COLUMBIA'S LUNCH REVIEW

What a response to this poll! Columbia, we might not be New York or Chicago, but we sure love our pizza. The Lunchmen have received weeks of praise and abuse for this poll. Some natives loved the inclusion of LaBrasca's (13 votes, 14%), while other responders railed us for not placing Za's, the Mellow Mushroom, or Z-Pizza on the list. I disagree that those other places should have been included, as I think that gourmet pizza is really its own category. However, I am sure most of us can agree on one thing - the Pizza Joint has failed to impress (8 votes, 8%), and it probably did not belong in the top five poll.

The most popular pizza spots made it a photo finish for the top prize. After jumping out to an early lead, Dano's was even momentarily overtaken by the Village Idiot (29 votes, 31%), and the two Pizza giants ran neck-and-neck right up until the end. Even the loyal Pizza Man (23 votes, 25%) supporters came out to keep us on the edge of our seats into the final days of voting. However, when the smoke cleared, Dano's (31 votes, 33%) was victorious.

Can I say that I am happy with this result? You'd better believe it. Dano's white Sicilian with meatballs - that's right, delicious, sliced meatballs - is my personal favorite pizza in town. I'm going to go have one this weekend, along with a cool pitcher of Bass, just to celebrate Dano's victory. Congratulations, Dano's, keep the good pie coming.

- Tank