Last summer, my sons and I went on an Erie County pizza tour. Guided by my 12-year-old’s rubric, we ranked each pie in four categories on a 10-point scale: pepperoni, cheese, sauce, and crust. Folks are pretty passionate about pizza, so I won’t start a social media war by sharing our very scientific results, but Colony Pizza & Catering, which opened a few years ago in the Colony Plaza, ranked very high. Needless to say, if we’re headed to Waldameer Park or Presque Isle, there’s a good chance we’re swinging by Colony Pizza to snag some of their famous slices.
In my mind, pizza is one of the ultimate comfort foods. As Jandy Nelson so eloquently put it in her 2014 book I’ll Give You the Sun, “Even when I’m in the middle of eating pizza, I wish I were eating pizza.” There are other foods that make one feel that way too, like a warm hug: those delicious home-cooked meals from your childhood. There’s a reason why McGarrey’s Oakwood Cafe, located at 1624 W. 38th St., has been an Erie staple for decades. As Erie Times-News reporter Kevin Cuneo wrote in 2013, eating their “comfort food dishes” is like “going home to Mom.” Their Reubens, specialty sandwiches, and hot dinners are as legendary as their friendly atmosphere.
It should come as no surprise then that social media had an intensely positive reaction when it was announced that the owners of Colony Pizza and McGarrey’s Oakwood Cafe were teaming up for a new venture on the east side of town: Oakwood Pizzeria. “Two Erie staples are joining forces! Two brands. One kitchen,” their announcement read…