I used to be a Pizza Hut guy years ago. Then my wife started talking all the time about the large grease spot in the center of the box. Kind of ruined it for me. Our kids got into college and they got us turned-on to Papa John's (before there was a Peyton Manning). Always amazed me how I lived 3.3 miles from a Papa John's, could call the order in, jump in the car, and every time I got there the pizza was already in the box waiting for me.

Then one of our daughters turned us on to Palio's Pizza Café.

http://www.paliospizzacafe.com...ons/palios_frisco_tx

The Meat & Cheese Deluxe is hard to beat.

"Locally", that is, in Texarkana, (50 mi one way) there is a small chain sports bar type restaurant called Gusano's, which, among the most important reasons for going there is very good prices, at times ($3/pint on Wed, for example), for Sam Adams drafts. In addition, I find the traditional pizza to be really excellent. The "Chicago style" is a pizza with sauce dumped all over the top after cooking which we don't like at all. In general, the less tomato sauce on a pizza, the better we like it.

Went to a Godfathers in Oklahoma City area and it was great. Same in San Antonio. We had one for awhile here in San Angelo and no longer have it and it is understandable as to why it closed.

Growing up in Philadelphia, there are a ton of Mom & Pop Pizza shops...

the difference is of course the ingredients... the Sauce and sometimes the cheese.. which they try to keep secret.. The large chains like Pizza hut, Domino's, Pappa John's, all pretty much use a canned tomato sauce they are buying form somebody.. they may have it spiced to their specifications, but its basically the same stuff. The Mom & Pop shops often the old lady makes the sauce from scratch and until you have had it, you cannot begin to compare it with words to canned stuff.

the cheese, well thats a matter of of taste.. I personally like the kind that breaks and releases a load o grease, some people don't.

Anyway, when i was 19 I could polish off a whole pie all by myself and not gain an ounce.. Now if I stiff a slice for more than a minute, I've gained weight, so I stay away.

what the hell the pig pizza? You come tell what you ate in Paris!

quote:

In general, the less tomato sauce on a pizza, the better we like it.

Pizzahut Pepperoni Lovers or meatlovers.

The buffalo chicken one at Papa Murphys is good.

I'd rather have mom and pop pizza though.

Pizza is one of the few things the tri-state area excels at. You can eat pizza every day and never eat at a chain resturant. It is hard to find a bad one.

Conan's deep dish chicago style. The original store was at 29th St. + Lamar here in Austin. Really the best I've ever had.Check it out Charlie,next time you're visiting the kids,only a few blocks from campus.Might want to check + make sure they are still there.If so,well worth your time.

They are still there. I'll try to go by next time I have to visit Austin, which I hope is a long time in the future. Did I say I hate traffic around Austin?

Back in the day, we used to call breakfast...."Breakfast of Champions (beer) and the circle of death (leftover pizza)"

One kid has graduated with a degree in Geophysics and a .3.7 plus average. His future location is undetermined at this time. Currently he is on a required Geology field trip (7 weeks long) lost in Montana. If he can't find a good job, my advice was to hunt and fish and f++k for a year and see what turns up. His girlfriend, still in school, doesn't agree with all of my wise counsel. Women often can't see the bigger picture.

I don't eat much pizza anymore. When I do have some it is usually Donatos since it is next door to one of the sites I work at. I also like the thin crust from Pizza Hut.

Growing up just outside of Chicago I like Eduardo's
Chicago style. There was/is a local spot not far from the Northwestern campus called The Spot that had good pizza too.

Gato-your son's gf is probably looking to see what kind of provider he is going to be. I would think he will do just fine, oil and gas are not going to stay cheap forever! He needs to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.

Tom

My mistake Charlie,got in a hurry. It is 29th + Guadalupe ,not Lamar.Congrats are in order for your son's achievment. And no, some women don't.

