Food: Satchel's Pizza

"Satchel's Pizza" is one of Gainesville's most famous restaurants - no mean feat considering how far out of the way it is (about 15 minutes from the University of Florida). It's the kind of place that you expect to see on TV - there's an old, doorless van outside that houses a table where people can actually order and eat, there's local art on the walls, and the whole affair has the sort of indie kitsch you come to associate with local establishments.

The strangest thing is, though, that the pizza at Satchel's is just...okay. The regular pizza comes as a thin, N.Y.-style pie with a generous crust all around. The deep dish is better, but still doesn't quite match what you can get at a good Italian joint (*cough* Nino's *cough*).

So why go there at all? The "Satch Salad" is fantastic and fairly inexpensive to boot - $6 buys you a huge portion of red and green lettuce, nuts, apples, tomatoes - more than enough to fill two dinner plates' worth. Combine that with a fresh draft beer, a slice of pepperoni, and a pleasant atmosphere and you have about 45 minutes worth of Elysium.

2/4 stars