This past weekend my family headed north to Brainerd for the fishing opener. Judging by the traffic on Highway 10, I was joined by approximately 70% of the state of Minnesota in making the trip.

Heading up Highway 371 toward Gull Lake I noticed a Blaze Pizza location in Baxter near Target. I had heard of Blaze Pizza but had never tried it, so I gave it a shot.

Blaze Pizza features a Chipotle or Subway-style approach to making pizza. Customers go through the service line step-by-step to have their pie customized to their liking. The pizza is then sent to a super hot oven where it is 'fast-fired' at a temperature between 700 and 800 degrees Fahrenheit for three minutes.

The first thing I noticed was the affordability of the pizza. I got a large pepperoni pizza for just $9.99, which was the 'take-out only' price. Very reasonable.

As far as the pizza itself, it kind of reminded me of the brick-oven pizzas Coborn's used to make, with an airy, crispy crust.

I liked my Blaze pizza but didn't love it. The crust was delicious but the sauce (just my opinion) was a bit too sweet and the cheese made for a ton of grease on the pizza itself.

Despite me not absolutely loving the pizza, I had a good experience. The online ordering was easy, the pick-up window was a nice convenience, the staff was super friendly and the pie came out hot and on time.

With all of the pizza places in St. Cloud, it baffles me that this one has made its way to Baxter and not here in central Minnesota!

 

More From AM 1240 WJON