Pizza

[BetterButter]

“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.” - Yogi Berra

[WendyCR72]

Can't vote! I have eaten and loved all 3 at one time or another.  :-)

[Bastet]

Homemade is my favorite, and if I had to rely on the big chains for delivery, it's probably all I'd ever eat, but I have several terrific local restaurants that deliver delicious pizza.

 

I've had the frozen California Pizza Kitchen and Wolfgang Puck pizzas, and they were both fine, but I'd rather call out for freshly-made because it's really not that much more expensive.

 

I like olive oil or pesto sauce better than tomato sauce, but I like a traditional sauce with some toppings.  I love mozzarella, but also like the addition of other cheeses. 

 

Too many favorite toppings to list, but I'll do a few favorite combinations:  Italian sausage, spinach and mushroom; chorizo, jalapeño, onion and cilantro; chicken, broccoli and mushroom (with alfredo sauce); arugula, caramelized onion and goat cheese; fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and basil; Italian sausage, onions and black olives; shrimp and chorizo

Edited August 8, 2014 by Bastet

[LuckyBitch]

I love pizza and could eat it every day. Coincidentally, we're making our own pizza for dinner tomorrow. But, we have a really great local place nearby and we usually order from them. We'll probably end up making two pizzas, one with lots of different veggies and one with meat and veggies. I'm not that big on meat on pizza other than pepperoni, even though I generally like sausage, ground beef, ham, bacon, etc.

 

Mr LB likes Hawaiian pizza but I despise it even though I like ham and love pineapple. It violates my rule of mixing my food with my fruit. I just can't do it.

 

My usual favorite toppings when we make our own pizza include various combinations of pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, goat cheese, roasted peppers, fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, black olives, and red onions.

 

The other day, I had the best vegetable pizza. It had a ton of sauteed mushrooms, some sauteed zucchini and eggplant, and some arugula on it with a bit of balsamic vinegar. Fantastic. Our usual place makes a vegetable pizza with breaded eggplant, sauteed spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, and onions, (and lots of garlic).

Edited August 8, 2014 by LuckyBitch

[BizBuzz]

Wait for it...

I don't like pizza.

[JTMacc99]

I love pizza and could eat it every day.

 

Heh. You know the desert island questions? Like, if you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring five albums with you, what would they be?

 

BY FAR the easiest one of those to answer for me is, "What food would you bring?" 

[OnceSane]

I love pizza.  Love it.  Might marry it one day.  But I prefer delivery.  Sorry, Dijourno's!

[Rick Kitchen]

As I may have mentioned ad nauseum ( :) ) I detest cheese.  So the first time I ever ate pizza was when I was in my 20s, stationed at an Air Force base in Germany where my friends liked to hang out at an on-base place that only served pizza.  So I discovered that mozarella is not horrible, if it's lightly added to a pizza and covered with lots and lots of toppings.  I have tried to cook frozen pizzas, but have to scrape off the tons of cheese they put on them and rearrange the toppings, so I just eat take out pizza and ask for extremely light cheese.

 

I like pepperoni, Italian sausage, black olives and onions.  Green peppers are okay, but not my fave.

[Shannon L.]

I love pizza!  I always order mushroom and onion.  I used to love pepperoni, but over the past few years, it's started bothering my stomach. 

[WendyCR72]

Wait for it...

I don't like pizza.

 

I...I don't understand this! (Kidding! This is something I've never heard from anyone before, but if you don't like it, you just don't!  :-)  )

[BizBuzz]

I...I don't understand this! (Kidding! This is something I've never heard from anyone before, but if you don't like it, you just don't!  :-)  )

 

It's been as long as I can remember.  We had a place in Hawaii called Shakey's Pizza, and I remember going there with friends when I was young and getting chicken fingers.  Like in my teenage years.

 

I moved to Pittsburgh PA in 1978 and the peeps there swore they could get me to eat "real" pizza, and when I first saw it, with grease and this little thing that stopped the cardboard from getting on the cheese, I was grossed out. 

 

If I am at a party and the only food there is pizza, I will scrape the toppings off and eat them.  No crust.

