Riding the Tour de Pizza

This week the nice folks at tbt* have put together a list of 10 of the best unsung pizza places. Included was St. Petersburg's Tour de Pizza. Owner and bike enthusiast Matthew McClellan, 32, took over the spot of former Nick-N-Willy's in the Northeast shopping plaza (near Publix) three months ago.

Inside you'll find tons of cycling gear and memorabilia on the walls, including jerseys, vintage posters and even a couple complete bikes. You can get pizza by the slice or nosh on some salad, stromboli, calzones or subs if pizza's not your thing.

The pies sport loads of cheese that can get a little chewy once it coagulates (not a bad thing); not much sauce. The crust is thin but not crunchy — a chewy center wrapped in pleasant crispness. The 24 toppings are abundantly applied, including interesting toppers like Mandarin oranges, feta cheese and artichoke hearts.

There are 13 specialty pies, from the Salad Pizza (basil pesto topped with a fresh garden salad) to the MAClellan (white garlic sauce, mozzarella, spinach, roma tomatoes, mushrooms, spicy sausage and fresh basil). Pies run $6.99 to $15.99; slices $2.50 and up.

They also deliver, with no set delivery radius, and offer you-bake, take-home pies.

The 411: Northeast Shopping Center, 212 37th Ave. N, St. Petersburg; (727) 898-5555; tourdepizzaonline.com. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.