T Town Taster: Medi’s – Then and Now

A recap of my return trip to Medi’s, no longer in its infancy

It’s been too long since I put up a Taster. I like these short little posts. I get to feel a sense of accomplishment with minimal work, very appealing to a lazy person with high aspirations such as myself. I am lazy, but I want it all…like mail order lottery tickets.

Medi’s is perfect for someone like me. You can go and spend two and a half bucks and come away with a giant slice of pizza. Small effort = great reward. Don’t believe me? Look at this piece of pizza:

Either that is approximately one fourth of a large pepperoni pizza, or that is a very small fork

(the fork was pretty normal…very fork-ish)

…

Then and Now

I wrote a quick impression of Medi’s after a visit within a couple weeks of its soft opening. In that first visit I was overall happy with the pizza and atmosphere, a bit nonplussed with beer prices, and just ecstatic that a pizza joint had finally graced 6th Ave with its presence. I Nostradamusized that Medi’s would be a hit with families and college kids, ensuring its 6th Ave success. How’d I do? Let’s make some then and now comparisons shall we:

Food

• THEN: The pizza was thin and flavorful; the low prices appealed to my inner scrooge and I was happy because I was full of cheese
• NOW: The crust is less thin and crispy (maybe it was a fluke that first time?), totally standard medium-thickness bread crust. Sad. The pizza is still huge, covered in goods and cheap – although $.50 more than it was those first couple weeks.Very solid. Cheesy, greasy, meaty, and bready. The menu has expanded on specialty pizzas, and apparently they make a mean cheese steak.  Salads, calzones, and breadsticks are all super cheap too and solid. Perhaps a slight decline because the crust and price. Kudos.

Drink

• THEN: I don’t drink domestic except when I have to or when it’s funny, so I can’t attest to those taps, but I believe all beers were $5 and there was no happy hour.
• NOW: Still no happy hour, micros are $5, but there is a rotating $3 tap which today turned out to be the Deschutes White IPA. Score! Hopefully my first write up had something to do with that. Maybe a small victory for some, but this is a huge plus in Derrick’s book of awesome eats.

Atmosphere

• THEN: the space was big, but the chairs were arranged strangely and the seating was limited. The stage was covered in DJ gear and was unused. I was giddy by the sight of the old school sit down arcade and Donkey Kong machine. The waiter was super cool, probably a transfer from O’Malley’s.
• NOW: They’ve met demand by rearranging, adding extra tables and moving the DJ gear away until it’s needed on 6th Ave Booty Night, otherwise known as Friday. The waiters have a much better knowledge of the menu and are mostly still awesome, although I think they’re pretty convinced I’m an asshole. Maybe it’s my scrutinizing of the place, menu, and harassment about the lack of a happy hour. The things I do for my adoring fans…

The Wrap

Medi’s has mostly outgrown its awkward phase. No more uninvited voice cracks and zits, Medi’s has finally realized that Axe deodorant smells like ass. Medi’s is asking mom for the keys to the mini van now. Maybe one day, when its all grown up, it will re-embrace thin crust. Dare to dream.

The prices are a teensy bit higher, but we were warned of that. Over all, the place is solid, cheap, and I’m still blown away that it took this goddamn long to even get a pizza place on 6th. Plus, $3 micros? I’m sold. Oh, and my earlier prediction about this being a hit for families and college students? Dead on. Although that didn’t take a savant to predict. Just a lazy person with high aspirations such as myself.

Tags: 6th Ave, beer, Medi's, pizza, taster