“Did you just say pizza balls?” I interjected
into a conversation between two of my co-workers. Being a steadfast
lover of all things pizza, I needed to know what in God’s name
they were talking about. They told me about a new restaurant named
Pace’s Pizza Balls at the Summit Sierra Mall, so I grabbed my
wife, Kat, and my mother-in-law, Pam, and got down there as quickly as
I could.
Meat and cheese are pizza staples, but I never thought I’d see
the day fried dough was thrown in the mix. However, we Americans have
an entrepreneurial food spirit, and this newfangled concoction is sure
to make many of you drool, some of you queasy, and leave pizza purists
all in a tizzy. Pace’s describes a pizza ball as “your
favorite pizza toppings uniquely surrounded by an original golden crust
specially handmade to order.” Unique and original is right. When
was the last time you had your pizza toppings stuffed into a dough ball
and flash fried? My guess is never.
Pace’s Pizza Balls occupies some prime realty right next to
the movie theater. They serve the food up quickly, so should you find
yourself short on time while frenziedly shopping or heading off to a
movie, this might be the ticket. Pizza Balls has set their space up
nicely with a playful chalk menu and classy cherry-colored wood
construction around the register. It’s heavily geared toward the
sports crowd, with flat screens and memorabilia decorating the walls.
However, if you’re interested in interacting with your company
while dining, Pizza Balls has an assortment of games, like chess,
checkers and dice available.
The regular pizza balls, which are about the shape and size of a
slightly flattened baseball, all run $3.95 and come with two little
fried dough balls topped with powdered sugar. Pam ordered the fowl
ball—grilled chicken, red onions and red peppers with barbecue
sauce. Kat ordered the beach ball: Canadian bacon, pineapple and
tomatoes. I picked the Wolf Pack ball: pepperoni, sausage, salami,
onion, mushrooms, bell peppers and tomatoes, accompanied by a 16-ounce
Pabst Blue Ribbon ($2.50). The pizza balls come out a beautiful golden
brown, and the crust had an enjoyable, slightly sweet flavor. And while
I was slightly apprehensive, none of the pizza balls tasted greasy.
However, the filling left something to be desired.
Neither Pam’s nor Kat’s pizza balls had much flavor, and
Kat’s in particular seemed water-logged. My theory is flash
frying doesn’t cook off the vegetable’s moisture quite like
oven baking, and water isn’t the most flavorful ingredient. So
Kat and I tried splitting a plain cheese ball, which was stuffed full
of gooey cheese and by far the best of the group.
Pace’s Pizza Balls describes its fare as being a
“perfect portion, perfect price,” which is a stretch. I
left hungry and felt the food overpriced, especially when the server
tried to charge me $.50 for a side of ranch. Of course, Pizza Balls
does have two $5 weekday specials: the pizza ball of the day and 16
ounce fountain drink lunch special from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the
pizza ball and 16 ounce domestic draft happy hour special from 4 p.m.
to 7 p.m., which is a little more enticing.
Pace’s pizza balls are certainly a novelty, and they make for
a convenient, quick meal when you’re at the mall. But the next
time I want pizza, I’m going to eat mine in slice form.