You are good father, Gatogordo

IMHO, nothing beats good NY pizza. Others go crazy over 2 places in New Haven, CT.....Sally's and Pepe's....both excellent Neopolitan-style. Most of what you get where I live now is Greek-style pizza.....not terrible but can't compare. The Chicago deep dish stuff is inedible for me.

We have a local pizza house that turned into a regional chain called "Johnny's".
I have in my limited travels not found anything that is their equal.
Usually when talking to someone who has moved from here, one of the things they miss the most is "Johnny's".

Having grown up on Long Island. Any of the non chain small pizza joints in the New York metropolitan area make the best pies. I never knew you could put toppings on a pie 'til I moved away. Then I found out toppings are a must just to eat the crap.

I just returned from a visit yesterday with 3 frozen pies in my suitcase.

Outside of New York none. I have o make my own.

My dad made great biscuits. His recipe was simple. He mixed salt, SELF RISING flour and buttermilk and made a moist dough. Can't give you measurements, but if too dry add buttermilk, too moist add flour. He then formed his biscuits by hand and placed on a greased platter, then turned them over so that both top and bottom were greased and then baked them. I have used this same method, except roll out the dough to make a pizza crust. Works great. I have not done this too many times as I'm really all thumbs in the kitchen. One time I had my crust almost baked and then added some almost done scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese etc and then put back in the oven to finish cooking. I along with a few others that tried it really liked it. Should anyone happen to use this or make the biscuits, I'd appreciate your feedback.

Pizzaria Uno downtown (loop) Chicago. Reservations a must and you may have to make them three weeks in advance. Once you get there expect a two hour wait in line. Well worth it, their Deep Dish pizzas are simply the "best in the world"and 3 1/2 to 4" thick.

this is going to sound kind of strange but i like casey's pizza the best.... it might be because i know all the pizza makers in this store real well and when i order a pizza i seem to get more on it than most folks...... it's also kind of nice the casey's store is litteraly (sp)in my back yard.. i can walk about 50 yards to get a pizza...... i like godfather's pizza too though...........

Did I mention Palio's is BYOB? I like BYOB. Our go-to Thai place and Indian place are BYOB. Also Our go-to Greek place. Our go-to French place was but flipped.

We got used to BYOB in Perth. It improves the experience if you can enjoy your own bottle of wine, or beer. Had a Palio's Meet & Cheese Deluxe last night with a Redd's Apple Ale. Went down pretty well.

That Uno stuff is NOT pizza. It's a loaf of bread with lumpy tomato sauce and a buncha other crap tossed on. How that got to be popular, much less requiring reservations and a two-hour wait boggles the mind.

Do I sense a slight discrepancy in pizza style preferences?

FWIW, the "Chicago" style of deep dish pizza, drenched in tomato sauce ON TOP of the pizza, is something I wouldn't feed to my dog, not that he would eat it. And he ain't the smartest dog around either. Obviously my pizza preferences are not those of others.

I like thin crust that is stiff enough that I can eat the piece of pizza with one hand. I will use two hands if necessary.

Anyone eating pizza with a knife and fork needs to stay home so they don't embarrass themselves. Having said that, my wife eats her pizza with a knife and fork. She also eats fried chicken and ribs with a knife and fork. I haven't given up trying to convert her, but it's been a losing battle so far. I did get a response to my protestations once. She stuck her tongue out at me. I suppose that meant "mind your own business".

Coops pizza in Hayward Wis. A local place that has very good pizza.

Gato and Norton,

You have obviously never eaten at Pizzario Uno in Chicago.

For sure, I haven't and am absolutely certain I won't. I feel the same way about pizza that I do about barbecue (or, for that matter, any restaurant meal)....I wouldn't wait in line 2 hours or more to view the Second Coming, much less to eat Q or pizza. 15 minutes is really pushing my limit.

As a matter of fact, in just a few minutes, we're leaving for Texarkana and Gusano's to eat one of their traditional pizzas along with numerous Sam Adams draughts while watching the NBA playoff game. No lines and a damn good pizza, as long as you don't get the Chicago style.....yuck.

