Bear Down Wildcats

Burger, hot dogs and burrito (mexican food) threads but no PIZZA! This thread is for rectifying that crime against humanity.

http://www.lafiamma.com/menu

But my favorite is at the oldest local brewhaus: http://www.bbaybrewery.com/#!pub-food/cngl

The Great Northwest 12.50
Basil pesto, smoked salmon, roasted garlic, roma tomatos, chevre & parmesan on home-made crust.


Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

My favorite pizza place in Chicago (Pizza D.O.C.) was bought by two German sisters who began adding stuff like Schnitzel and pork roasts to the menu and then a few years ago decided to switch to a more Euro-centric eatery renamed Himmell's. Supposedly the wood-burning pizza oven is still in the middle of the restaurant and they're still making pies, but I can't bring myself to go. I'm in mourning, and in true Italian style, it will last probably the rest of my life...

Klondike Pizza in Santa Maria:

http://klondikepizza.com/

Roadkill with real reindeer meat among other. This is a man's pizza, no veggies.




Peanut shells:




Alaskan themed:

I like Upper Crust Pizza at Grant and Campbell.

Daryl Zero wrote:I like Upper Crust Pizza at Grant and Campbell.

me too. my favorite in town.

Always a fan of Round Table. A must when I am in Cali or Vegas

azcat49 wrote:Always a fan of Round Table. A must when I am in Cali or Vegas

My favorite "conveyor belt" pizza of the cheap franchise variety for sure. My family ordered from one at Prince and Campbell for years. Up here all the Round Tables are now called Idaho Pizza Company, but it's the same thing.

My favorite Chicago Style Pizza place, Lou Malnati's, is opening in Phx soon.

Daryl Zero wrote:I like Upper Crust Pizza at Grant and Campbell.

Love Upper Crust. Owned by AZ Pizza Co and I finally convinced them to start delivering to my house. So tired of Dominoes and Pizza Hut

Reilly Downtown is really good as well

Pizzeria Mozza here in Newport Beach is fuckin off the chain good -- like unreal

Village Pizzeria in Hancock Park is also totally legit

Alieberman wrote:My favorite Chicago Style Pizza place, Lou Malnati's, is opening in Phx soon.

Serious! When I was on my tour of Chicago Pizzaerias, including Gino's, Giordano's, some other I can't recall, Lous was the only one I ate at twice.


The meatball thin crust from Spinnato's in the Valley is one of the better thin crusts. Good, sweet sauce and a buttery crisp crust and the meatballs are amazing.


And Round Table is the best chain. It's expensive like a real ma and pa style restaurant, but very good. Montague's Marvel is amazing with its salami and linguica.

Best pizza I've ever eaten was from a street vendor in Naples.

Best pizza I've ever eaten in the United States was from John's Pizzeria on Bleeker St. in the Village (NYC).

Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix is tied with the best pizzas I've eaten in Naples, and Pizza Rei in Rome is pretty good but not quite there. Elsewhere, I've never had good Neopolitan pizza.

I can't ever be persuaded to go any further south than Red Devil, on Bell and 20th St. I've met PerpEph at the McDowell and 3rd St. location for lunch, but there's a great pizza combo for dinner and they always take coupons, keeping the price down.

The Supremo is not only loaded with toppings but always leaves you fat 'n happy by the third slice. Crust is nice and crispy but otherwise good enough--not that there is much crust you have to eat on that pie anyway.

Want to try Fatso's down at T-Bird and the 51. Heard the toppings are ridiculous and the wings actually are close to Red Devil's, which I can never believe.

This just in...Red Devil just started a buffalo chicken pizza with their redonkulous New York sauce. Be back in six hours.

Chicat wrote:Best pizza I've ever eaten in the United States was from John's Pizzeria on Bleeker St. in the Village (NYC).

My NYC cousins agree. Tried to go the last time I was there, but it was packed and I didn't want to spend my limited time in NYC waiting for pizza. John's shows up on all the best pizza lists too.

