Mary's Pizza Shack

Had the privilege of visiting Sonoma, a quaint little town in the heart of the world's third largest wine country (Sonoma/Napa Valley) located in San Francisco. We stopped in Sonoma for a lunch break and then continued the journey to the other wineries. I was enthralled by the town's vintage charm -wooden white pillars and lamp posts adorned with Christmas heaths among pastel clapboard buildings.

The afternoon was cloudy with a burst of sunlight. Traffic was minimal. Women pushed strollers as they window-shopped. Old friends laughed over fresh coffee in the warm interiors of cafes.Tourists paused outside trinket stores to snap pictures (that's me).  

Along the short strip of stores was Mary's Pizza Shack. You couldn't miss it. A statue of a fat, oversized elf with striped stockings and curly-tipped shoes greeted you at the front with a large pizza. 

Once inside, I quickly learned that Mary's Pizza Shack is an Italian family-owned business. The restaurant received national recognition for its delicious pizzas. It serves Italian comfort food like soups, pizzas and pastas. This got me excited. You know how much I adore Italian food! ;)

The founder's grandson who looked no older than 12, greeted us and led us to our table. 

Pots and pans hung from a rod at the back of the restaurant, contributing to the restaurant's cheerful decor

Random snapshot of my dad's hands while I waited for the food

I ordered the seafood risotto because I hadn't tasted risotto in almost a year. It arrived in a big white plate.  Shrimps and clams were nestled in a bed of creamy rice, garnished with peas, herbs and a hint of lemon. 

Best risotto I've ever tasted. The shrimps were juicy and fresh. And the rice, soaked in a creamy pool of sauce, was cooked to perfection. Everything about it was delicious.

My brother contemplated between a pizza and a meatball spaghetti. He ended up going with a pizza called "Mary's Combination." Since my parents were interested in having pizza as well, they all decided to split the large pizza.

When our pizza arrived, our jaws dropped. I thought we ordered a large, not a Ginormous. I later learned that the restaurant's definition of a large pizza was 16" and 10 slices. My parents had only been in America for a week, and were still incapable of increasing their appetite to more than two slices of pizza. I think I saw a flash of panic in my mom's eyes the moment the waitress lowered the pizza onto our table.

The pizza was a lot larger than it looks. But it was worth every penny. It was topped with salami, pepperoni, cotto salami, mushrooms and sausage. Toss in the best meats in the world and you'll have Mary's Combination. (No bacon on there though)

I was full from my risotto but I helped myself to a slice anyway, and then another. It was so good! I highly recommend the Mary's Combination. I'm not a huge fan of meat but I really liked it. If you're a vegetarian, don't worry. There's a Vegetarian Pizza on the menu too, specially for you guys.

We ended our lunch with cake. I don't know how the thought of dessert even crossed our minds because we were bloated from all the carbs. But my mom was craving cheesecake and the blueberry crumble cheesecake caught her eye.

Lemon cheesecake caressed with sweet blueberries and streusel, with fresh cream on the side.

It was pretty sweet. Too sweet for my mom's liking. She stopped after several bites and made the rest of us finish it. The sourness of the lemon was barely detectable beneath the overpowering sweetness of the cake.

I'm not trying to be cheesy, but at least we ended on a sweet note. ;)

Photographed and written by Carissa Gan.

Guest Contribution: Pitza 42

 Carissa Gan© 

Venue: Pitza 42

Not often do you get the chance to experience something that tantalizes your taste buds and gives back to the community at the same time.

Pitza 42 (pronounced Pitza Four-Two) opened in 2011 as a restaurant that takes an innovative approach to making pizza by using pita bread.

It was founded by Austin and Ashton Samuelson, a Conway couple that is passionate about ending childhood hunger and malnutrition.

The goal of the restaurant is to provide healthy, budget friendly meals to people and in return give to those who are not able to provide meals for themselves.

Customers can get a variety of different “pita pizzas” and can customize their order.

 Carissa Gan© 

You are greeted with a smile every time you walk through the door and given exceptional service by their employees. It is truly a welcoming environment.

Pitza 42 is a unique dining experience for people looking interested a fresh take on the current food election in Central Arkansas.

 Carissa Gan© 

The “pitzas” are offered in 6” and 9” sizes. There are several ingredients to choose from to put on your choice of white or wheat pita bread.

Each is toasted lightly to give it a crispy edge that allows the ingredients on the “pitza” to shine through.

I had the “Pollo Loco” on my first visit. It features a Mexican-style sauce, cheddar and Monterey jack cheese, grilled chicken, red and green bell pepper, onion, and cilantro.

My favorite menu item offered though is probably the Kickin’ Chicken Pitza, which has a special Mexican style sauce, black beans, jalapenos, chicken, and is topped with a homemade Nuevo ranch sauce.It was a special menu item a few weeks ago and isn’t currently a main feature of the menu. The sauce is what completes it and gives it a completely Mexican flavor.

