Wiz’s Eatery

*** THIS RESTAURANT IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED ***

Do not come to Wiz’s without a whole lot of appetite. Portions are overwhelming. Sandwiches are too overstuffed to pick up off their plate; a fully-dressed foot-long hot dog is massive enough for two; a 10-ounce burger (char-broiled or grilled) overhangs its bun in all directions, pizzas are completely blanketed with toppings.

Nothing on the menu will win kudos from fastidious epicures, but what I’ve eaten is sincerely good and satisfying. Especially excellent — and surprisingly so, in this part of the world — is house-brined pastrami. It is vividly smoky meat that is somewhat lean but utterly succulent. Piled with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and 1000 Island dressing between two thick tiles of grilled marble rye, it’s the soul of a jim-dandy Reuben.

I’m also a fan of Wiz’s thin-crust pizza. It’s not Neapolitan style (the collar is crunchy rather than puffy), but the crust is firm and flavorful, the tomato sauce fruity, and the toppings generous, whether Italianate (sausage, olives), fresh veggie (peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms), or unabashedly American (bacon-cheeseburger; bacon-chicken-ranch).

Hamburgers are 10-ounce steakburgers, cooked through but juicy, available topped with everything from pineapple to salsa to whatever cheese you like, including a nice local pimento. Like all sandwiches, the burgers come with house-cooked potato chips of varying degrees of thickness. That means some are crisp, some soft.

Dining options include ordering from the menu, which takes place at a counter up front, or paying one price for a buffet in the back room that features pizza, barbecue, wings, and southern veggies. I am told that Wiz’s can get very crowded on weekend evenings. I’ve yet to see that myself, but I do like this place for an anything-goes lunch.

Thanks to Betty Alexander for tipping me off to Wiz’s, and to Betty and Bob for lending their appetites on a recent visit.