DINING REVIEW: Garlic Jim's is good, but not quite gourmet

The theory behind Garlic Jim's, a new pizza franchise off Powers Boulevard, is this: Gourmet pizza places rarely deliver, and delivery pizza places are rarely gourmet.

In the middle is Garlic Jim's (Motto: "Gourmet, right away!"). Signs in the tiny takeout restaurant (three stools, no tables) tout the pizza's epicurean origins. The sauce, the signs say, is from fresh tomatoes, not tomato paste. The mozzarella is from whole milk, not the partial-skim stuff most chains use because grated bags of the cheese don't clump. And the toppings include roasted garlic, chipotle pesto and cashews. Garlic Jim's also offers gluten-free crust for all those wheat-intolerant folks.

I decided to test the place out with two diners at opposite extremes: my friend Megan and me. Megan is one of those people who is willing to eat fewer and fewer types of things all the time. First meat got the hook. Now wheat? I will eat anything, and delight in trying new (often weird) stuff. Spicy tripe menudo? Sure. Peruvian beef heart on a stick? Yes.

Grasshoppers coated in hot chile flakes and fried? Por favor. Even cashews on pizza didn't seem too out of line.

We phoned in a stack of medium pizzas: a baseline cheese and basil ($17.24); a Hawaiian on thin crust ($15.50); a gluten-free gourmet garlic ($19) piled with basil pesto sauce, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, red onions and feta cheese; and the Nutty Chipotle - chipotle pesto topped with spicy Italian sausage, pepperoni, red onions, tomatoes and cashews ($16).

We added a side salad ($4, for Megan) and hot wings ($7, for me).

Total bill: $78.74. Suggested amendment to the motto: "Gourmet, right away, but you pay!"

For the most part, it was worth it. The pizzas are generally a step up from chain delivery, and the eccentric roster of toppings offered some lovely results.

There were even a few bargains on the menu. Chief among them was the side salad. The huge plastic crate overflowing with fresh spring greens, ripe roma tomatoes, and a sprinkling of red onion, cheddar cheese and croutons was enough to feed four and have leftovers. Newman's Own dressing came on the side.

"This is way more than I'd expect from a pizza place salad," Megan said.

She also had praises for the gluten-free crust.

Making crust without gluten is a trick, since gluten is the stuff that makes dough doughy.

People have tried subbing in various ingredients, but the resulting crust generally tastes similar to the box it was delivered in.

Garlic Jim's uses - according to the first location to offer it, in Washington - chickpea flour, white and brown rice flour, eggs, sorghum syrup, almond meal, olive oil, potato starch, xanthan gum, sea salt, yeast, apple cider vinegar, beet molasses and guar gum.

And with excellent roasted garlic, artichoke hearts and feta cheese on top, it's darn good. "I definitely want to order from this place," Megan said.

The same deft touch makes the Hawaiian pizza shine. The pineapple is not so moist that it bogs down the whole pie. The edges of the thin rounds of ham curl and burn just slightly in the oven until they have delightful, crisp edges, and the whole thing is scattered with slivered almonds.

Garlic Jim's has a way of surprising you. Even the topping riot on the chipotle pesto, sausage, pepperoni, onion, tomato and cashew pizza, which I ordered simply because it sounded like a disaster that would be fun to make fun of on paper, turned out to be very nice - the pesto had a spicy, bright freshness I wasn't expecting, and though most of the cashews rolled off, the ones I ate were great.

Only the cheese and basil pizza didn't earn kind words. The standard crust was too spongy. The cheese was unremarkable. And the basil had little flavor.

Cheese pizza aficionados would do well to stick with Borriello Brothers, but for those who want to push the envelope, or have wheat allergies, Garlic Jim's is well worth a call.

Garlic Jim's Gourmet Pizza
*** (Good for delivery)

Address: 3735 Bloomington St. (off Powers and North Carefree)
Contact: 591-5467, www.garlicjims.com
Hours: 4-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays
Vegetarian: Plenty, plus gluten-free
Liquor: No
Plastic: Yes