Pepperoni vs. rattlesnake
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Alligator, ostrich, wild boar and turtle - these are all ingredients on the menu at Mona Pizza at 135 Columbus Avenue in downtown Sandusky.
I planned on trying several of them during my recent visit. Thankfully, I wasn't able to.
Most of the gourmet ingredients offered by the restaurant weren't available when I went, but I was assured they were all being ordered from various parts of the world and would arrive before too long.
One gourmet ingredient they did have in stock during my lunch visit was rattlesnake.
I didn't order that myself, but my friend did, and I tried a piece.
In addition to rattlesnake, the pizza was covered with artichokes, tomatoes, capers and feta cheese. The rattlesnake didn't really bother me (it tastes kind of like salty beef jerky) but I am not a big fan of feta cheese, so the pizza didn't hit home for me.
But it was fun and interesting being able to try something so exotic at a small store like Mona Pizza in a relatively small town like Sandusky.
For my own order, I played it safe. After hearing they didn't have alligator and wild boar, I tried to order prime rib and lobster on my pizza, but they didn't have those ingredients either. So I went with old, reliable pepperoni, and I was pretty happy I did.
It wasn't anything spectacular or out of the ordinary, but it tasted good.
One of the biggest bonuses of Mona Pizza is the price - a 7-inch pizza (which is fine for lunch) cost less than $3.
We also ordered breadsticks, and although the breadsticks themselves were good, the marinara sauce that accompanied them was cold, which was a bit of a disappointment.
Also, one of my friends tried to order water with lemon, but they only serve bottled water, so she had to pay for her water and did not get the lemon.
Our server was nice, but I think she might have been a bit flustered dealing with such a large group (I went with six friends). But the chef came out and talked to us after the meal and asked how everything was, and everyone at the store was very friendly.
Once the more interesting ingredients become available, Mona Pizza will become an even more intriguing place to check out, but for the non-adventurous among us, they do have all the old standbys, plus sandwiches and other things to check out.
And the place is open until 4 a.m., so it's a good spot to go to cure those late-night munchies without spending too much.
Mona Pizza
Highest-priced dish: 23-inch pizzas cost $15.49-$19.99
Lowest-priced dish: 7-inch pizzas cost as low as $2.49
My order: 7-inch peperroni pizza ($2.84), 7-inch tomato and fetta pizza with rattlesnake ($4.99), 12 breadsticks ($2.95)
Would I return? Yes
Would I recommend? Yes
Ratings (out of five stars)
Food:3 Service:2.5 Value:4.5 Atmosphere:3 Total Experience:3.5
Sometimes Justin Powell's friends refer to him as "Wild Boar." He's pretty sure it's a compliment. E-mail him at editor@funcoast.com.