[annzeepark914]

I've been out of the northeast for several decades so I haven't had IMO "real pizza" since forever (in 1999 in Gap, France, I had a small pizza for lunch and it reminded me of the pizza I loved growing up in NYS). We were in San Diego in May, in the Hillcrest section, and found a place with an odd name - something like Project Pie.  It didn't have that big bubbled, charred rim but everything else was very good (and also brought back memories of childhood pizzas).  They say "it's the water" that creates that fabulous NY crust.  I've given up on delivery - those cartons just steam the pizza and change the texture.  Maybe I should just move to Naples!

Edited August 15, 2014 by annzeepark914

[Rick Kitchen]

I enjoyed a lot of pizzas at places in Germany.  They served individual sized pizzas, unsliced, with knife and fork.  A lot of them came with an egg on top, but not all.

[halgia]

I moved to Pittsburgh PA in 1978 and the peeps there swore they could get me to eat "real" pizza, and when I first saw it, with grease and this little thing that stopped the cardboard from getting on the cheese, I was grossed out.

As a transplant to Pittsburgh from New York, the vast majority of pizza here is awful. But then again the real stuff also has grease and the little wheel to keep the cardboard off the cheese, so, you know. :)

[harrie]

The grease is the best part.  

[Shannon L.]

 

As a transplant to Pittsburgh from New York

What part of NY?  NYC?  My kids and I visited NYC twice in the past three years and both times went to this little deli that was recommended to us by a local resident during our first visit and we thought the pizza was fantastic. 

 

 

The grease is the best part.

Oh hell, yeah.  Because I struggle with weight, I always sop up the grease with paper towels first and while the result is still good pizza, it's not as good as it is with the grease. 

 

I make a chicken, spinach, alfredo pizza that's really good, too.

[Bastet]

I make a chicken, spinach, alfredo pizza that's really good, too.

 

I make (or order) that a fair bit, too, only with mushrooms as well.  Or sometimes broccoli instead of - or in place of - the spinach.  And sometimes with sun-dried tomatoes.  Basically, I love pizza with alfredo sauce and chicken.

[halgia]

What part of NY?  NYC?

Long Island, but the pizza is mostly the same. :)

[P2C2E]

When it comes to pizza we usually get Papa Murphy's, made fresh in store and cooked at home so it's a best of both worlds thing. When it comes to frozen pizza I'm weirdly addicted to Newman's Own. I love their crust so much I can eat a whole pizza myself! We don't often buy it unless we have coupons though or catch it on a sale. Or, even better, catch it on sale with a coupon!

[Shannon L.]

 

I love their crust so much I can eat a whole pizza myself! We don't often buy it unless we have coupons though or catch it on a sale.

We have a restaurant here called Firestone Grill (I have no idea if it's a chain or not) and their bread sticks are amazing.  I've never tasted any other bread sticks like them.  Someone told me it's because they make them out of the same dough they use for their pizza crust.  I had no idea that pizza crust was different enough from bread that the taste difference would be so noticeable (unless that person was wrong). 

[ihavenoidea]

 

Wait for it...

I don't like pizza.

 

I'm with ya.  I can eat pizza, but if I have a choice between pizza and pretty much anything else, I pick the other thing.  The best thing about pizza is the crust for me.

Edited August 23, 2014 by ihavenoidea

[stillshimpy]

but if I have a choice between pizza and pretty much anything else, I pick the other thing.

 

Pizza....or...death? [/Eddie Izzard]

 

Sorry, couldn't resist.  Well, I probably could have actually, but I didn't actually try very hard.  

 

I'm a fan of pizza, but I don't eat meat and even before I gave up meat I didn't like meat on pizzas...but I like pizza.  It's a friend.  Hand tossed vs. deep dish.  I think NYC's pride in their pizza is slightly amusing, but I have to admit, I like it.  

 

I'm right outside St. Louis these days and they have a St. Louis style pizza.  Explained here, including the infamous Provel cheese.  

 

Provel cheese is gross enough that the above Izzard question would lead to "Pizza or death?"  "Uh...it has Provel on it?"  "Well?"  "Give me a minute would you?  I'm thinking it over."  

 

Yuck to provel.  

[photo fox]

Aw, I love STL pizza - even Imo's - but it's different, for sure.

