The Picky Eater
a different sort of restaurant review

Big Ed's is legendary in East Tennessee and de rigeur in Oak Ridge. Generations of atomic workers have thronged to Jackson Square to chow down on pizza and coke for birthdays, anniversaries, and farewell parties. The decor is basic, but it's so dark in there, who could tell?

The menu is also basic: pizza, pizza, and pizza. Over the years, I've carried in McDonald's burgers and bologna sandwiches in order to have something I could eat at the many gatherings. This time I decided to see if I could get something edible off the menu. The only cheese they have is a mozzarella/parmesan mixture, so I ordered a hamburger pizza with no sauce and no cheese.

Although it looked a bit strange (the bits of hamburger were precisely spaced in a grid layout--making the pizza look vaguely like a giant chocolate chip cookie), it was delicious! The crust was appropriately chewy and flakey, with good flavor. The bits of hamburger were good too.