Not Chicago, but it’s fine for deep-dish

Almost 12 years ago, what used to be known as Pizzeria Uno changed its name to Uno Chicago Grill.

With the more generic name came a menu switch from almost exclusively deep-dish pizzas to an American hodgepodge of buffalo chicken bites, steaks and pastas.

Yes, the deep-dish pizza remained, but as is usually the case when a specialty restaurant broadens its choices, the quality of that specialty suffers.

Still, while no one is going to confuse the deep-dish pizza at Uno Chicago Grill with the delectably gooey creations at pizzerias Uno and Due in Chicago, the most visible deep-dish alternative in the area is a fine substitute.

And since a mini version of the pie is available on Uno's "Ten-n-Ten" lunch menu, an offering of 10 lunch specials served within 10 minutes, it's a perfect excuse to quell a deep-dish craving without totally overindulging.

On a recent visit to the Sandston location, I opted for a basic pizza: cheese and tomato, which, as with all of the lunch specials, came with a choice of unlimited soup or salad.

For $6.99, it was beyond a substantial amount of food (other choices, such as fish'n'chips and half of a grilled chicken sandwich, range from $5.79 to about $8).

Because the 10-minute lunch offer runs until 3 p.m. (Monday-Friday), and I arrived at 2:53 p.m., I was concerned I wouldn't make the deadline -- and who has 40 minutes to wait for a pizza during a typical lunch break?

But my pleasant waitress hustled my order in, and about halfway through my salad, a mini deep-dish arrived, exactly 12 minutes after she first left.

Its crust buttery, its sauce tangy and with enough mozzarella cheese oozing out to appeal to my food guilt, the pizza was a hearty meal (in fact, half of it came home for dinner).

Uno's atmosphere is comfortable, and in the quiet of a Monday midafternoon, almost cozy (surely, a Saturday night brings a different atmosphere).

Uno might not be the pizza-centric haven of old, but it's hard to argue with the value.
Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or .