"Bear"ly able to contain myself

Anyone who has attended college or even an off-campus party at some point in their life has likely stumbled -- either drunkenly or the sleepless gate that finals week induces -- across a food truck that serves up slices of greasy pizza. The melty cheese hangs over the side of the dough in the same way your eyelids droop over your tired eyes, which some how become laser focused on the food as it's passed through the window. A San Luis Obispo pizzeria has humble beginnings in this mobile meal service and though it's grown into a full-size brick and mortar kitchen, it stills inspires lustful eyes from even sober patrons.

Bear and the Wren is located in the Creamery Marketplace on Higuera Street, where it neighbors an ice cream shop, Peruvian restaurant, and cider house. Bear is a shortened version of the owner Jason Barringer's name and Wren is a take on his daughter's middle name, Ren. Through the glass of the side entrance to the restaurant you can see the wood fired oven, the engine that powers this workhorse of an establishment as it furiously pumps out pizzas from the second it opens until it's late-night close. The high level of demand this relatively new business experiences the five days a week it's open is a testament to how tasty the uniquely paired and deliciously contrasting pizzas that populate the menu are.

On this particular night, the three pizzas that appealed to me included the Butternut, Mushroom, and Bee Stang. Though these particular selections are thin crust, Bear and the Wren offers Detroit style deep dish pizzas, which are dubbed Bear Squares on the menu. The Butternut pizza features, as you likely gleaned from the name, butternut squash, caramelized onions, goat cheese, bacon, and balsamic drizzle. The sweetness of the roasted butternut squash is deepened by the balsamic glaze and made rich by the goat cheese, which is piled on generously. I ordered the pizza sans bacon, but I suspect meat eaters would appreciate the umami characteristic the thick cut pig belly adds to the experience. I'd be hard pressed to find an acquaintance who doesn't appreciate the way warm goat cheese lands in your belly like a satisfying quilt of comfort. But then again, how could you ever relate to a person who doesn't enjoy goat cheese?

The Mushroom includes an assortment of fresh fungus from a Morro Bay distributer, garlic, fresh mozzarella, fontina, caramelized onion, and truffle oil. The meatiness of the garlic and butter-soaked mushrooms floats atop the smooth, creamy sheet of cheese that's made slick by the truffle oil. This combination enters the mouth and glides effortlessly down the throat like a slip and slide. Let the metaphor end there, though, because after you've had your fill of this delectable pizza (see: eat the whole pie), you won't want to dress down into swimwear any time soon.

Finally, the pie that's name is more of a riddle than the dead giveaway that is the others: The Bee Stang. Honey is perhaps the only ingredient you surmised from the title and that alone makes this pizza stand out. But throw in crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and spicy calabarese salami -- or hot peppers, as I subbed in -- and you have a power punch of sweet and spicy that will make your taste buds sing. The warm honey will have you feeling like Winnie the Pooh, sniffing out your next bite with such determination that your friends may dub you "Piglet."

If a belly full of bread would inflict pain and suffering on your nutritionist, consider supplementing your single pizza selection with one of the many veggie focused appetizers. But if you're in the mood for for a celebration of carbs, grab a friend and order a few different pizzas to mix and match. The wide range of flavor profiles will have your lips pulling in slices like an old tax document entering a paper shredder and your only complaint will be that Bear and the Wren is closed on Sunday and Monday.