I try Oregano (at last)

I had two different but related experiences today.

First, I went to Oregano for lunch (more about that later). Then I went to get gas in the Jetta.

My newest gas station of choice (although it was always in the top 3) is Kelley's on High St. (next to The Natural Grocer). They give you a lower price if you pay with cash.

So I went in knowing I only had about $15 in cash and thinking they maybe had a $20 minimum to get the good price. The kid who was pumping the gas confirmed the minimum.

"How much do you have?" he asked.

"Fifteen."

"Ah, I'll give it to you."

"That's why I come here!" I said to him as he collected my $15. The young guys who work there are really good at checking things, topping off fluids, etc. One of them got down on the ground the last time I was there, to check if I had 4WD (he said the Trek model with 4WD was a hot commodity right now).

Anyway, before that I was at Oregano. When I walked in, at a little after 1, the place was fairly full. I had a hard time getting through to the hostess that I was waiting on another person, who I was supposed to meet outside, but I was just checking inside because it was so hot.

One very minor blip.

So I was seated, and at the next table was a man eating some kind of pasta .... oh, hell, long story short, the service is still lacking.

By the time my lunch companion got there, I was so hungry that I over-ordered. I ordered a Middle Eastern appetizer, the Tripoli Dip ($9). Did not care for it.

The three dips had olive oil on them in the style of making a crater in your mashed potatoes and filling it with gravy. The pita bread was like store-bought (but that's what I get for ordering off topic).

The reviewer for the Globe had talked about the Louisiana pizza, which sounded similar to a BBQ chicken pizza I had at Villaggio in The Tannery. I enjoyed Villaggio's so much, I wanted to check it out.

Hmmmm ... it's hard to say what my opinion would have been had I not had the one at Villaggio first. They both had barbeque sauce, an "exotic" cheese, carmelized onions and chunks of chicken.

Subtly-flavored goat cheese vs. smoked Gouda; heavy barbeque sauce vs. (again) a lighter sauce - I could barely see the carmelized onions on the Oregano pizza, never mind tasting them. All I tasted was BBQ sauce and the strong cheese; the Villaggio pizza was a light blend of flavors and I could taste everything (keep in mind that I smoke).

Plus, the one at Villaggio also had red onions and mozzarella cheese. Not sure if the Oregano pie had mozzarella.

I liked the crust, though, on both.

Both of us had a person pizza ($10 for his mushroom pie, $11 for the Louisiana0, although my companion was charged $1.25 extra for asking for red sauce over white sauce on his, I had the appetizer, an iced tea, and a beer afterwards. The total bill was a little over $39.

Now my first point. I tasted the ice tea, and I thought it tasted funny. I drink a lot of iced tea in the summer. My companion said it looked more like Coke (cola) than iced tea, and I thought maybe there was some residue of Coke in it. I asked the waitress if she was sure it was all iced tea because it tasted funny, and she assured me it was.

No offer of "let me get you another one." I still drank it down, but it was weird iced tea. And I thought the room was way too noisy; I could barely hear what my companion was saying without dipping my chest into my sauce-covered plate. Conversation, music ... it was all a little too much.

Once it started clearing out, I was able to hear him.

Overall, I might go there again to try out a pasta dish, but basically I was underwhelmed.