Blaze is right next to Macy’s in the Broadway Mall, where there used to be many failed attempts at restaurants, including Johnny Rocket’s. I’m usually not a fan of “make your own” food restaurants, other than Chipotle, but Blaze was actually a positive experience.

   
 The interior is modern and comfortable. The color scheme is pleasant to the eye and the inner arrangement of the restaurant is very much like Chipotle. In fact, the whole experience is basically a pizza-version of Chipotle. At the counter, you choose what kind of pizza you want. They have a menu of their own pizza combinations, and then they offer for you to make your own. I opted to make my own to get the full experience of “blazin'” my own pizza, and we moved down the counter as I chose my toppings. There are plenty of toppings, and even plenty of cheeses. I think they offered six different cheeses you could mix and match, and then there are  a couple dozen choices of proteins and verges to top your pizza off. 

   
 The pizza pies themselves are personal pies, but they can very much be shared comfortably between two people. The staff is very friendly, and almost overly enthusiastic at times, but it makes for an approachable service. I opted for feta cheese, ricotta, pepparoni, sautéed onions, and green peppers. It sounded and looked good to me, so I was looking forward to see how my creation actually tasted. 

They throw your pizza in their attractive oven, with a picturesque line of flames behind your pizza. In less than ten minutes, my pizza was right out of the oven. There’s something exciting about “making” my own pizza, and when I realized how fantastic my pizza creation tasted, I felt as though I should open a pizzeria in some alternate universe. The ricotta was bomb. 

Alas, Blaze Pizza gets positive reviews out of me. I was skeptical, but the place didn’t disappoint. It’s a cool place to stop by with friends for a good pizza meal, with your own preferred toppings. It’s right part of the mall, so you could go shopping or see a movie at the theatre before or after.