Review: Home Slice Pizza fires up new Houston location
Rating: ★★★★½
One of the most amazing parts about coming to Rice and getting to meet people from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures is that you are exposed to a variety of opinions and ideas that help mold you into a more well-rounded individual. One of the most fascinating opinions that I feel people bring with them is their taste in pizza. Whether a debate between Pizza Hut and Papa John’s or New York versus Chicago, we all have opinions on how we like our pies.
Now, there is a new challenger in the pizza arena: Home Slice Pizza, located about 10 minutes north of Rice campus. Originally founded in 2005, Home Slice has received critical acclaim for its parlors in Austin, and last month, the franchise opened up a location in Houston, bringing authentic NY-style pizza to H-town.
The first thing I noticed about Home Slice was the ambiance. I visited on a Thursday night, and it was nearly impossible to even get a parking spot. Before I make any comments on the food, I would first like to extend my appreciation to the entire staff at Home Slice, who were all extremely friendly to me in my time there and went above and beyond in their service to me and all of the other customers present. Once inside, I ordered one slice each of the Margherita pizza and the spinach and mushroom white pizza, along with a slice of tiramisu. The spinach and mushroom white pizza was incredible — the balance between the crispiness and texture of the crust and the number of toppings and cheese was perfect. I felt satisfied with every bite, and even though I didn’t enjoy the Margherita pizza quite as much, you definitely get enough bang for your buck in terms of the quality of ingredients used and serving size. The outer crust had substance while still holding true to the thin and crispy style reminiscent of premium pies. The pizza as a whole was structurally sound, even after I reheated my leftovers. As for the tiramisu, while I would have liked a bit of a stronger coffee flavor, it was still excellent.
It is important, however, to realize that Home Slice is not a substitute for Little Caesar’s or other fast food pizza spots. Their prices are considerably higher than commercial pizza chains; one slice cost $4.50, and the tiramisu cost $8.75. Buying an entire pizza may be more cost-effective, especially when the bill is split between friends. I don’t go on very many dates, but if I did, I would definitely consider Home Slice Pizza as a great date spot to take someone that I really liked. The service, the atmosphere and the food are all at the highest level, and I most certainly recommend giving Home Slice a try sometime soon.
More from The Rice Thresher
Review: ‘Suzume’ is a thrilling, endearing, and at times dark ode to Japan
Makoto Shinkai clearly has a specialty — the “Your Name” and “Weathering With You” director is often said to make the same movie over and over again. It’s true that the three most recent entries in his filmography have all been fantastical, coming-of-age melodramas centered around some sort of ecological disaster, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Audiences know what they’re getting with a Shinkai film: gorgeously-rendered anime vistas, strong female leads and an emotionally-charged storyline guaranteed to make viewers feel something. While it doesn’t reach the poignancy of “Your Name,” Shinkai’s newest film “Suzume” is one of the highlights in his œuvre.
Review: IVE embraces confidence on 'I’ve IVE’
After an incredibly successful debut year in 2022, IVE released their debut album “I’ve IVE” to the excitement of fans around the world. Last year, IVE put out two single albums, which are shorter, two to three track projects within K-pop. The sampling of Gloria Gaynor’s classic track “I Will Survive” in “After LIKE” and the moodier sound of “LOVE DIVE” show two distinct sides of the group that are expanded upon in their debut full-length release.
Review: Nicolas Cage as Dracula is a national treasure
“Renfield” is a 2023 comedy-horror film centering Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicolas Hoult as Renfield, Dracula’s loyal assistant. My comments on this movie should be prefaced by an acknowledgment of my bias; I absolutely adore Nicolas Cage as an actor. I could watch Mr. Cage do nothing but down an entire Subway Italian without him uttering a word and I would be absolutely enthralled, clinging to the edge of my seat. The subtle facial expressions, the charming yet hungry eyes, and the absolute Adonis of a body that Nicolas Cage possesses could make any film connoisseur faint at just a glimpse. Even taking into consideration my love for Cage’s acting in both his amazing and amazingly terrible works, “Renfield” is another absolute banger of a movie on nearly every level.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.