Cheap Eats - Slice vs. slice (pizza)

Which pizzeria is the original?

Almost out of serendipity, two similarly named pizzerias with different ownership have opened restaurants in gentrified neighborhoods. Which leaves pizza fans and lawyers locked in a current debate: Exactly who owned the first “Slice”?

Pizza wars: According to Calvin Happ of Slice Pizza Corporation, the first Slice was opened by his company in Hapeville in July 2003. The building housing the pizzeria was bought by the city, and though that eatery closed, Happ et al later opened a similarly themed Slice Pizza on Howell Mill in August 2005. Happ says his corporation never abandoned the name Slice, they just amended it to clarify things.

Meanwhile, Karen Smiley opened a Slice in 2004 on Peters Street in Castleberry Hill. Both the Peters Street Slice and the Howell Mill Slice Pizza claim they were the first to coin the concept. Both businesses have full bars, cranked-up music, loungey couches and TVs playing skateboarding videos. Free Wi-Fi provides a chance to do some studying or cybersurfing.

Who’s the baby’s daddy?: Currently, Slice and Slice Pizza are in court to determine who owns the identity. “I respect Karen Smiley for opening her first location in a dicey area as a female entrepreneur, but we were really the first Slice,” Happ says. “We’d be happy to share the concept with a handshake but Smiley’s silent partner wanted to litigate. Really, Smiley’s businesses are more bars that serve pizza. We’re more family-oriented even though we do have full bars.”

The issue has recently become more complicated as both rivals have birthed second locations almost simultaneously. A Slice on downtown’s Poplar Street opened five months ago, and a Slice Pizza appeared in October in Glenwood Park.

Slice downtown: Slice downtown can be too much. When our übercool server decided to acknowledge us, he answered my menu questions with one-word phrases.

The pizza is adequate with some fun toppings such as broccoli, goat cheese and potatoes. A better bet is the small thin-crust specialty pizza such as the KP on a Platter, which is topped with pureed-apricot cream cheese, smoked turkey and mozzarella.

The downtown Slice becomes more like a nightclub later in the evening. A DJ spins on weekends and there’s live jazz on Wednesdays.

Slice Pizza in Glenwood Park: At Slice Pizza in Glenwood Park, server Kyle was friendly and ever-attendant. Fun pizza toppings include exceptionally moist, plump meatballs and Gorgonzola cheese. The individual Greek pesto pizza had a perfectly crisped crust — much better than the crust on the big pies. A weekend brunch buffet features traditional breakfast foods, a carving station and all you can drink, including Bloody Marys, screwdrivers and bellinis. Quite the deal for just $13.50.