BearDown89 wrote:

Chicat wrote:Best pizza I've ever eaten in the United States was from John's Pizzeria on Bleeker St. in the Village (NYC).

My NYC cousins agree. Tried to go the last time I was there, but it was packed and I didn't want to spend my limited time in NYC waiting for pizza. John's shows up on all the best pizza lists too.

I actually don't go there when I'm in NYC because it's out of control how busy it is. And it's obvious that they don't put the time into making each pizza as good as it can be anymore (burned/underdone crust, lopsided toppings, too much sauce, etc.).

But when I was a kid, whoa. Going to John's was like walking through the Pearly Gates. And my mom had been going there since the '60s and swears it was even better then (of course... does anyone remember truly great stuff being worse in the past?).

Maybe they'll leave it off a few "best of" lists going forward and one day I'll be able to take my kids there.

just saw a best of pizza list this morning and no John's

Longhorned wrote:Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix is tied with the best pizzas I've eaten in Naples, and Pizza Rei in Rome is pretty good but not quite there. Elsewhere, I've never had good Neopolitan pizza.

There's a pizzeria bianco in downtown Tucson now next to the rialto

scumdevils86 wrote:just saw a best of pizza list this morning and no John's

NY? USA? Worldwide?

Chicat wrote:

scumdevils86 wrote:just saw a best of pizza list this morning and no John's

NY? USA? Worldwide?

USA. On the front page of CNN

scumdevils86 wrote:just saw a best of pizza list this morning and no John's

Perhaps not on every list, but I saw it just last week on this Chive post.

http://thechive.com/2015/07/30/the-best ... bbx3t:FZFb

Chicat wrote:

BearDown89 wrote:

Chicat wrote:Best pizza I've ever eaten in the United States was from John's Pizzeria on Bleeker St. in the Village (NYC).

My NYC cousins agree. Tried to go the last time I was there, but it was packed and I didn't want to spend my limited time in NYC waiting for pizza. John's shows up on all the best pizza lists too.

I actually don't go there when I'm in NYC because it's out of control how busy it is. And it's obvious that they don't put the time into making each pizza as good as it can be anymore (burned/underdone crust, lopsided toppings, too much sauce, etc.).

But when I was a kid, whoa. Going to John's was like walking through the Pearly Gates. And my mom had been going there since the '60s and swears it was even better then (of course... does anyone remember truly great stuff being worse in the past?).

Maybe they'll leave it off a few "best of" lists going forward and one day I'll be able to take my kids there.

That's too bad. I'm thinking that last trip to NYC was at least 10 years ago and it was packed then.

Basically, I'm all for any sort of wood-fired/brick oven type of pie with crispy thinner crust and lots of blackened burnt bubbles and such. I like my pizza well done. I've never been to Chicago or tried Chicago style deep dish.

scumdevils86 wrote:

Chicat wrote:

scumdevils86 wrote:just saw a best of pizza list this morning and no John's

NY? USA? Worldwide?

USA. On the front page of CNN

scumdevils86 wrote:http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/29/travel/ga ... index.html

John's is there at #10.

scumdevils86 wrote:http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/29/travel/ga ... index.html

Normally hate top 10 lists but I agree with their #1 pick, Juliana's made the best pie I've ever had. It's literally right next to the overcrowded and overrated Grimaldi's on Old Fulton under the Brooklyn Bridge.

scumdevils86 wrote:just saw a best of pizza list this morning and no John's

John's is 10th on the list.

Chicat wrote:

scumdevils86 wrote:

Chicat wrote:

scumdevils86 wrote:just saw a best of pizza list this morning and no John's

NY? USA? Worldwide?

USA. On the front page of CNN

scumdevils86 wrote:http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/29/travel/ga ... index.html

John's is there at #10.

Same TripAdvisor list posted on the Chive, but with different pictures.

derp

Pizzeria Bianco's, Reilly's and Empire Pizza all downtown.

