For our second venture into the wonderful world of dining, we decided to ingest that staple of college dining — pizza.

After canvassing classmates’ opinions, the consensus seemed to rule out Domino’s and Home Team.

Popular opinion said for a serious pie, the choice is always Great Plains Sauce and Dough Company.

Located on Main Street in Ames, the atmosphere was rustic — a nice divergence from the Italian reds and greens in typical pizza parlors.

The dining area was cramped but well kept, and unless you visit on the weekend, you shouldn’t have trouble finding a booth.

Luckily, Great Plains offers carryout and delivery service. But be forewarned — we were told it takes a little over an hour for a delivery order to arrive.

We ordered two medium pizzas and beverages: one half sausage, half cheese on white crust; the other half pepperoni, half veggie on wheat crust.

Tom: Let’s get right down to business. The white crust was almost a burden. Simply too much bread. For the first time in all my pizza-eating experiences, I found myself leaving the crust.

The pizza itself was wonderful; the cheese was outstanding, very rich. The sauce contained a wonderful blend of spices, but it was not overbearing.

The sausages, while a bit sparse, were thick, juicy and flavorful. This was a very good pizza, but I must confess that my expectations were not met.

Pete: Well, let me say one thing: wheat crust, BABY!

I am not a big fan of all things wheat, but on the recommendation of my friend Sam, I tried it. I have two words for you: HO-LY COW!

It was fantastic. Not too dry, and very tasty. With a bit of honey to sweeten up the thick crust, it became almost a meal unto itself.

As for the pizza? Well, the pepperoni tasted frighteningly like Canadian bacon, and the sauce just didn’t do it for me. The cheese was amazing, however.

The slices were piled high with mozzarella, almost too high. Since I love a lot of cheese on my pizza, too much cheese is hard to imagine.

I don’t do veggie pizza. I don’t do veggies, period, but I took one for the team and gave a slice a try. It was OK, actually, pretty good.

Others who sampled were of differing opinions, and I was even told it was the best veggie pizza ever.

To each his own, I say. The onions didn’t smother the flavor of the mushrooms, peppers and olives.

What did I think, overall? Well, it was good pizza. Not great, but it’s the best we’ve got in Ames.

For a unique dining experience, we think Great Plains will suffice, but in our minds it fails to stand out. A meal at Great Plains tends to be quite pricey (it cost four of us a little over $27).

So go with some friends, and be sure to bring a roll of quarters because the refills will cost ya! We personally disapprove of that policy, but what can we do?

Also, the weird neon buffalo and the chainsaw carving of a bear are worth a second look. Maybe a third (it’s fascinating).

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Peter Gudlewski enjoys a rousing game of Marco Polo and is a sophomore in English from Davenport. Tom Hanks enjoys opening fresh cans of tennis balls, computer engineering and unpacking his suitcase in Coal Valley, Ill.