"Stone-fired" Pizza in Two Minutes at the Barnes and Noble Cafe

Stone-fired pizza in Springfield? Though a sign at the procliams such a lunch option, the pizza is prepared like everything else at the cafe--in an industrial microwave.

No worries, , and , this isn't competition.

, we ate a Mediterranean chicken sandwich and a caprese sandwich. The first reminded us of hot pockets, the second was at least redeemed by an aromatic pesto. In both cases, we knew that no bread, chicken, tomatoes or mozzarella were sliced in-house.

But that is understandable. This is a bookstore cafe, not a deli. The crowd here is always a pleasant mix of young mothers, students and professionals. We're here to read magazines or work on our laptops using the free wifi, not for gourmet food.

Which brings us to the stone-fired pizza: The cafe is running a special. For $6.99, you get a choice of plain or pepperoni pizza, along with a Izze soda. There's no stone-fired oven in the place, so the pizza goes into the same speed cook oven that the sandwiches do. In two minutes, the oven beeps, and seconds later, a friendly cafe employee calls your name.

The 8-inch pizza has a decent thin, chewy crust. It's not crispy, but also not rubbery, which one would expect in a home microwave.

The pepperoni and sauce are a little spicy. The sauce is full of dried herbs. But the herbs are not used in the subtle way a home cook would use herbs, to bring out natural flavors of the main ingredients. Instead, they're used in a way that dominates, that gives the pizza most of its flavor. If you've ever had a frozen pizza, you know what I'm talking about. 

This doesn't come close to the pizza served at Springfield's real pizzerias, but having eaten the hot sandwiches here at the cafe before, I'd say the pizza has them beat. If I came back here for lunch -- for the books, magazines and wifi, that is, not for the food itself—this is what I would order. 

The Izze sparkling juice, served in several varieties, was an enjoyable accompaniment. It's 70 percent fruit juice and contains no high fructose corn syrups or even cane sugar. The ingredients on the pomegranate soda started with apple, white grape, clarified pineapple, cranberry and pomegranate juices from concentrate, and then sparkling water and natural flavors. Still, it has 25 grams of sugar in a bottle.

And speaking of sugar, I can never resist the chocolate peanut butter cup cookie at the Barnes and Noble Cafe. For $1.99, it might sound steep for a cookie. But it's chewy and loaded with chocolate and peanut butter, like a Reese's cup. It's one of my favorite cookies in the area.

Lastly, I have to say the staff at the cafe seem to be enjoying themselves and their time behind the counter. It's always a plus to see happy employees.