Have you tried Pi's? They don't use provel, and they have deep dish crust in addition to thin. They do some really interesting ingredients, and have a great wine, beer, and spirits list. A little pricey for STL, but worth it if you want more than just your typical pizza.

[Rick Kitchen]

We have a restaurant here called Firestone Grill (I have no idea if it's a chain or not) and their bread sticks are amazing.  I've never tasted any other bread sticks like them.  Someone told me it's because they make them out of the same dough they use for their pizza crust.  I had no idea that pizza crust was different enough from bread that the taste difference would be so noticeable (unless that person was wrong). 

 

I love the bread sticks at Olive Garden.  The soup, salad and bread sticks are a great meal.

[Shannon L.]

 

I love the bread sticks at Olive Garden.  The soup, salad and bread sticks are a great meal.

Add some Toasted Ravioli to it and I'm right there with you.

[ihavenoidea]

 

Pizza....or...death? [/Eddie Izzard]

I actually meant I'd rather eat any other food, lol, but yeah I find all pizza tastes the same, some more crusty, some more greasy, I'm just odd.

[LuckyBitch]

I'm right outside St. Louis these days and they have a St. Louis style pizza.  Explained here, including the infamous Provel cheese.  

 

Provel cheese is gross enough that the above Izzard question would lead to "Pizza or death?"  "Uh...it has Provel on it?"  "Well?"  "Give me a minute would you?  I'm thinking it over."  

 

Yuck to provel.

Thanks for that link about St. Louis style pizza. I never heard of that before, so I found it interesting even if I don't think I'd like it at all.

 

Also, I had never heard of Provel cheese before. It doesn't sound too good, which might explain why it's never expanded outside the St. Louis area. 

[harrie]

When I lived in South Carolina for a year, it shocked me that it was difficult to find a pizza with mozzarella on it; mostly they used cheddar, at least in the where I was.   A co-worker looked at me like I had three heads and said "Well, it's cheese" when I mentioned - okay, maybe complained - about the cheddar thing.  And ultimately she's right, and it's up to each region to do its own thing, but I was never able to make the adjustment. 

Edited August 24, 2014 by harrie

[LuckyBitch]

Cheddar on pizza? Never heard of that and don't think I'd like it. Pizza needs mozzarella. Good, stringy mozzarella. 

[stillshimpy]

Also, I had never heard of Provel cheese before. It doesn't sound too good, which might explain why it's never expanded outside the St. Louis area.

Oh just wait, this will be fun. The image in the link you provided shows this sort in innocuous looking block of cheese. Pretty much like American Cheese in the deli. Not necessarily appealing, but it would be unlikely to make someone physically recoil. Now if you scroll down here you'll see how it's actually presented in stores.

 

Yup, that play-dough looking stuff?  That's Provel.  It actually has a fairly unremarkable taste, although the hint of processed swiss isn't for everyone and I will personally go out of my way to avoid it, but it's really the presentation of it in a deli section that seals the "What is that abomination?" deal.   It's not that it tastes good, it's that it looks worse than it tastes.  Yipes.  

 

But in fairness the St. Louis style pizza with a real cheese vs. the funky cheese food that is Provel is actually a nice enough pizza.  The sauce tends to be a little too sweet and I am more of a crust person, but ...yeah, I'm sorry St. Louis.  You do have some fine craft beers though! 

Edited August 24, 2014 by stillshimpy

[LuckyBitch]

^ Yuck.
 
Between reading the Wikipedia entry last night and this blog now, I was thinking that between the Provel cheese, the very thin cracker like crust, and the way it's cut into squares or rectangles, I wouldn't even call this pizza (sorry St. Louis!). As that blog says:
 

Don’t think of it as pizza

Personally, I make a very clear distinction between what the rest of the country calls pizza and what St. Louis calls pizza. If I am craving pizza, I do not order St. Louis style. To me, St. Louis style pizza is in its own category. It’s like a very cheesy, saucey cracker, but not quite as crunchy. While there are many die-hard St. Louis pizza fans that would claim our style is the best, there are also plenty of St. Louisians that agree with my point of view on the subject.

[mlp]

I had never heard of Provel before this thread but I thought it sounded OK in the written description.  That picture above though.............  It looks like someone ran amok with a squeeze bottle.  Not very appetizing.  Despite that, I plan to check out the pizza just for the heck of it the next time I'm in St. Louis.

