Anita Gautreaux
August 24, 2018
Homework Buddies WANTED!
August 24, 2018
Friday night pizza is becoming a tradition for me and my family. After a long work week. sharing a piping hot pizza pie with those you love most is a great way to kick back and unwind.
The Hourna and Thibodaux communities have some great options when it comes to local pizza. Lately, Houma’s West Main Pizza and Spaghetti House has been getting my attention, mostly for its popular taco pizza. I am loyal to pepperoni. and it took me a while to warm up to the idea that Mexican flavors can hold their own on an Italian classic. Then I took my first bite of West Mains taco pizza and realized that I have been missing greatness in my hometown all my life.
For the uninitiated. West Main is very generous with its toppings. If your pizza arrives looking lean, you either ordered it that way or something went very wrong in the kitchen. The taco pizza is perhaps the chubbiest pie of them all, complete with house-made red sauce. Cheddar; bite-sized pieces of beef or pork, onions, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and handfuls of more finely sliced Cheddar blanketing the entire surface, A choice of mild or hot taco sauce is served on the side.
West Main’s taco pizza is the kind of dish that attracts stares from around the room as it makes its way to the table. It looks like the bottom of a bag of shredded cheese would have split open and dumped its contents on a round pizza tray-but that’s just the surface. Beneath the thick layer of slowly melting cheese are the ingredients that give the taco pizza its name. Most noticeable are the colorful diced tomatoes and shredded iceberg lettuce that give this pie a nice freshness. While the lettuce gats a bit soggy and the tomatoes struggle to stay on each slice, the ingredients successfully contribute to the taco flavor profile. As with my tacos, I order my pizza sans onions-just a preference.
Each bite reveals two dominant flavors: mi Id Cheddar and seasoned beef. The latter covers the pizza as if beef hailstones would have pumrneled the kitchen. Although taco seasoning isn’t detected in the beef, the small balls of meat are packed with flavor and have a slight kick that makes the taste buds perk up. The cheese’s tanginess works especially well with this salty beef.
What really makes this pizza a taco pizza is the taco sauce on the side. Offered mild or hot the sauce is served in a squeeze tube that makes drizzling it cm a slice quite easy. I prefer to squeeze the mild sauce onto a plate for dipping. The sauce has great notes of vinegar and chili powder, contributing an essential flavor profile that ties all the ingredients together. It also keeps the slightly thin crust pizza from becoming too dry.
I can put down an 8-inch taco pizza in one sitting, but it can be shared by two people who aren’t overly hungry. Couples wanting to split one for a meal would be better served ordering a 10-or 13-inch pie.
Every visit. I find myself glancing at other options on West Mains menu. One Friday I will try the spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs, but that means turning down the taco pizza. And that’s hard to do.
