Queens Tribune

39-02 Bell Blvd., Bayside
(718) 279-4900
107-16 70th Rd., Forest Hills
(718) 793-6700
37-11 35th Ave., LIC
(718) 706-8800
CUISINE: Pizza
HOURS: L&D 7 Days

During the holiday season, it is so easy to get wrapped up in all the special meals you are cooking, that you simply forget to cook a regular dinner every now and then.

Besides, with all the turkeys, roasts, latkes and other special dishes that you devote your time to throughout the entire holiday season, be sure to take a break during the hectic shopping season to grab yourself (and your family) a meal that takes no effort at all.

Pizzeria Uno is located near some of the borough’s hottest shopping districts, and offers the same fare from restaurant to restaurant, wherever you may go .

And Uno’s also seems to be familiar with the phrase “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Open in New York for at least the last 20 years, Uno’s has sported their pizza skins on the menu. I’m sure you can picture it now – a deep-dish pie crust filled with a blend of potatoes and mozzarella cheese, sopped worth cheddar cheese and sour cream – one of the most decadent meal starters you’re going to find in any chain restaurant.

But as I said, things have changed over the years. Sure, you can still get the signature deep-dish individual pizzas loaded with all sorts of goodies, but there are now flatbread pizzas for the slightly health conscious, with such toppings as roasted eggplant, spinach and feta cheese or spinach mushroom an gorgonzola.

Looking for something that requires the use of a fork and knife? Look no farther than the entrée menu, where you will find a wide range from chicken fajitas to shrimp scampi to the classic Chicken Spinoccoli, which is a baked chicken breast filled with mozzarella, feta, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes and basil, served with penne in a creamy pesto sauce.

You can also indulge in a large salad, in such varieties as ranch, Green, Bleu Cheese or Chop Sticks, which has grilled chicken, Mandarin oranges, rice noodles, carrots and sesame seeds with lettuce, walnuts and cilantro, all tossed with a teriyaki vinaigrette.

Be sure to finish your meal with an Uno’s signature dessert, such as a sundae or a chocolate peanut butter cup, but you may wish to take on one of their frozen drinks, such as the chocolate monkey – with frozen yogurt, bananas and chocolate, topped with whipped cream (and often a small plastic monkey, to boot).

A return to this Chicago-based classic may be just the thing to help shake the holiday blahs and to remind you that there is more to the season than slaving over the stove. Let someone else do it! – Enjoy!