Garlic Bread Pizzas find fair share of fans

Crust lovers may find DiGiorno’s new Garlic Bread Pizza to be the perfect pie. Those who like a thin and crispy crust will definitely want to steer clear.

It’s a cross between garlic bread and pizza. Spokesman-Review food panel tasters gave the Supreme four stars for flavor and value, but the Four Cheese fared only three stars out of five. The pizzas also come topped with pepperoni.

“Maybe I just got lucky, but this couldn’t have more toppings on it,” said Skip Hubbard. “Plenty of mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, olives and peppers. I’m sure I’ll find the kitchen sink in here someplace.”

Donald Clegg would have liked a little more zip from herbs and spices, but gave the pizza a thumbs-up overall. “Nice hit of green pepper, crunchy crust with a moist interior,” he said of the Supreme. “Bring out your own seasonings and herbs to jazz it up and you’ve got a worthy accompaniment to a Zags game.”

The Supreme even passed the college-student test.

“I’ve eaten my share of pizza in dorm rooms, and on the whole I’d put this one above the average,” said Gonzaga student Matt Quesnell. “Great fluffy crust and pretty nice cheese with a tasty sauce. This is the fix I tend to need late at night.”

Tina Johnson said she’d pass on the new pizza without a second thought. Thin crusts are what get her attention. “Too much crust!” she said describing her slice as “99 percent crust and 1 percent topping.”

“At least it has a wide variety and lots of toppings,” she said.

The Four Cheese pizza scored slightly lower with our tasters, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t without fans.

“(A) slightly sweet sauce, mild cheese, deep crust with good texture. A quiet winner,” said Andy Hoye.

Larry Inman said it wasn’t quite restaurant fare, but still good. “Not the same as fresh from the oven at an Italian restaurant, but I like it! Good seasonings. Great taste.”

DiGiorno Garlic Bread Pizza, Supreme

Price: $5.99 for a 2-pound, 2.2-ounce pizza

Nutrition per serving, 1/8 pizza: 290 calories, 13 grams fat (4.5 grams saturated, 40 percent fat calories), 14 grams protein, 31 grams carbohydrate, 20 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams dietary fiber, 520 milligrams sodium.

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Comments: “Heaven help me, I love pizza. Thumbs up on this one, too; I like it even more than the cheese.” – Matt Quesnell

“Toppings are very tasty. Crust is not doughy or soggy … restaurant pizza is this good.” – Larry Inman

“Very flavorful.” – Peggy Kazanis

DiGiorno Garlic Bread Pizza, Four Cheese

Price: $5.99 for a 1-pound, 14.5-ounce pizza

Nutrition per serving, 1/6 pizza: 350 calories, 14 grams fat (5 grams saturated, 39 percent fat calories), 18 grams protein, 41 grams carbohydrate, 20 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams dietary fiber, 590 milligrams sodium.

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Comments: “Tangy, serviceable sauce but otherwise, alas, without flavor. A grave disservice to cheap, bad pizza.” – Donald Clegg

“I like the fresh flavor of the sauce. The crust is crunchy and held up to the sauce. My son would love it.” – Peggy Kazanis

“I like the thick, bread-like crust and the slightly sweet sauce isn’t so bad either.” – Skip Hubbard

“Not bad.” – Marilyn Moore