635 N. 9th Street, Suite EMan…it seems like it’s been a really long time since I’ve actually wrote a blog about a restaurant in Kalamazoo. I’ve been on the road more lately and really trying hard to find place to eat when I’m outside of the Kalamazoo metro area so I haven’t been eating out as much close to home to save some money. Don’t worry though…..I have a few restaurants on “my list” that I need to get to pretty soon.
J was out of town a few weeks ago on a “Girl’s Trip” in New Mexico. She was meeting up with some friends she doesn’t get to see very often to do some hiking and catching up.
I split childcare duties with my in-laws. They took them a couple of days so I wouldn’t have to take as much time off. Wednesday night I got everyone back. B had school so I actually picked him up Tuesday night but Nana and Grandpa had to get him. L had Girls on the Run and soccer practice…something else Nana and Grandpa had to coordinate.
I was going to try to make it to L’s soccer practice but I was running too late at work. I decided I would just pick up pizza instead thinking everyone was going to be hungry after long days.
I picked a place I haven’t been to in quite a while. I know what you’re thinking. I’ve already done a blog for Pizza Katerina. But there are new owners and a backstory now.
Pizza Katerina reopened in February of this year after being closed for about a year. The original owners closed up last February after Kathleen, one of the original owners, got sick just before the COVID closures started. Her husband, Paul, put the business up for sale and included the names, recipes, everything. Unfortunately, both Paul and Kathleen have passed away but the new owners are keeping what they started going.
This new version of Pizza Katerina is in the same spot right in front of the Walmart on 9th Street. It shares space in that little strip mall near the road with Oshtemo Pharmacy.
The shop is pretty much the same. There’s a small dining area that was mostly closed due to COVID capacity limits and a simple order counter near the back where the kitchen is. There are also racks of freshly made bread that are available for purchase because this isn’t just a pizza store…they make bread too.
I put my order in online…because that is something you can do….for a Half & Half pizza with pepperoni and jalapenos on one half and just pepperoni on the other. I also put in an order for a PK Pocket and a two liter of Pepsi. The cost was right around $25 before tip,
I was a little early to pick up my pizza so it hadn’t even been put in to the oven when I got there. I asked if I could just hang out inside or if I needed to go back to to my car. They told me inside was fine so I just chilled for about 10 minutes while my pizza was in the oven cooking.
When I got home, no one was hungry. My in-laws wanted to get back on the road to go home and the children weren’t interested in pizza.
I started with the PK Pocket thinking someone would at least want to share that with me.
The PK Pocket is kind of a calzone. The homemade foccacia bread is stuffed with ricotta cheese and comes with a side of marinara or dipping. This thing was really quite delicious and could have been a meal on it’s own. I opted to only eat half thinking someone would come upstairs hungry eventually or I could just eat it for breakfast the next morning.
There is so much to talk about with the pizza. I ordered a pepperoni pizza with jalapenos on half. There’s only one size, a 14″ New York Style pizza and it was more than enough for me.
I wrote this the last time I wrote about Pizza Katerinia and nothing has changed….everything is so fresh. The dough is made in house and hand stretched. The sauce is a chunkier and made in house with whole, peeled California plum tomatoes. This is by far the freshest tasting sauce I’ve had anywhere in town. They don’t use pizza standard small pepperonis. They use giant, thin pepperonis that take up a couple of slices. The jalapenos aren’t pickled. They taste like they came from someone’s garden. The pizza is billed as “New York style” and it really does help if you eat it like a New York slice. Fold it over and snap the middle.
I’m really sad no one wanted to share this pizza with me. It’s a really tasty pie and not like anything else in town. Fresh dough, fresh sauce, quality ingredients. Pizza Katerina is really in a league of their own.