Once upon a time, all the kids from Corvallis High School would rush out to lunch at American Dream Pizza. The beer crust slathered in garlic butter then dipped in ranch was sublime. That crust crunched perfectly. The toppings, which you could also get on salads, made you love eating anew: pesto, feta, artichoke hearts, crisp pepperoni. The cookies were perfect mounds of chocolate studded dough. American Dream was dreamy. Many of my happiest memories of high school are indelibly linked to its flavors.

American Dream Pizza in Downtown Corvallis

Like most Corvallites who have relocated to Portland, I have always maintained that the American Dream on NE Glisan is vastly inferior to the Corvallis flagship. Recently, however, I have been forced to admit that either a lot had changed in the past 10 years, or it wasn’t as good as I remembered it.

The dough. It used to be thin under the toppings and thick and crunchy like a breadstick on the edges. Now, it is all thick and a little soggy. There’s no snap as you bite, no crunch. Not even to mention that the taste is decidedly sweeter than I remember. What happened to that sourdough meets beer bread flavor?

The topppings are still lovely, but they seem more commonplace than a decade ago when feta and artichoke hearts on pizza were still novel. And, seeing them sitting atop that lackluster crust opens a sad place in my heart and belly.

I am holding out hope for the cookie. It is chock full of chips and relatively thick. But I don’t think I can eat it here. It’s all so dissapointing. If that cookie breaks my heart, I won’t be able bear it.

Tags: american dream pizza, childhood memories, corvallis, oregon, oregonian