KRISTEN SUZDA Despite its name, most people don’t come to ABC for the pizza. Hearty appetizers and cheap beer are the main attractions at this pizza joint.

ABC Does More Than Just Pizza By Bill Wilson Consulting Editor Though known as ABC Pizza Restaurant, few customers come for the pizza. No one really comes for the food at all, but ABC boasts a number of tasty appetizers (especially the onion rings), grinders and gyros, gargantuan pasta entrees, and of course, beer.

We knew we were entering a classic joint when we surveyed the beer fridge behind the front counter of the dimly lit restaurant. St. Pauli Girl, Bass Ale, Molson, Beck’s and a nuber of domestics (including Zima) fortified the back bar fridge.

We selected a trapezoidally shaped booth which accomodated all seven in our party, though most of the seating is of the four person vinyl booth variety with some larger tables in an unlit corner. Monday nights are slow, but it does pick up a bit during the weekend.

For starters we opted for a pitcher of Coors Light and Budweiser, which were great deals at $6.55 a pop. There were no questions asked about ID’s, though most of us were 21. The mugs arrived frosty and the beer was suprisingly fresh for the on-tap domestic variety.

Appetizers are generally above average, but they were out of onion rings ($2.75) the night of our visit. What a pity because they usually come hot and crunchy, and the juicy insides put your typical frozen ring to shame. We did try the mozzarella sticks ($4.75) and the garlic bread ($2.50). Nothing special about either, but mozzarella "stick" is a misnomer — they are served as two large hunks of fried cheese.

The calzones ($5-8) are beastly pockets of cheese and toppings which are not worth the calories or the time it takes to carve a managing bite with the Moconesque forks bending under the strain of the heavy crust. The accompanying sauce, which also comes with the grinders and the cheese hunks, is quite tasty and not too runny.

The entrees ($7-14) were all gigantic. Any of the pasta plates could have satiated two hearty appetites. The Chicken Fra Diablo came in a circular trough which would have easily been enough for three people. The sauce was reported to be tasty though not terribly spicy. The chicken parm was also an epic entree and was said to be quite good and very generous with the cheese (as was the case with all of our salads and main courses). The fried chicken tenders were said to be tender and juicy, though the fries were noted for having an English Breakfast Tea aftertaste.

Mannicotti, Cannelloni, Lasagna, and Shrimp Scampi are among the entrees we didn’t tackle but are certainly worth a try.

"It’s ABC OK", said Nathan Patterson ’99 in between bites of his ham grinder.

The sandwiches were not as overwhelming as the other portions we received, and the toasty bread and tasty sauce make them worth your six to seven dollars for 12 sandwich inches.

Our waitress was a bit spacy, but was very friendly and much in line with the family-run atmoshpere.

A car is neccesary to make the trip to ABC. It is a seven minute excursion from campus, just a half mile off exit 19 on Route 9. The exit is the first one past Middletown heading north, and the off ramp turns into New Britian Avenue on which you will find ABC on your right. Non drinkers and light stomachs beware, but if your esophagus connects to a bottomless pit, or you enjoy pitchers with your meal, then ABC’s is worth some investigating.