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Red Brick Pizza gives chain restaurants a good name

October 29th, 2009, 10:25 am · 24 Comments · posted by Jeff Overley

redbrick

Since I am both a woefully underpaid reporter and a total cheapskate, I bring my lunch almost every day, but I got a reprieve from leftovers recently when my less-frugal colleague, Jaimee Lynn Fletcher, couldn’t finish her personal pizza pie.

That slice of margherita looked very tasty, but since it was from a national chain - Red Brick Pizza - I assumed the looks were deceiving, that it might look like Giada de Laurentiis but would taste like Chef Boyardee.

Turns out, though, that Red Brick has some dang fine quality control, because this was impressive stuff. Jaimee, who has a side gig waitressing at an Italian restaurant and is therefore a pizza expert, put it this way:

“The sauce contained the perfect amount of acidity and sweetness and wasn’t overwhelmed with oregano, which, in my opinion,can    completely ruin a good sauce. The crust was thin and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The cheese didn’t weigh down the pizza, which is key because the improper ratio of cheese to crust can result in a soggy slice.”

redbrickboxI’d add that while the “fire-roasted” crust is not true to the Neapolitan tradition, it’s quite nice for what it is, as Jaimee said.  And the pizza’s flavors were very pronounced, thanks to four cheeses - mozzarella, provolone, white cheddar and parmesan - as well as basil, garlic, fresh tomatoes and red sauce.

At $9.50 for a drink and what I think was a 10-inch pie, it’s about the same price as Z Pizza. In the rare event I splurge on weekday lunch, this would be one of the few chains I’d consider.

Red Brick Pizza - Locations throughout Orange County

Talk back: Does Red Brick give chain pizza a good name? What chain pizza would you recommend?

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 24 Comments

  • Megan says:
    October 29, 2009 at 11:41 am

    I’ve eaten there once and was pretty pleased. I ordered a personal pepperoni and jalapeno pizza. The toppings were fresh and not rubbery like they tend to be from other places and the cheese had the right stringiness to it. The only reason I haven’t gone back is I don’t live or work near one.

    Post Reply
  • Tom M says:
    October 29, 2009 at 11:53 am

    If yous people keep getting jalapenos on your pizza I’m going to start putting pepperoni on my tacos.

    Post Reply
  • karl says:
    October 29, 2009 at 12:11 pm

    this is horrible “pizza”. I’ve had better out of a box. The “crust” is like a cracker. A joke.

    Post Reply
  • frombackeast says:
    October 29, 2009 at 12:44 pm

    Jeff,
    Maybe you know. When my wife and I lived in Costa Mesa, there was a pizza shop with the best bbq chicken pizza. We had it delivered or sometimes I went to pick it up. I could swear it was on Bristol across the street from Memphis Cafe. It was a little shop but great pizza. Any ideas? I thought it was call Red Brick Oven (or something like that).

    Also Lamppost Pizza in Orange had the best garlic chicken pizza ever. Too bad they’re no longer there (I think it’s Strawhat now).
    Thanks

    Post Reply
    • Jeff Overley says:
      October 29, 2009 at 12:50 pm

      I found this place about one block from Bristol/Memphis:

      The Fire Oven Pizza
      891 W Baker , Costa Mesa 92626
      714-557-4199

      Incidentally, I have great memories of Lamppost from my Little League days. Have not been there in forever and always am wondering if it’s actually as greasy and delicious as I remember. And as for garlic pizza, Round Table’s chicken is awful but their garlic sauce (simply ranch and chopped garlic) is amazing.

      Post Reply
      • frombackeast says:
        October 29, 2009 at 1:09 pm

        That’s it. Thanks. Yeah, I was disappointed when Lamppost went out of business. Whenever my wife was visiting her family or otherwise engaged, I used to go there on a Friday night, order a half pitcher of beer (I lived close enough to walk), a personal chicken garlic gourmet pizza and watch whatever sport was on television at the time, all for about $15. Strawhat took over and so I went and tried theirs. They had their own version of the garlic chicken. I hate to say (because the franchise owner and the staff were very friendly) but I wasn’t impressed. They had a Tuesday second pizza half price deal that really didn’t turn out to be a great deal after all. The garlic pizza I ordered happened to be considered a special pizza and vastly more expensive than I had anticipated so the second pizza wasn’t actually that good of a deal.

        Post Reply
        • Megan says:
          October 29, 2009 at 2:31 pm

          That place is no longer there. Different owners have the place now. I just can’t remember the name. The mister works in the area and went there for lunch one day. Apparently the food is amazing, new owners are an Italian family from Chicago. It’s still a pizza place! Just not the one you probably remember. :)

  • Eric says:
    October 29, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    Buccaneer Pizza on Grand at the 22 fwy is excellent!….Jeff, have you tried Buccaneer?

    Post Reply
  • Cuong says:
    October 29, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    The cut basil on top looks great, I will give Red Brick a try when I’m near one. I’ve enjoyed quite a few different pizza places, from the zPizza in San Clemente and Irvine to First Class in Anaheim Hills - both great pizzas.

    If you’re looking for cheap eats at lunch time, remind me to take you on a tour of all of Little Saigon’s wonderfully tasty and cheap lunch time eats!

    Post Reply
  • frombackeast says:
    October 29, 2009 at 2:30 pm

    Jeff
    I made a mistake of telling my wife about this article. All of a sudden, she wants to know everything about every pizza restaurant within driving range. Do you still recommend Tony’s in Placentia for Chicago style pizza? Any other mom and pop pizzerias you would recommend? Thanks.

    Also, would you please call Johnny Rebs and ask them to bring back their “Name your own price” breakfast? I emailed them and they just sent me other special notices and invitations to join the birthday club, etc.. I figure if you call them and tell them that several people have been asking, they may pay more attention. Thanks again. Love your blogs!

    Post Reply
  • CC says:
    October 30, 2009 at 1:20 am

    I love Red Brick Pizza. YUM!

    Post Reply
  • Griffin says:
    November 2, 2009 at 6:39 pm

    Everyone I know, including myself, thinks that Red Brick pizza is the WORST pizza in the world. I ordered it once with a party of four. Not a single one of us could bring ourselves to eat an entire slice.

    Post Reply
  • mike says:
    November 17, 2009 at 8:28 pm

    I recently ate at Redbrick Pizza in Fairfield Ca. Very impressed, i had the Margherita Pizza and have been back 3 times in one month. Too bad there arent more in the Sacramento area.

    Post Reply

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