[stillshimpy]

All kidding aside for a second, it's got a distinct taste, but it's really pretty mild and blameless stuff.  For me the presentation in stores was freaky to encounter, without knowing what it was and that strange "that doesn't look like it ought to ...cheese?  It's cheese?  Are they sure?" was actually my first introduction to Provel, having never even heard of it before that.  

 

But the pizza isn't awful and you may even enjoy it, with a nice cold beer that weird cheese mix thing (Provel) actually isn't that bad.  

 

I'm so sorry, I do sound like I'm damning it with faint and stiff praise.  Try that and try the gooey butter cake, which I've only had once, and I only had once because I sort of wanted to live on it, so I decided to cut myself off at that "Must. Have. More." pass :-)  Those are the two things St. Louis is known for -- well other than BBQ, but I can't tell you if that's any good -- and out of the two, the gooey butter cake is bound to make friends. 

Edited August 24, 2014 by stillshimpy

[photo fox]

Provel looks weird, but one of the benefits is that it "bites" off, instead of pulling all the toppings off with the cheese, like can happen with mozzarella.  So I imagine that texture difference is what makes it not melt like some other cheeses.

 

Of course, I love taco and cheeseburger pizza, which both use cheddar, so I'm obviously not a "pizza cheese must be mozzarella" person.

 

*sidenote: the ooey gooey butter cake is amazing.*

[harrie]

I'm about to check out the weight loss support topic, but before I do, where can I find out about this ooey-gooey butter cake?

 

ETA:   I just looked it up -- Yikes!!

Edited August 24, 2014 by harrie

[stillshimpy]

harrie, someday you will forgive me for this, I am sure.  

 

Here it is, junk food nirvana.  Gooey Butter Cake.    Is it good for you? Hell to the no, it is called 'gooey butter cake' and it earned that name.  

 

Is it sort of delicious?  Why yes it is.  

[harrie]

Thank you, stillshimpy.  The blueberry one is probably good for you, though, because it has fruit, right?  I kid.   Could be time to visit the relatives in St. Louis and take them out for a bite.  They certainly look delicious. (the cakes, not the in-laws)

[mansonlamps]

Thank you, stillshimpy.  The blueberry one is probably good for you, though, because it has fruit, right?  I kid.   Could be time to visit the relatives in St. Louis and take them out for a bite.  They certainly look delicious. (the cakes, not the in-laws)

Haha like carrot cake and zucchini bread are good for you too. Oops somehow the pizza thread got derailed into cake. Since I have been cutting out carbs, I suddenly realize that I no longer crave stuffed pizza (and I am an Italian from Chicago!), but I could never completely give up my beloved thin crust sausage and mushroom pizza. Mmmmmm.

[ALenore]

When I lived in South Carolina for a year, it shocked me that it was difficult to find a pizza with mozzarella on it; mostly they used cheddar, at least in the where I was.   A co-worker looked at me like I had three heads and said "Well, it's cheese" when I mentioned - okay, maybe complained - about the cheddar thing.  And ultimately she's right, and it's up to each region to do its own thing, but I was never able to make the adjustment

 

I thought of this post when I read this article: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/08/27/342448774/science-crowns-mozzarella-the-king-of-pizza-cheese

[LuckyBitch]

I thought of this post when I read this article: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/08/27/342448774/science-crowns-mozzarella-the-king-of-pizza-cheese

 

Very interesting! Thanks for posting that.

 

Now I'm craving some pizza.

[Shannon L.]

I have a question for those of you with good, experienced palates that's more about food than pizza, but since the ingredients did form a pizza, I'm going to ask it here:

 

I bought a slice of a specialty pizza, called a White Pizza from a local pizzeria this weekend.  I don't recall the exact cheeses used (and the website doesn't have the ingredients listed--it was only at the restaurant), but the choices for all of the pizzas are:  Mozzarella, Feta, Riccota and Goat cheese.  It also had fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes sprinkled on the top.  Here's why I didn't like it much:  Something in it was sweet.  Really sweet.  I know that mozzarella and ricotta aren't sweet, I've had a  limited number of dishes with Feta, but I think I remember it being somewhat strong and I don't think I've ever tried Goat cheese before.  The sun dried tomatoes were a little on the sweet side, but nothing like what I was tasting. I also love sun dried tomatoes, so I've had them a lot over the years and never tasted sweetness in the dish before.   When I ate the basil separately, I didn't detect any sweetness.  Any idea on where it was coming from?  Maybe a combination of a couple of ingredients? 

