I've lived in Portland for almost 20 years and, today, I had Apizza Scholls for the first time.

Yesterday, as I was getting ready for work, my best friend and his wife asked me if I had heard of them. I told them I had heard the name, but I didn't know anything about them. They filled me in on Apizza Scholls reputation for making some of the best pizzas in the city. Now, I was curious.

I asked them if they were personal pizzas or something larger. They said they were 18 inches. They also informed me that there was a crazy waiting list that they had been on for some time. Fortunately, some unlucky soul had to cancel and my friends got a call asking if they would be interested in a reservation for that evening, which they accepted. I told them to order too much so that there would be leftovers. They said they were ordering two.

I left for work and immediately forgot about the entire conversation. When I got off at midnight; I headed to the nearest Taco Bell. They were pretty busy and the drive thru was moving slowly. After ordering, I checked my fb. At the very top of my feed were pictures of my friends smiling faces accompanied by a glowing review of Apizza Scholls.

I had made a huge mistake.

When I got to the window, I told the cashier I was an idiot and had forgotten my wallet at the house. I apologized for the inconvenience and left in a hurry.

Upon returning home, I headed for the refrigerator and opened the door. On the second shelf was a plain brown pizza box taking up 80% of the available space. It was big, probably the second largest I'd ever seen.Somehow I managed to get the box over to the counter.

Inside were several slices topped with pepperoni and other delicious looking meats. I grabbed a plate from the cupboard and threw a couple of slices in the microwave for one minute and forty-four seconds.

There are two ideal temperatures for consuming pizza. Unheated straight out of the refrigerator or fresh out of the oven. Microwaving for one minute and forty-four seconds produces neither. It's just long enough to make the crust extra floppy but not long enough to fool you into thinking it might have been similar at the restaurant. The pizza deserved better.

In spite of all that, I devoured those two slices. I can confidently tell you it was some of the best pizza I've ever had. The cheese to toppings ratio was perfect. The flavors were delectable. I even ate half of one of the crusts which I usually save for someone who appreciates them more than I. I can only imagine what it would taste like at the restaurant. One thing's for sure. I definitely won't be waiting another 20 years to have Apizza Scholls again.