Schoolwork used to dominate Adam Luedtke's life.

Now cheesy, deep-dish pizzas do.

Luedtke is a co-owner at Suite 1 Pub & Pizza at 311 N. Eighth St. in the Sullivan Building in the Haymarket. After graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in December, he and friend Scott Thorson drove around Lincoln looking for a place to open a sandwich shop.

Instead, they ended up with a pizza place that offers a tasty lunch and dinner. Suite 1 opened in May and boasts a variety of styles from deep-dish chicken alfredo ($17 medium, $20 large) to thin-crust meatball sub ($15 medium, $16 large). It also serves calzones and several different types of appetizers, including Italian quesadillas ($7.50) and fried vegetables ($5.95). There are also plenty of vegetable toppings for those who don't eat meat.

"We started putting things together," Luedtke, 25, said, "and we ended up going with just pizza because there's already a lot of sandwich shops in town."

Luedtke spent his college days working at places like Carlos O'Kelly's Mexican Café and at several different fast food restaurants. But owning a new pizza eatery has been a new experience, and he said he stays out of the kitchen for the most part.

Thorson, meanwhile, does most of the cooking. The 35-year-old lived in Chicago for a while and worked at area pizza restaurants. He learned to cook Chicago-style deep dishes and a number of Italian dishes.

He isn't afraid to experiment, either. Every Saturday morning Thorson and Luedtke scour the Haymarket Farmers Market buying all kinds of ingredients. Then they offer a farmers market specialty pizza throughout the week, which comes with toppings, such as black peppers, green peppers, onions, Italian sausages and anything else they find at the market.

A co-worker and I stopped in about noon early this week and found the atmosphere to be surprisingly comfortable. It's tucked away in the basement of the Sullivan Building (A large "Suite 1" banner hangs from the railing along Eighth Street), and several other diners were there. But the dining room is long and spacious, and the dark lighting makes it easy to feel like you have privacy at your table.

We tried the medium thin-crust barbecue chicken pizza ($15) and a personalized medium Chicago-style deep-dish with pepperoni, hamburger, bacon and extra cheese ($17).

The barbecue chicken was a bit sweet for my taste - but I've never been a huge fan of barbecue chicken in general. The deep dish had plenty of cheese and toppings.

The service was quick and easy with only a handful of customers ordering food. While waiting for meals customers can watch the small TVs perched near the ceiling or check out the pool tables and arcade games that sit conveniently out of the way of the main tables. Or they can gaze at the south wall filled with classic posters of The Beatles and other bands performing in their prime.

"We kind of wanted to go with things we like," Luedtke said, "and things that reflect our personality."

Suite 1 also serves drink specials Monday through Saturday and offers smoking on a back patio. And it hosts live music Fridays from 9 p.m. to midnight. Luedtke said the restaurant sticks to mild or classic blues suited for a family environment.

Suite 1 is a good place to try different pizzas. And if you like a quiet and comfortable setting, it's a solid restaurant to visit.

Reach Michael McHale at 473-7254 or mmchale@journalstar.com.