SOUTH PORTLAND – This falls into the category of neighborhood envy. There are plenty of reasons that folks who live in the Meetinghouse Hill/Willard Beach area of South Portland rightfully feel proud of where they live. The houses are nice and the neighborhoods are tight, and they have great amenities close by — not the least of which is South Portland House of Pizza.

I confess: I wish I lived there. The value of a local pizza and sub shop cannot be underestimated.

South Portland House of Pizza flourishes because of its consistency. The pizza is solidly good and reasonably priced, the steak grinders have achieved legendary status, and the hot sandwiches always seem to taste fresh. I happen to love the pasta.

I stopped in for lunch with a friend the other day in between appointments. I ordered a massive plate of ziti with three meatballs for $7.45. I also got a small side salad with an amazing homemade creamy Greek salad dressing.

The key was the meatballs. It was easy to taste that they were freshly made, and almost certainly made on the premises. They were not uniform in size or shape, nor did they taste or give any hint of ever have been frozen. They tasted something like the meatballs my mom used to make.

The red sauce was tangy and chunked with large bits of tomatoes. The sauce was a bit runny for my taste, but it passed all my internal checks otherwise. I loved the meal and especially appreciated the fact that the waiter brought an extra roll to sop up my extra sauce. I appreciated that gesture very much.

My buddy tried something similar. He ordered the spaghetti meal with two sausages, also $7.45. I noticed he was sweating a bit during the meal, and asked him about the sausages. He said they were more hot than spicy, but they had enough bite that you didn’t forget about them right away.

The perspiration on his face confirmed as much.

I’ve had the pizza here before, and always felt they did a good job with it. But the steak subs are what keep me coming back. The regular grinder with cheese ($6.95) is enough to give Philly a run for its money.

This place does not have a ton of atmosphere. You order at the counter, then take a table over in the dining area. There is nothing fancy about the physical space or the process.

I suspect that most of the business is done on a takeout basis so that all the lucky people who live around here can go back and in eat in their beautiful homes.

The staff of GO anonymously samples meals for about $7.

 

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