This month "You Gotta Eat is featuring some of the best pizza in Central Illinois.

Eric Shangraw starts with lunch at Micheleo's in Uptown Normal.

Micheleo's is on the edge of ISU's campus. It was nourishment to my collegiate soul when I was a Redbird in the 1980's.

Jeff Brown started working here as a driver in 1984. He eventual became manger then bought the restaurant outright. Jeff still uses the original pizza building technique before sliding it into a 500-degree oven.

"It is make fresh daily and we do everything on site. We cut our own cheese, make our own sauce and make our own dough. And it is just a better quality," said Brown.

"I really like the sauce. And the crust. They always have a nice crispy crust," said customer Carol Glennon.

"We typically get the thin crust pizza. But our new favorite now is the stuffed pizza particularly because of the sauce," said customer Michael Glennon.

"Personally, I like it because it has lots of cheese," said customer Rob Goode.

Photographer Doug Smith and I ordered a 16-inch thin crust; ground beef, pepperoni and pineapple pie. We ripped a coupon from the twin city phone book for an additional 9-inch barbecue chicken with pineapple toppings.

I'd rather save the barbecue sauce for chicken on the grill. But Doug was certainly impressed. I remember eating Micheleo's cold for breakfast after all nighters in Milner Library. Okay, maybe I wasn't at the library. But those flavors from a long time ago are still fresh today.

With drinks our bill: &22.17.
You can download the coupons from the Micheleo's website if you don't have a Bloomington Normal phone book.
Micheleo's is open seven days a week starting at eleven am. They deliver in the twin cities until two in the morning on weekends.

Micheleo's
116 E North St.
Normal
(309)454-4444
Open Daily starting at 11am
www.micheleos.com