Today I was walking downtown and passed Tom Douglas’s new pizza place, Serious Pie, which I hadn’t even realized was open yet. When I say I passed it, I mean I went in and had a pizza. It was clam, pancetta, and lemon thyme, and it was very good, albeit very salty. It’s an expensive place, but when it comes to pizza, my philosophy is based on James Marshall’s.

James Marshall is the author of Yummers, a children’s book about a pig who eats too much, and one of Iris’s favorites. At one point in the book, Emily Pig eats three desserts at a soda fountain run by an octopus. That has nothing to do with the pizza; I just wanted to say “a soda fountain run by an octopus.” The relevant part of _Yummers_ is:

> While Eugene was waiting in line, Emily discovered the free pizza. “It’s so important to sample new products,” she said.

The pizza is served by a moose. The pizza at Serious Pie was not served by a moose, but when I got my bill, I noticed it said:

> Server: Chimpy

Serious Pie is at 4th and Virginia. The other pizzas available today were mozzarella and tomato; potato and rosemary; mushrooms and truffle cheese; peppers and sausage; and anchovy, olive, and tomato relish.