Review: Trilogy Pizza - San Antonio, TX

After six months as a new Texan, some of my expectations in the Austin region have been confounded. Great Mexican food and BBQ are not ubiquitous here. On the other hand, there are three great pizza joints within 5 miles of my suburban neighborhood, and Via 313 is as close to me here as the standard-setting La Porta was in the burbs of Philly.

It's less than two hours to San Antonio, and there is where I finally found great Mexican food. Several visits over the years, though, have shown me that San Antonio, despite being the second largest city in Texas (1.5 million residents - bigger than Dallas - compared to 950,000 for Austin), doesn't have a great, standout pizza joint. I've had good pizza there, but never great. That won't stop me from trying, though!

On my most recent trip, my search turned up Trilogy Pizza, so named because they offer three regional varieties of pizza - New York, Chicago deep dish, and California style pizzas. 

Trilogy is located in a modern strip mall on the Northern edge of San Antonio, 17 miles from downtown (The Alamo, The Riverwalk). The interior has a comfortably casual look with a bar and dining rooms, and there were plenty of happy diners there when I arrived at dinner time.

All three pizza choices were intriguing; my server told me that the New York and California styles were similar, except that the west coast version is made with a whole wheat crust. I've had mixed results with whole wheat pizza crusts, but I decided to try the California pie, topped with pepperoni.

What's the issue with whole wheat pizza crusts? According to the Washington Post, "The problem is that the inclusion of the wheat bran and germ can make it problematic when it comes to baking, especially with yeasted breads. The bran, the outermost part of the grain, is sharp, meaning it can hinder rise by cutting into the dough and wreaking havoc on the gluten network. The bran is also extremely thirsty, able to absorb several times its weight in water."

California pizza with pepperoni

As I waited for my pizza, I saw many other orders come out (but none were Chicago style in my view). The New York pies looked thin and crisp at the cornicione. 

My California pie arrived, and its whole wheat crust was thin but dense, chewy, and flavorful. However, its texture was limp, not crisp. The pizza was fully cooked, as evidenced by the nice top browning of the cheese. Despite its good flavor, the crust was a disappointment. Much as the Washington Post article suggests, it seemed to have failed to rise and absorbed water, even though it wasn't soggy.

Above the crust, the pie was more successful. The cheese was pretty conventional as it melded with the sauce (which sported a distinct herbal note) into that familiar orange moonlike surface that typically covers a New York style pizza. Despite the limp and dense crust, I enjoyed each slice.

Nice browning underneath

Service was outstanding, and I enjoyed some good craft beer on tap with my pie. Overall, a good experience but I can't endorse the California pizza. There's plenty of good landing spots for whole wheat; pizza may not be one of them. I'd gladly return to try the New York or Chicago varieties.