Ode to Antonio's

Thank goodness in the eyes of most Bostonians, Providence might as well be Nashville. Otherwise I might spend another decade or two hitting up Antonio's on Thayer Street after frequenting sleepy Providence joints.

Antonio's in Providence is a far cry from the North Pleasant Street flagship. At 11:30pm on a Saturday there was no line or any sign of a club sidewalk emerging. There was, however, piles of chicken 'n bleu cheese, tortellini, and taco pizza, which was drew us there in the first place. For any former UMass Amherst student, Antonio's is symbolic of four (or five or six) years of good times and memories. Unfortunately it is seen as just another pizza outpost for the southern New England yokels.

For some reason Bostonians are weary of pizza-by-the-slice joints. Pizza is seen as a group activity, one that requires topping compromise, and even then you never know exactly what you're going to get. Antonio's serves up huge, NY style slices, with enough topping combinations to make a Harvard statistician cry. Best of all you can get what you want without having to cave to your vegetarian/carnivore/lactose intolerant friend - and it's all less than $4.

Instead of developing another over-priced, new American fusion bistro, the Boston dining scene would be drastically improved with an Antonio's type restaurant. Afterall, I'm easily amused, and watching native Bostonians snap at indecisive diners would likely provide me with hours of non-stop entertainment. Wings has already flown over Brookline and Somerville....does this town have room for another 413 dive? Me thinks so.