Tastes Like Home

Home Slice

by Trey Popp

Last week, smack in the middle of dinner hour, I sat all alone in Home Slice over a gigantic, wedge-shaped gamble. My slice had a whole-wheat crust, which can easily go wrong. The homemade "cheese" had been derived from almonds, not milk. In fact, everything about this pie was vegan — a fine attribute for a Japanese noodle dish, but a potential twisted punishment in the context of a pizza joint.

I'd already downed a so-so cheesesteak and 10 chicken wings. The last thing I needed was a slice of faux pizza big enough to play hide-and-seek behind.

Bite one: Man, that broccoli rabe is spot on! Bite two: The tofu was sautéed with poblano peppers — bravo! Bite three: This crust might be a little cracker-like after its second trip to the oven, but what flavor!

The almond cheese had no flavor at all — at least amid all the toppings, which also included red bell peppers — but there was no doubt about it: Even the vegan pizza is a winner at Home Slice. And for $2.50, it was a steal, as well.

So why was the place empty?

Home Slice, from the owners of across-the-way A Full Plate Café, remains largely undiscovered. It may be easy to miss from the outside, but the interior is a riot of color that reflects the eatery's eccentric attitude. Giant hand-painted tomatoes line the bottom half of walls plastered with news clippings spanning decades of city history. As frills go, that's about it. But who needs frills from a place that sells specialty slices for less than plain cheese ones fetch in much of the city?

The three made-to-order pies I tried on other occasions were just as solid — they're a cut above Philly's norm yet no more expensive. White-flour crusts are thin with the right touch of crispiness, and toppings range from artichokes to jerk chicken. One of my pies came with beautifully blistered French string beans, and one I passed up featured Granny Smith apples.

Home Slice also serves giant baskets of Spanish fries (and plain ones), as well as burgers and straight-ahead salads. The hot sauce on their chicken wings hit the spot. (I didn't try the "Stupid Hot" rendition.) But pizza is the reason to come. Simply put, they're serving better pizza with more variety than many places that charge a higher price. Discover it already.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

Home Slice | Liberties Walk, 1030 N. American St., 215-627-2726, homeslicepizzeria.blogspot.com

Hours: Tue.-Thu. and Sun., noon-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., noon-mid.

Pizza, cheesesteaks, wings, fries: $5-$13