I went to lunch the other day with a group of collegues.  One of them choose Hawthorne’s because it is his favorite restaurant in the area.  I am always skeptical when someone tells me that a place has the best pizza in town - although, I rarely get “bad” pizza.   

As a group, we had an order of the garlic knots which were fantastic.  Soft, fresh and hot!  They were some of the best garlic knots I have ever had.

For my meal, I ordered a couple of slices with pepperoni and mushrooms.  It took longer than it should have to get them - quite a while actually.  Once they came out - they were outstanding.  It truly was some of the best pizza I have had in town.    It was similar to many of the other top NY Pizza places in town, but it wasn’t nearly as greasy as some of the others (not that I mind grease.)  

Their menu also boast a wide assortment of other items, from chicken wings and stromboli or calzones to pasta and sandwiches.  I can not wait to try some of the other menu items.  Also, their prices are fairly reasonable with a fairly large slice of NY Pizza starting at $1.75.  A 16-inch pie will run  you about $12-$15 depending upon toppings.

I visited Fuel Pizza in Rivergate (Highway 160 and S. Tryon St.) for lunch yesterday for a meeting. My expereience was typical with what I have grown to be accustomed to from Fuel Pizza. The service was great and the food was ready really fast. The downside is that when you order by the slice (as is the norm at Fuel Pizza), the slices are not always hot and fresh. They reheat the slice quickly (not sure how) and then deliver it to your table. The overall quality of the ingredients and the selection of toppings is excellent but in my opinion it loses something in the process that it goes through to get to me (the end customer). I can not really comment on getting a whole pizza cooked fresh because I have never done it - although I would imagine that it would be much better.

I will continue to go to Fuel for the simple matter of its excellent location and fast service coupled with its lower than average price (as compared with other restaurants in the immediate area). Also, the food is better than some of the fast food options around. Another good thing is that since it is by the slice, I can get mine loaded up with toppings and my wife and child can get their plain cheese version.

For those that do know know much about Fuel Pizza, it is a chain that originated in Charlotte and has expanded to nine locations (per their website).

Let me know of your experiences at Fuel Pizza by leaving a comment! I would be especially interested in hearing comments from someone who has ordered a whole pizza there.