Gay Nineties Pizza Co. Rich in History and Culture

 I am a pizza lover so it was only natural that I pay a visit to Gay Nineties Pizza Co. and this place did not disappoint, with its great service and food.

But what is wonderful about the location is its rich history and kitschy décor of signs and old cabin wood on the walls. The building goes back to 1864, when it was a Wells Fargo Bank — the lower floors were a bank while the upper levels had 10 rooms for travelers.

In the 1950s, the rooms became a brothel, according to the current owners. But the owners wanted it to be more than just a brothel, so they decided to make some simple meals — beans with chili, topped with spaghetti. This meal was served only on weekends.

The cooking soon became overwhelming so the owners contracted with people who made pizza to lighten the load. In 1959, a small pizza oven was purchased to keep up with the demands and do away with pre-made pizza. Business began to boom and The Blue Goose Bar became Gay '90s Pizza — the first pizza parlor in Pleasanton or in the Tri-Valley for that matter, according to the owners.

Now that you've had your history lesson, fast-forward to 2011 and the amazing meal my family and I had recently.

As a native of the Tri-Valley for 15 years, this is a pizzeria I return to time and time again because there is always an interesting culture inside and the cheesy pizza loaded with toppings and crispy crust makes me say "yum."

For this meal, we decided to go all out and order the huge chef salad, which could have been an entrée itself, for $10.75. You get your choice of dressing and French or garlic bread; the salad is loaded with cold cuts such as turkey and ham.

We had four people in our party and still had plenty left over. But the appetizer mania did not end there — we had a heaping bowl of minestrone soup for $4.50 —super fresh vegetables, a flavorful broth and heaping loads of pasta that were soft but not mushy.

Then it was time for the main event. We decided to get two "create your own" pizzas. One had sausage and olives while the other had sausage, bell peppers and onions.  The crust was fluffy and thick, the toppings were fresh and plentiful. My only complaint is that the sauce was very one-note — it needed more herbs and spices. But overall, the meal was delicious and we had food for the next few days. The pizzas range in price from $8.65 for a small cheese pizza to $28.65 for a large three-topping pizza.

Another thing that made our meal memorable was that our waitress was super friendly and shared the history of the building. At the front of the kitchen there was a sign that said "automatic buffet." We were puzzled by it so we asked, and she said that it is just so customers can ask stupid questions about the many signs in the place. We all giggled, and it was perfect way to finish the meal.