Rod's Pizza Cellar in Hot Springs, Arkansas Rises to the Top!

For more than 30 years, Rod's Pizza Cellar has sat atop the hill overlooking Central Avenue, just a stone's throw from Oaklawn Race Track and less than 3 miles historic downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas. It's a popular weekend hangout for tourists and residents alike. The wide variety of pasta, sandwiches, salads and desserts are sure to please even your most finicky eater.

While some pizza places will offer the standard fare with perhaps a few of their "signature" pies thrown in for good measure, Rod's offers an entire menu of one of a kind pizzas. They've even extended their unique brand of family dining to their appetizer menu.

The Taste Teaser is a platter piled high with food. Pass it around to the entire family, or make a meal off it with a friend because it will feed two people! Fried ravioli in your choice of beef or chicken (or you can get some of both), mozzarella cheese sticks, fried chicken tenders, onion rings and fried mushroom buttons are all served with various dipping sauces that will either fill you up, or leave your mouth watering for more. I personally recommend that you also order a side of garlic cheese bread to go along with this. It's Rod's aromatic french bread with lots of buttery garlic spread and then covered with provolone and mozzarella cheeses and baked golden brown. Take it for a dip in marinara sauce and see if it doesn't have your taste buds jumping.

Now that you've gotten that out of the way and the waiter has refilled your glass with some of the best iced tea you'll find anywhere around, you're ready for the main dish. This is where your choices get really good. You can go anywhere and get a pizza. We established that earlier. But you can only come to Rod's Pizza Cellar in Hot Springs, Arkansas and get:

The Godfather: the pizza that made Rod's famous. You get to start with your favorite crust; traditional, whole wheat or thick Sicilian style crust, made fresh by the staff every morning. Top that with sweet and spicy marinara sauce and then pile it high with Canadian bacon, pepperoni and pork sausage. Add lots of fresh sweet onions, green peppers and olives, then cover the entire affair with mounds of shredded provolone cheese.

The Colossus: I think this pizza may weigh 5 pounds, and I can generally only eat one slice before I'm stuffed, but it's so good I force myself to eat three! Mozzarella and provolone cheese blanket smoked pepperoni, ham, salami, spicy pepperoni, Canadian bacon, ground beef and pork sausage. The meats are all sandwiched in between green peppers, sweet onions, mushrooms, ripe olives, anchovies and (are you ready?)...jalapeno peppers.

Don't eat meat? Don't despair! Rod's offers a Veggie Supreme that will knock your socks off. A whole wheat crust holds purple and yellow onions, fresh garlic, zucchini, yellow squash, green peppers, ripe olives, green olives, mushrooms, Roma tomatoes, and broccoli. It's all topped with low fat cheese.

Here's one that the kids will love: Rod's own Spaghetti Pizza. Thin and crispy crust loaded with tender spaghetti noodles, rich tomato-meat sauce and provolone cheese and baked bubbly hot. You can even add meatballs!

The designer menu also includes
Spinach-Bacon Alfredo pizza: a one of a kind pie with Alfredo sauce, spinach, fresh garlic, all meat pepperoni, and crispy bacon layered with mozzarella cheese.
Basil Chicken Supreme: Low fat cheese, Roma tomatoes, freshly cooked garlic, basil and onion, mushrooms, green peppers and tender chunks of spicy chicken breast.
The Razorbaccio: What? You expected something less in Arkansas? This is the meat lovers to end all meat lovers: ham, ground beef, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon and pepperoni all smothered in melted mixed cheeses.
Chicken Tomato Alfredo: rich Alfredo sauce with spicy chunks of all white meat chicken, garlic, Roma tomatoes and zucchini squash topped with mozzarella cheese.

I'm getting hungry...think I may just head on down there for lunch and have a Godmother Pizza. Now, don't pretend to be shocked. You can't have a Godfather...without a Godmother now can you? She's mushrooms, olives, pepperoni, ground beef and ham all loaded onto Rod's original whole wheat crust and tons of provolone cheese.

Come on down and join me for lunch or dinner at 3350 Central Avenue in Hot Springs. They also have carryout service and take all major credit cards. Just give them a call at 501-321-2313 or check out their website. www.rodspizzacellar.com/

Your stomach will thank you for it!