Gato Gordo.

Life is short, tell him to see if he can stretch it to 2 years of your suggested activities.

FMC tell us more about your pizza oven.

quote:

Originally posted by dave wesbrook:
Gato and Norton,

You have obviously never eaten at Pizzario Uno in Chicago.

No offense, I've eaten at a couple Pizzeria Unos in the Boston area back when my wife and I were first married. Maybe it's the fact that I grew up in NY/NJ and love that kinda pizza, but it's just not for me.

Actually, I feel the same way Gato does about it but didn't say it in so many words.

Norton,

Pizzario Uno at one time had franchises available and maybe still do. The pizzas at those were nowhere like those in the flagship restaurant in Chicago. I ate at one in Indiana and was not pleased.
I also ate many slices of NY style pizza when I worked in NYC in the early '80s. It was good but as you say "not the same"

Gato, Eat whatever pizza and drink whatever beer that pleases you. It's all good.

Dave

It's a Forno Bravo. It took some time to figure out getting a good fire. You build a fire and shove it to the side where the fire/heat is supposed to circulate off the hemispherical roof to the opposite floor.

After 2-3 hours I get the floor to 700* and the roof to 900*. (I've gotten the floor over 999* once).

Pizzas cook in under 2 minutes. I use a Neapolitan thin crust dough, uncooked tomato passe and whole milk mozz to make 16" pizzas.

Italian Delight, or as I call it Nino's in Powhatan Virginia. Been eating his for the 30 years.

Jim

I own a pizzeria called Bluegrass Pizza and Pub in Danville, Ky. Id put it up to anything in NYC/New England. But I also do it the old school way, with deck ovens, fresh dough every day, and the very best ingredients money can buy. It has also killed my ability to hunt and it is currently for sale.

I make my own--Mexican pizza.

I use a store-bought thin crust (the ones that come already made, not the ones in a can like biscuits) and for the base, instead of pizza sauce I spread salsa. You can also use picante sauce, and the choice of mild, medium or hot is up to the individual's preference. I typically go with medium.

Brown a pound of lean ground beef (or turkey), drain well and then season with packaged taco seasoning or make your own with cumin, red pepper, chili powder, etc.

Spread the meat evenly over the salsa.

Top with onions, crushed tortilla chips, jalapenos (optional)and Mexican blend cheese. If you like tomatoes cooked, add several thin slices, or wait until the pizza is cooked if you prefer your tomatoes cold.

Bake according to crust instructions.

After pizza is done you can add shredded lettuce, cold tomatoes (sliced or chopped), and avocado, either diced or mashed. Spread sour cream on individual slices.

I started making this for my (now grown) kids years ago, and from then on, that's all they wanted in a pizza.

Wow! Now I'm going to have to try that!

for homemade pizza i like french bread pizza once in a while..... you get a loaf of french bread and cut it in two horizontaly lay the top and bottom side by side on a cookie sheet and put on your pizza sauce whet ever toppings and a generous pile of shreaded italian cheese and bake it at 400 until the cheese is all melted and it's hot.....

Oh, there are only two I'll ever really crave:

1. If I'm in downtown Philadelphia - Lorenzo's pizza on South Street. Best I've ever had.
2. If I'm across the river in Jersey visiting the in-laws, Manco & Manco down at the boardwalk.

Usually go to any Pizza hut, 4 cheese or Margarita. Once upon a time I tried Papa John's - tempted by advertising "the best products". Expensive and about the same. Just visited my daughter, they just ordered Papa Johns - the same thing, and too spicy. So it is better that Pizza hut.

Rods - Hot Springs, AR

Papa Johns, CiCi's, Dominos, Pizza Hut, Little Ceasers - I can't tell a diference.

CiCi's is not even in the same league as the others you've mentioned. It's worse than the worst frozen pizza, in our area it's where the cheapskates go to pig out. Kinda like at the chinese buffet.