[mansonlamps]

Could it have had figs on it? Figs are all the rage currently and they are extremely sweet.

[Shannon L.]

I don't remember seeing figs on the list of toppings and I didn't see anything other than the white cheese, basil and sun dried tomatoes.

[Bella]

Could it have been the crust that was sweet?

 

As for cheddar on pizza, eww! Unless it's mixed with something else on a barbecue chicken pizza or something like that, and it should still not be the predominant cheese even then.

[Shannon L.]

I suppose it could've been the crust.  I'll ask next time I go back, which could be a while since my husband didn't care for any of what we ordered and there are places closer that we all like. 

 

I forgot to address the cheddar cheese on pizza:  The only time I ever saw that was in grade school and the first time I saw it served, I thought "ew".  Then I tasted it and thought "ew."  Of course, it wasn't just the cheese that made it taste bad. 

 

Also, tying this into Childhood Favorites--it's not fancy, but we grew up on Chef-Boy-R-Dee pizza and to this day I still love it. 
 

[mansonlamps]

One more idea on the sweet pizza is that maybe for some bizarre reason they sweetened the ricotta which is not uncommon, but not usually done with pizza.

[LuckyBitch]

That reminds me of a childhood favorite (wrong thread I know, but it came up here). My mom used to add a drop of almond extract to ricotta cheese, and I think some sugar or sweetener, and spread it on toast. Damn, I loved that. I've made it as an adult but not recently. I'll have to buy some ricotta and make it again soon.

[KnoxForPres]

I have a question for those of you with good, experienced palates that's more about food than pizza, but since the ingredients did form a pizza, I'm going to ask it here:

I bought a slice of a specialty pizza, called a White Pizza from a local pizzeria this weekend. I don't recall the exact cheeses used (and the website doesn't have the ingredients listed--it was only at the restaurant), but the choices for all of the pizzas are: Mozzarella, Feta, Riccota and Goat cheese. It also had fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes sprinkled on the top. Here's why I didn't like it much: Something in it was sweet. Really sweet. I know that mozzarella and ricotta aren't sweet, I've had a limited number of dishes with Feta, but I think I remember it being somewhat strong and I don't think I've ever tried Goat cheese before. The sun dried tomatoes were a little on the sweet side, but nothing like what I was tasting. I also love sun dried tomatoes, so I've had them a lot over the years and never tasted sweetness in the dish before. When I ate the basil separately, I didn't detect any sweetness. Any idea on where it was coming from? Maybe a combination of a couple of ingredients?

My big time vote is the sun dried tomatoes. Even typing that made me gag a bit. I had an identical situation as you and they were the culprit. Maybe when combined with the other things it throws it off.

My sun dried offense happened at Big River Brewery.

Edited September 10, 2014 by KnoxForPres

[Shannon L.]

 

But you say you like them otherwise. Maybe pizza places have exceptionally gross and sweet ones? My place where this happened is Big River Brewery.

lol!  Could be  :)  I suppose it could've been a sweetened ricotta, but I don't know why anyone would do that on a pizza.  I'll definitely ask if we ever go again (because their cheese and cheese w/pepperoni was delicious as were the pasta dishes (well, according to me and the kids--my husband wasn't too impressed).

[KnoxForPres]

lol! Could be :) I suppose it could've been a sweetened ricotta, but I don't know why anyone would do that on a pizza. I'll definitely ask if we ever go again (because their cheese and cheese w/pepperoni was delicious as were the pasta dishes (well, according to me and the kids--my husband wasn't too impressed).

You're fast! I edited it because I jumped the gun and knew it was them....then I read you liked them! Sometimes places just get things wrong. I don't want cinnamon in my red sauce and I don't want sweet on my white pizza. I want cheese, garlic and yum. I always say though "well, it could have been the best slice of my life. Have to try to find out".