Reed Smith owned a pizza franchise before he decided to open his own restaurant, Fat Boy's Pizza & Pasta Company. His chef, Kevin Leavitt, helped him design the menu, which includes hot and cold sandwiches, pasta dishes, salads and pizzas.
Smith said the things that make his restaurant unique are the special-recipe pizza crust; fresh, local ingredients; and the brick oven they use to create thin, crispy pizzas.
The Fat Boy ($7.99/9-inch) is their signature pie, with pepperoni, sausage, ham and bacon.
Gourmet selections include Buffalo Chicken ($7.49), Taco ($7.49), Philly Cheese Steak ($7.49) and the Bianca ($6.99), an authentic Italian pie with ricotta cheese and fresh tomatoes and basil and no sauce.
The UFO ($19.99) is a 16-inch pie with double crust, double cheese and double portions of pepperoni, meatballs, ham and Italian sausage. The finished product weighs between 6.5 and 7 pounds. If two diners can eat the whole thing in under 30 minutes, Smith will give them free T-shirts and hang their picture on the wall.
For those who like things on the lighter side, the menu also includes fresh salads. The Antipasto ($6.99) comes with salami, ham, hard-boiled egg, green olives and pepperoni on a bed of greens. The Greek Salad ($5.99) has green olives, tomato wedges, feta cheese and mixed greens, and the Skinny Girl ($6.99) comes with chicken breast, dried cranberries, oranges, red onion, mixed greens, toasted almonds, feta and a light raspberry vinaigrette.
Pastas like the Eggplant Rollatini With Spaghetti ($9.99) are also popular. During the harvest season, Smith said, he provided the eggplant from his own personal garden, pressed out the bitter flavor, breaded it and served it with pasta, ricotta cheese and marinara sauce.
They make their own meatballs for dishes such as the Spaghetti With Meatballs ($7.99).
One of the most popular menu items is the Stromboli ($6.99), which Smith described as a folded-over pizza filled with ham, pepperoni, salami and mozzarella. The restaurant is expanding the menu to include other versions of this dish, such as a Philly cheese and a chicken club.
Smith said the homemade pizza crust is so tasty that they also use it to make pocket bread for their sandwiches ($5.99-$6.99), breadsticks ($3.49) and Zeppoles ($3.99), a dessert made from round pieces of dough that are fried and covered in cinnamon or powdered sugar.
"We are not just pizza. We've got a lot more to offer. We are trying to give our customers something unique and good value for their money," Smith said.
Fat Boy’s Pizza & Pasta Company
- Address: 539 N. Harrisville Road, Harrisville
- Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
- Phone: 801-737-4992