Well, the Snob is still here but working at a snail’s pace. I think not being in New York City for 18 months now has made me lost some of my spark for pizza. But nonetheless, that doesn’t mean I haven’t found a few new good spots recently. Here’s another one from my holiday on the west coast of Florida.

Like it or not, the busy and touristy Siesta Key Village is where you will find all the best food on the Key. Mrs. Pie did some “phone-work” on the beach and discovered the quite promising Flavio’s Brick Oven Pizza & Bar. Looking things over, while this place looked more like a fine Italian restaurant than a pizza joint, they obviously thought enough of their pie to put it in their name. So, without hesitation, we booked Flavio’s for the evening.

With my Village parking mastery still fully functioning (see my last review for a tip), we took a short stroll along Ocean Blvd. to find Flavio’s spread across a strip center facing the street. The remnants of a pre-vax outdoor tent were still in place but most of the action was now back indoors.

The inside of Flavio’s meandered a bit through a few rooms which looked to be a sign of expansion through success. We did walk by the namesake brick oven (wood-burning) at the end of the bar as we made our way to our table. Mrs. Pie chose some fish and pasta while I went straight to the top of the pizza menu for the basic Margherita ($14.95). We would first share a pretty darn perfect Caesar salad to get things started.

Well, let’s just say that my pizza was fantastic! It was a 12-inch that fooled you into thinking it was New York style. Cooked on the soft side, it was more Neapolitan in style although it had a full spread of cheese and tomato sauce. There was serious-looking char on the top end crust that was an invitation to some good and tasty chewing. It did seem a little “wet” on top which made the ends flop when I launched each slice, but that didn’t turn out to be much of a problem. Considering that char, I was surprised that the crust didn’t cook crisper than it was.

Looking back at my photo of the pie I quickly devoured just puts a smile on my face in recalling how good it was. Gosh, this one was all about the taste, especially the tomato sauce which should go into the “gravy” hall of fame. The cheese was sparse but was fine in all aspects This and the paper-thin crust combined to make it a “light” dining experience. I just love it when eating a whole pie doesn’t make me feel that I just ate a cow or something.

Flavio’s is a fabulous place to visit, and the pizza is worthy of being in their name! Give it a try for sure.

PIZZA SNOB RATING ****½ Nearer Perfection
Flavio’s Brick Oven Pizza & Bar
5239 Ocean Blvd.
Siesta Key, FL 34242
941-800-5570
www.flaviosbrickovenandbar.com