The Midsummer Classic: On the Porch with Basil Doc's

This past July 13th I worried the neighbors a little by kicking it redneck-style. What I mean to say is I pulled out a dusty tube TV onto the porch, set up some old-school lawn chairs, plopped down a six-pack of beer and tuned into Fox-- to watch baseball's All-Star Game (though I did keep my shirt on and the beer was in glass bottles). It is a tradition that my friend José and I started when I was renting a house in Wash Park, where the sight of two brown men carrying a TV out of a house was alarming enough by itself.

Part of this tradition involves Basil Doc's pizza, I guess because at the time I lived just down the street from the Virginia location and it was the easiest option. This year we decided to do the same, and picked up a pie from the Holly and Third location.

I hadn't had Basil Doc's maybe since I lived in Wash Park, which is now going on seven years ago. I was glad to see that the menu was pretty much the same as I remember-- and so was the pizza. Like the last pizza I wrote about, Basil Doc's is not the best pizza I've eaten, but it is a nice medium-crust pie with relatively fresh, creative toppings.

We got the Tuscan: artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese. The crust is doughy and moist yet crispy on the edges and bottom; with lots of browned bubbles of crust-- a favorite of mine. The toppings are laid on generously but the pizza is by no means greasy.

This year was especially great for Colorado baseball fans, as our own right-handed hurler Ubaldo Jimenez started and pitched two scoreless innings in his first All-Star game. 

The year our tradition started, believe it or not, we had three Rockies playing, including Todd Helton starting at first base, batting sixth and hitting a two-run shot in the top of the fifth to give the National League a 2-1 lead. Given the superstitious nature of baseball, and the otherwise minor role the Rockies have had in the All-Star Game it is likely that the Basil Doc's porch tradition will have to continue in order for the Rockies to have any degree of success in the Midsummer Classic. (As of today the Rox are on a one-game winning streak!)