×
×
homepage logo

Skip the Flatizza and get a real pizza instead

By Ken Hoffman - | Mar 6, 2014

This week I reached out for a Pepperoni Flatizza at the world’s No. 1 fast-food chain, Subway, with 41,270 restaurants spotting Earth.

Did I say, 41,270? I meant 41,271. Wait, 41,272. There’s an empty space in the strip at the center of Main and First Streets. Give it time …

A Flatizza is a combination of flat bread and pizza — Flatizza. So creative. So easy to get a new product in the store with absolutely no extra equipment necessary.

Here’s the blueprint: marinara sauce, mozzarella and pepperoni on the same flatbread that Subway uses for its million sandwiches.

Total calories: 500. Fat grams: 26. Sodium: 1,340 mg. Carbs: 43 g. Dietary fiber: 2 g. Protein: 26 g. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: $3, or sleuth a 2-for-$5 deal.

Last week, I kicked Subway’s new Fritos Chicken Enchilada Melt to the curb, and now it’s flatbread pizzas. Subway is outkicking its coverage, getting away from what brought it to the dance: sandwiches.

Flatizzas won’t remind you of an artisan, masterful work-of-art pepperoni pie down at your favorite pizza joint, where your pizza is made by the restaurant owner, whose arms are covered with flour. That’s love. At Subway, your Flatizza is made by a sandwich putter-togetherer … as soon as he’s finished slapping lettuce on a chicken salad sub.

Just because there’s bread, mozz and marinara involved, that doesn’t make it a pizza. Flatbread isn’t a terrific pizza dough. Then again, I’m seeing a lot of French bread pizza in my supermarket. You might as well put leftover spaghetti sauce and cheese on an English muffin and call that a pizza, too.

Wait, bad example. English muffin pizzas at home at 3 a.m. when you’re starving half to death are delicious. Pizza bagels, too.

Subway’s Flatizzas are made fresh in front of you — that’s a plus. They’re tossed into Subway’s nuclear-powered, super-turbo-charged oven for a minute and they’re done. They are cooked properly. The edges are crispy, and the cheese is bubbling. They taste OK … just OK.

Subway has four kinds of Flatizzas: Pepperoni, Spicy Italian, Plain Cheese and Veggie. The difference between Pepperoni and Spicy Italian: the Spicy Italian has a few slices of salami, for grins. Like everything else at Subway, you can add olives or peppers or whatever from the toppings bar. Tomatoes are a nice touch on any pizza. Olives if you’re having a good day. If you put pickles on your Flatizza, we are no longer speaking.

It tastes like a frozen pizza, which used to be an insult, but frozen pizza technology has exploded in recent years. I like certain frozen pizzas just fine.

The big minus is: Flatizzas do not taste like a pizza lovingly created by a pizza artist. Support your local pizza sheriff.

Starting at $4.32/week.

Subscribe Today