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In food, as in life, some new sensation always hogs the spotlight. But we all know the truth. The flavors of the month would not command any spotlight without the existence of their predecessors. Take pasta, for instance.
Spaghetti is the firstborn of pasta. Like the reliable sibling who holds the family together without the accolades afforded the younger siblings, spaghetti quietly forms the foundation for all we know of pasta.
Spaghetti is where all pasta begins for most of us. Just ask any parent who has cleaned up after a spaghetti-splattered kid. Most of us grow up adoring spaghetti.
As we get older, we become unfaithful, opting for those little colored corkscrews with fancy names like rotini, shunning spaghetti, the standard-bearer.
Once the domain of fancy gourmet grocery's specialty shops, pretty pasta now seems a rule rather than an exception. Even your local Kroger is peddling pastas in more shapes, colors and configurations than are imaginable.
And let's not even talk about the sauces. Adventurous offerings like peppercorn-Monterey-basil-cream sauce have invaded menus everywhere, edging out their less daring, yet classic counterparts.
If the folks at the Pot Pie Pizzeria are onto this trend, they're not letting us know. And thankfully so.
Sometimes college folks just need a plate of spaghetti, simply prepared and generous of portion, to get them through the day.
Even better if that plate can be refilled multiple times and only costs $4.99. Patrons can choose from six different sauces: pork Milano, alfredo sauce, broccoli and cheese sauce, butter and garlic sauce, meat sauce and marinara sauce.
Toppers like steamed vegetables or sausage can be added for under two bucks each. Sadly, Pot Pie's generosity in the pasta refill department does not extend to the toppers. You'll have to pay extra for each round.
Enjoy the garlic bread to its fullest. Crisped to golden perfection and basted with herb butter, this bread comes with unlimited refills.
Other entrees, like the lasagna, cost more than the spaghetti plate. Yet it's a rare Italian restaurant that will offer lasagna, a side salad and unlimited bread for $6.95. The vegetable lasagna would have benefited from more vegetables and less cheese, but the beef lasagna was multi-layered, sauced and baked to perfection.
The spaghetti with vegetables was healthy and filling. The marinara, while on the plain side, is easily remedied with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese or by adding a topper.
Check out the huge calzones, which ring in at $5.50. Those opposed to pasta might take to the chicken veggie pot pie ($5.95), another sizable meal.
If you're lucky enough to stop by on a beautiful day, dine out on the deck. That's where we landed one recent afternoon, right next to a tableful of UH students who sang Pot Pie's praises.
"I think it's good, and when you're on a college student's budget, it's better than the food on campus," said Tina Nguyen. "It costs as much as pasta on campus, but you get twice as much."
Indoors, the decor is quite cozy, with wood floors, booths and brass accessorizing shielding you from the din of the occasional ambulance wailing down the street.
You can expect cordial, well-paced service. And expect never again to shun the faithful friend we all have in spaghetti.
Ideas or suggestions for this column? Zap them to me at btavakol@bayou.uh.edu
Pot Pie Pizzeria
1525 Westheimer
(713) 528-4350
Hours Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday until 10 p.m.