Nostalgia is a Dish Best Served Piping Hot

Just over a week ago, I found out one of the old college eating establishments in Macomb, IL was going to be closing.  Luckily, I grew up just over an hour from the alma mater and the holidays were coming up.  This meant that I could make one last ride to eat Aurelio’s pizza before it closed and became some other Midwest pizza franchise.

Now, you may be thinking, “But Aurelio’s is a chain pizza place. What is the big deal?”  Because in small town Macomb, IL it was a legit pizza place.  It was thin crust Chicago style deliciousness.  Besides, before I went to WIU, I had never heard of Aurelio’s and up until my senior year or so, I had no idea there was more than one.  I know I wasn’t the only one.

It is more than that though.  I ate a loooooooooooooooooooooot of pizza in college.  I’m talking 4-5 times a week and many of my friends benefited because I was very generous when I ordered it.  And perhaps some of them took advantage of my pizza vice… especially when I was intoxicated.  Regardless, I never minded because I loved pizza and was always up for a slice or 8.  Macomb had the typical college pizza places: Dominos, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, and Little Caesar’s.  My preference was Domino’s.  Don’t laugh. I still contend that the Domino’s in Macomb is the best Domino’s in the country.  It didn’t hurt that it was $5 dollars for a large one topping.  I’m pretty sure I was single handily responsible for the strength of the west central Illinois pepperoni industry.

In addition to those places, there was a “local” place called Aurelio’s.  It was by far the superior option for pizza.  The ingredients were fresher, the cheese was tastier, and the sauce… well, the sauce is what everyone talked about.  It had just a hint of sweetness that made it delectable.  So, so good.  As with anything that is premium, the price was just a little pricier than the other places so it wasn’t a 5 times a week type of place for a college kid.  After all, there was very little that should cut into the beer money.  No, Domino’s or Papa John’s was your everyday pizza; perfect for after bars, in place of cafeteria food, working the front desk, hanging with the floor mates, or because the day ended in a Y.  Aurelio’s was for when you wanted to get some.  I know this to be true from a very unscientific survey of myself.  In undergrad, no Aurelio’s dates = no nookie.  In grad school, some Aurelio’s dates = some nookie.  Clearly, this has to be the case for everyone.

All in all, Aurelio’s was a great place to get a bite to eat.  Usually you knew someone who worked there. If you were able to get their section, you were guaranteed better service and the occasional free garlic bread which was never expected but always appreciated.  I ended up having quite a few meals there and after graduation it was the place many of us wanted to grab a bite to eat at for homecoming festivities.  My senior year we even included it in our pub crawl - they had a bar after all.

When I heard it was closing, I was saddened.  I told my wife and suggested we drive to Macomb when we visited my mom for the holidays.  Amanda spent 2 years in Macomb for grad school and Aurelio’s was one of her favorites too.  My mom was game for it as well.  So, the day after Christmas, we loaded up the mini-van and drove the 72 miles to get Aurelio’s pizza for the last time.  One of my buddies who lives in Macomb, JB, was able to join us as well.

We got there right when the restaurant opened and were seated promptly.  Even after not having eaten there in a long time, I didn’t even need to look at the menu.  I got “The Works” and we got a sausage pizza for everyone else.  While we waited, the wife and kids went to play in the padded room… no, literally a room with a bunch of play mats for kids to play on.  JB, my mom, and I sat at the table and talked.  Well, it was mostly JB and I talking about a slew of random things; reminiscing about the past, discussing the present, projecting for the future.  It was just like old times.  Finally after what seemed like a long time, our pizza came and it was… OK.  Quite frankly, it was not as good as I remember it.  The ingredients didn’t seem as fresh as normal.  The sauce didn’t have the same zing.  Don’t get me wrong, it was still very good and I enjoyed every bite… after all I do have a pizza problem.  After we “hoovered it down” as my friend said, it was time to cash out and go home.  Even though the pizza maybe didn’t live up to expectations (I’m going to chalk this up to them closing in a week), it was still a great time.

Which brings me to the title of this post, Nostalgia is a Dish Best Served Piping Hot.  What made Aurelio’s great, besides the pizza, was all the memories.  I still remember my first bite of the cheese and spinach from their decadent spinach pie.  It was the “healthy” option because of spinach.  I had great discussions, dates, lover quarrels, beers, and of course food.  It was seemingly always busy, but for some reason that never bothered me there.  I sincerely believe that I don’t have a bad memory of that place.  There was just something positive about getting a slice there.  Being there this last time brought back a few of those memories and also created a new one with having my family there.  It was very nostalgic… which is perhaps what I really had the appetite for that day.