauce and toppings piled loosely on top. My main concern was that I would end up with more toppings on my plate than in my mouth, but that fear proved to be an invalid concern here as the toppings miraculously — for the most part — stayed in place. Lastly, each piece was adorned with an anchovy.

Dining options: Eat in, delivery or takeout.

Decision: First off, I must address the anchovies. I think that the ingredient has gotten a bad rap over the course of time — one that I'm not sure it fully deserves. I'm not going to suggest that it is a topping for everyone because it’s an acquired taste, but when used properly, some people might be surprised to discover they actually like anchovies. However, the sparseness of both the cheese and sauce was ultimately a deal breaker for me. Until that gets fixed, I can't score Tom's more than three out of six slices. What could have been a great pizza was unfortunately rendered into a mediocre one.

Next Up: Atlas Pizza & Sports Bar — 6060 Memorial Drive N.E.

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Darell’s pursuits at twitter.com/darelleats.