Kickin' Chicken Pitza

Brandon Riddle© 

The newest addition to the menu is the Buffalo Chicken Pitza, which has a buffalo sauce,gouda cheese, blue cheese, buffalo chicken, and green onions.

I have yet to try the new item, but I am sure it will be a hit.

Pitza 42 also offers Choco Berry Pitza and a cookie dough “pitza” as dessert options.

Brandon Riddle© 

The “Choco Berry” has a spread of cream cheese with freshly chopped strawberries and chocolate chips to top it.

There are a few menu items I have not tried yet, including the salads which are on sale for $5 on Tuesdays. I have heard great things about the soup selection as well, which includes a chicken tortilla soup.

Most visitors to the restaurant order their cheese sticks with ranch dressing instead of the signature marinara sauce offered by other pizza places.

 Carissa Gan© 

It is an experience for the family, supports a good cause, is a healthy alternative to most fast food options, and will leave you wanting more.

If you are not interested in eating the food though or are unable to visit in-person, you can always purchase a t-shirt for $15 on their website to donate to their “Meal For Meal” mission.

Volunteers helped Pitza 42 load 108,000 on April 14 for kids around the world through Feed My Starving Children, a Christian non-profit organization.

It is quickly becoming a mainstay for the community. Every time I order, I can feel the giving heart of the employees and love to hear about the progress they are making to end hunger around the world.

 Carissa Gan© 

Their motto, “Eat good, Do good,” truly lives up to its promise.

Pitza 42 is located at 2335 Dave Ward Drive, Suite 101 in Conway, Arkansas.

 Carissa Gan© 

Restaurant hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. They are closed on Sunday.

Photographed by Brandon Riddle and Carissa Gan, written by Brandon Riddle from Arkansas, USA. 

From The Kitchen: Chilli Pan Mee

Dish: Chili pan mee

When you live abroad, you long for the comfort of home. Chili pan mee provides that sense of comfort for me and my other Malaysian housemates. If you're a Malaysian studying abroad and you're craving for a bowl of chili pan mee, you're at the right page. 

This recipe is meant to feed 10 people, but you're free to tweak it for yourself. :) Oh, and if you're not fond of chili, you can omit the chili in this.

Ingredients:

• 13 eggs
• 1 pack self-raising flour
• Minced pork for 10 people (depending on how much you want to serve per quantity)
• Fried onions
• Spinach
• Ikan bilis (anchovies)
• Chopped onion and garlic
• Maggi sauce (or other bottled chili sauce), Singlong sambal ikan bilis, chili flakes (or you could make your own chili - blend garlic, onion and chili with salt and pepper and a little bit of water)

Pan mee (noodles): 

1. Mix some flour and a little bit of water together with three eggs. 

2. Fold the mixture over and over again until it becomes dough. 

3. Make sure it's not too sticky so you can pinch/cut it into thin slices. 

4.Roll the dough to a very thin, flat shape (like a very flat pancake) 

5. Slice the dough to make noodles. Or just tear it with your fingers if you want to save time!
6. Throw your noodles into a pot of boiling water. You'll know it's cooked when it floats up.

7. Take your noodles out and drain the water away. Apportion them into bowls.

Eggs: 

1. Fill a pot with water. 

2. Immerse the eggs into the pot of boiling water and start to boil for 2 minutes. 

3. Drain the water out and take the eggs out. Crack the eggs and place them on top of the noodles.

Minced pork: 

1. Marinate with sugar, salt, pepper. 

2. Heat the pan with oil. 

3. Throw in some chopped up onions and garlic. Fry till fragrant. 

4. Throw in the pork and fry with some oyster sauce, sesame sauce. 

5. When fully cooked, apportion the pork into the bowls.

Ikan bilis (anchovies): 

1. Deep fry until golden brown and serve them in bowls.

Fried onions: 

There are two ways to do this:

A) Buy the pre-fried onions. They are usually sold in packs.

B) Do it the manual way. Chop onions into smaller pieces, coat them with corn flour and deep fry. Serve in bowls.

Soup: 

1. Boil water and add some soup flavour (eg: Adabi/Knorr Ikan bilis). 

2. Wash spinach and throw them into the soup. 

3. Leave to boil and serve in small bowls.

Chili: 

1. Throw in some chopped onion and garlic into boiling hot oil.

2. Fry until fragrant and add some maggi chili sauce, SingLong sambal ikan bilis and chili flakes (or the blended chili).

3. Add a little bit of water (so it doesnt dry up and burn).

4. Fry the chili till dark red and serve into bowls. (if you put too much water, it'll make your chilli wet. so it depends if you like yr chili wet or dry.

 Although the preparation takes a while, the result is always satisfying!


Photographed by Timothy Ho and written by Vivian Kuan. 
Images edited by Carissa Gan.