College teaches you a lot of things. Today, I learned I'm not Irish.

After two green-clad celebrations and too many green beers, I'm ready to put the green gear in my closet until next year.

It's a beautiful sunny day, but luckily my struggling self only had to venture a block or so for sustenance to cure my post-holiday ills. Margarita's Pizzeria, 222 W. Beaver Ave., offers pizza, calzones, stromboli, subs, salads and specialties like lasagna and baked ziti. Owner Juan Cruz said everything is popular, and he comes in every morning at 8:30 a.m. to prepare pizza for the day.

I opted for a slice of plain cheese pizza and one with pesto and fresh tomatoes. The plain slice tasted like a bigger version of Chuck E. Cheese's pizza, which I loved as a kid and last enjoyed on a random outing in high school. The pesto slice was fresh-tasting and seems like a healthier choice without the sugars of a rich tomato sauce.

Normally, I'll drain pizza when there's visible grease. But today's grease was the remedy for last night's epic fail: forgetting to follow the liquor-before-beer rule during St. Patrick's Day festivities.

The pizza isn't too thick or too thin, and each bite has that great light crunch from the oven. I still think Faccia Luna Pizzeria, 1229 S. Atherton St., has the best pizza in town, but it's away from campus and doesn't have the warm smiles of Margaret and Juan Cruz greeting you each time you enter.

Margarita's is perfect for a lunch date or early dinner during the week; they close at 8 p.m. and are closed Saturdays.

-Beth