Norman is most definitely a fun college town. However, it can sometimes feel like a bubble. One of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday is to take an excursion up to OKC. There are several things to do up in the city: great shopping, the zoo, the art museum, Thunder (duh!), and of course delectable food – including wood fire oven pizza.
During Mom’s Weekend, I took my mom out for her birthday. We planned a day of fun in the city, and naturally I chose a yummy restaurant to eat at. Pizza and wine is a big deal in our family, so I knew I wanted to take her to a pizza place. I chose Pizzeria Gusto because I once tried to eat there before and it was an hour wait. This time, I was going to make it happen. Depending on what time you go, you may need to make a reservation. It’s an excellent place to grab your friends and have a nice meal in the city. It’s not too fancy, but I wouldn’t wear sweatpants, either. (A great place for a birthday dinner for sure).
If you’re able to order from the cocktail list, I suggest trying the Italian Cream Soda. It’s like an adult shake, but not as heavy, so you have plenty of room for pizza. We decided to also share a small plate. We got the Bruschetta Trio while we waited on our pizza (which I recommend, btw): “Eggplant Caponata, Butternut Sqash with Caramelized Onions, Ricotta, Sage & Truffle Oil, and Gusto ‘Pate.'” The best thing about small plates and appetizers is that you can share them. College student budgets will revel in the small plate section and, on top of that, you can most defintiely share the wood fire oven pizza and pay half the price with a friend.
Ok, the moment you’ve all been waiting for … “Where’s the pizza?” (I hope you read that with your best Jennifer Lawrence impression). The pizza is wood fire oven style and it was an absolute delight. Another great “college student budget” perk is that I had leftovers that lasted me two more meals. My mom got Margherita the Queen: “Tomato Sauce, Buffalo Mozzarella, Basil, [and] EVOO.” I got the Soppressata: “Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella-Provolone, Soppressata, and Calabrese Peppers.” In case you were wondering what Soppressata is (don’t worry, I didn’t know until I ordered it), it’s a type of meat closely related to pepperoni, but much thinner. Not to be dramatic, but I went to pizza heaven. It’s hard in Oklahoma to find really good pizza, especially wood fire oven pizza. This place definitely made it on my “really great pizza” list.
As we finished our cocktails, my mother started to parooze the wine list. I ordered the cheapest white wine I could find and the best part about it was that it didn’t taste cheap. My mom ordered the F-bomb, which was their famous red wine. I’m not really a red wine person, but I will say it was surpisingly tasty. And as if we couldn’t fill our stomachs more, we ordered dessert. It was the cherry on top indeed. We got Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts with coffee ice cream and espresso. There is actually a system to eating it: You pour the steaming hot espresso over the ice cream and then dip the doughnuts into that concoction. Let’s just say, ladies: Do not wear your skinniest of skinny jeans to this restaurant.
I have to say, writing this on a slightly empty stomach makes me want to drive to the city and have this whole meal again. Finals week is just upon us, but a great study break would be to take a short adventure up to the city and enjoy some really good wood fire oven pizza.
#SpoonTip: Ask for Elizabeth. She was our waitress. She is quite knowledgeable about the menu and was a great server!