Bites Nearby: Sal's Pizza

Whenever I’m looking for a new spot to sample for my next ‘Bites,’ I like to grab a friend and go to uncharted territory. Going to a restaurant I’ve already been to usually isn’t as exciting as sampling a new menu and sounding off on my first impression.

But this week, as I was searching for a new spot to sample, a friend of mine mentioned . The pizza shop, located on Tilghman Street in Allentown, has been one of her favorite places to eat since we were in high school. So when she suggested visiting there this week, I decided to break my own rules and head for a place that one of us had been to before.

This is one time I’ve been more than happy to break the rules.

The Dishes: An Italian hoagie, one slice each of Pepperoni and Tomato Basil & Garlic pizza, an order of mild buffalo wings, and two fountain sodas.

What’s on the Plate: The Italian hoagie is topped with ham, provolone cheese and salami, and my dinner buddy opted to add just lettuce and tomato. Our wings were served with celery, and Sal’s get major points in my book for serving both ranch and blue cheese with their wings.

How’s it Taste? I usually don’t like to stray from my usual pizza options: meatball, pepperoni, or just plain cheese. But as I was looking over the menu at Sal’s, I felt like I couldn’t pass up their Tomato Basil & Garlic, which was on display at the front counter and begging me to give it a try. I’m certainly glad I did. My slice had all the cheesy goodness of white pizza, but with the flavorful combination of tomatoes and garlic. I think it might be my new safety slice.

My dinner buddy’s Italian hoagie was, I’m assuming, well received. As much as she’d probably want to strangle me for saying this, the first half of her hoagie was gone in the same time it took me to down half a slice of my pizza.

Our buffalo wings were delicious. We opted for the mild wing sauce, because not everyone’s as crazy about spice as I am. Luckily for my dinner partner, the mild sauce had more of a sweeter kick than a spicy one. In the end, our ranch and blue cheese dipping containers were left relatively untouched because we were soaking up extra wing sauce with our celery and pizza crusts.

Eat This Because: I’m really going to go ahead and promote that Tomato Basil & Garlic pizza again. Sal’s may not have the craziest toppings in the Valley, but what they do have, they do well.

Tab: $22.00