PORT ST. LUCIE – A visit to Ah Beetz in St. Lucie West left me questioning everything I thought I knew about pizza. To say that I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement.
Let me preface with saying, I do not like burnt food, of any kind. Not burnt toast, not burnt hot dogs, not burnt pizza. When I first saw pictures of the pizza from Ah Beetz on social media, I immediately said nope! But this new pizza joint from New Haven, Connecticut proved that not all foods that look burnt taste the same.
My guest and I decided to try an appetizer first and ordered the Garlic Butter Breadsticks. The serving was quite generous with six large breadsticks covered in a yummy garlic butter combination and dusted with Parmesan Romano cheese. They were served with a marinara sauce for dipping, but honestly, they were so good just as they are.
The menu listed a variety of pizzas including traditional and signature and some interesting toppings like broccoli and white onion among the usual toppings. They also offer three sizes, personal, small and large. We wanted to try a simple pizza in order to get the real flavors of the sauce so we opted for the personal size of the Traditional Mootz. It took me a second to realize that Mootz stands for mozzarella.
Our pizza arrived quickly and had the traditional New Haven style blackened crust which had me a little leery, but I soon learned that the pizza is not burnt, but charred and it was absolutely delicious.
The crust is a thinner, crispy style with a perfect amount of sauce and mozzarella melted into it. The sauce has just a bit of sweetness to it and a rich tomato flavor. My wariness turned into delight as I proceeded to down two slices.
I had to explain to my guest that a grinder is what we Floridians call a sub. Being a fan of Italian style subs, he chose the Italian Grinder which included capicola, ham, salami, fresh mootz, lettuce, tomato, basil, oregano, balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil. The bread was warm, fresh and slightly toasted. All the ingredients were fresh, and the sandwich was enormous with a hefty amount of meat.
Our server, Misty, was friendly, helpful and efficient. She took time to answer all our questions. We learned that Ah Beetz is actually New Haven’s version of saying ”apizza.”
Ah Beetz also offers wings, salads, calzones, pizza flats and desserts. Beverages include soft drinks, beer and wine. They have indoor and outdoor seating and a separate takeout door.
Ah Beetz is located at 1401 St. Lucie West Blvd. in the Shoppes at St. Lucie. Their hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and closed on Monday. To view the menu, visit ah-beetz.com. The phone number is (772) 446-3550.