I used the excuse of picking up a pizza for the family as a reason to stop down at Monte Cello's on Babcock Blvd. in Ross Township and enjoy a cold beer with a friend this past Tuesday (being June 8, 2021). 

It was a Tuesday mind you, and the small little bar was butts to butts when I first got to Monte Cello's Restaurant on Babcock Blvd. 

Hockey was on TV. A few locals milled about at the poker machines and the spacious dining rooms were alive with chatter. I started with a cold draft of Yuengling. 

The beer was fresh, crisp and my glass never stayed empty for long. The bartender, Jeff (pretty sure, not a hundred percent) is a long-standing fella behind the bar, well-known, and well-liked by the folks I chatted with during that hour that started about 6:30 pm on a Tuesday. 

My friend ordered a cold bottle of Miller Lite and a half of an Italian sub. He greatly enjoyed both. His hoagie looked packed with meat underneath a layer of shredded lettuce, tomato, onions, and oil. 

The patrons at the little, yet hearty wood-grained bar, inside Monte Cello's were extremely friendly and conversational. 

From this bar area, I ordered a Hawaiian Pizza and a 16-cut Sicilian with tomatoes on one half and pepperoni on the other. Of all the specialty pizzas on the menu, curiously Hawaiin was not one of them. However, you could simply order a pizza with ham and pineapple, which were both available toppings. This started one of those meaningless bar debates which, no matter, are fun to win. 

We debated what all goes on a Hawaiian pizza. My buddy said it was only ham and pineapple. Period. Anything else is a different pizza. Good point. 

For my buck, however, I wanted to have bacon on it. They said that doesn't constitute a Hawaiian pizza. So we asked the bartender. 

The bartender said a Hawaiian pizza was ham and pineapple. My friends were about to high-five each other from being right when the bartender then added, "but a lot of people get bacon on them."

Well played, barkeep (I left a good tip). 

So I took home the, eh, ham, pineapple, bacon pizza along with that 16-cut Sicilian bad boy home and the family quickly made good work of it. 

I am picky when it comes to Sicilian cut pizza. Theirs is a good one. 

The crust was light, flaky, and the pizza was cheesy, but not too cheesy. I am a big fan of Sicilian Pizza and for my dollar, this one was cooked just right. 

Not only did I come home with two pizzas (one of which may be Hawaiian) that evening, but I also felt like a made a couple of new friends. And, isn't that what a neighborhood restaurant is all about? 

Aloha. 

—MD