Ate at John's twice the last time in NYC. The one in the old church off 44th in Times Square. Truly great. Didn't wait long at all.

Next time we're in the Valley have to try Lou Malnati's, because my son loves the deep dish. We always have to get Oregano's deep dish.

Red Devil brings back memories of working the night shift at the paper in downtown Phoenix. We rotated that place with House of Hong Kong and El Norteno for takeout.

PHX has alot of great pizza. Never been that impressed with Bianco, although the sandwich shop is good...I just don't wait 2 hours for a pie when you have Cibo, Pomo, and the Parlor all nearby.

Glad I wasn't the first to say it ODogg. Big reason why I could always take or leave Bianco. There's plenty of places you can get authentic pizza that hits all the marks without having to have an audience with it.

The problem comes when you use pizza as a substitute for cooking all the time, like my bro-in-law does. He'll take wife and kids to Mesa and back for a slice of pie that's "different" practically every weekend instead of actually eating some actual vegetables at home with his family.

And he's from Wisky, gumby. Makes my irrational Duke hate seem mild by comparison.

I haven't waited for a table at Bianco in six years. I go at lunchtime and sit at the bar. The last time I did wait and line, people were coming up to us and saying that it isn't worth it, such-and-such is just as good. A friend of mine said she isn't impressed and that she could make better at home.

Here's what's up. There are two kinds of people: the small minority who talk about pizza, and the vast majority who don't talk about pizza. In the former group, there are two sub-sets: intellectuals and sensualists.

Intellectuals experience and talk about toppings -- the characteristics and quantities of the sauce, the quality of the mozzarella, and the composition and balance of everything.

Sensualists experience and talk about the crust -- its density, chewiness, and flavor. I'm a sensualist who eats a lot of pizza. I've lived in Naples, Rome, Padua, and Bologna, and in Phoenix, southern California, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

I've never been to those other places you mention, ODogg, and I don't know if Phoenix is some kind of pizza capital now (which is possible because secrets get out) and where there's all these places that are as good as Bianco, but I've never had pizza anywhere outside of Naples (except for 1 place in Rome almost) that's at the level of Bianco.

Chris Bianco studied under a pizza master in Naples, which isn't that uncommon, but what he did next was. He came to Phoenix, and instead of just commencing to make pizza like he learned in Naples, he spent years of experimenting and adapting his techniques to learn how to work with the local water.

Crust is entirely dependent on the qualities of the water, which is why Neapolitan pizza isn't as good outside of Naples. Once it was perfected there, it couldn't just be transferred elsewhere, not even in Italy. Chris Bianco broke the water barrier. It was an intensive, really creative project.

Then, he had to train others to do it. Finally, he had to leave the wood-burning oven to others entirely due to a medical condition. I don't know if that's resulted in the spreading of the art around Phoenix.

I won't say it's the best pizza but I really enjoyed Vero Amore's pizza.

I'm going to miss pizza.

I don't care what you all say, the best pizza is the $1.50 medium one topping pizza on dead day.

Rocco's was my favorite in Tucson. Lots of good option in Phoenix. Giordanos is my favorite all time, but never had Lou Malnati's. Glad both Gioradano's and Lou Malnati's are coming to Phoenix soon.

azgreg wrote:I'm going to miss pizza.

What about the Mark Bittman idea about not eating certain foods before dinner, which he incorrectly calls "vegan before 6"? His cholesterol shot down to normal levels without any medication. We can eat healthy all day long and then eat whatever we want for dinner. Like pizza.

I remember Ray's pizza inside the bowling allay across the street from Palo Verde HS as being pretty damn good.

PHXCATS wrote:I don't care what you all say, the best pizza is the $1.50 medium one topping pizza on dead day.

Rocco's was my favorite in Tucson. Lots of good option in Phoenix. Giordanos is my favorite all time, but never had Lou Malnati's. Glad both Gioradano's and Lou Malnati's are coming to Phoenix soon.

Speaking of cheap eats, the slice at Costco is money. Problem is, it competes with the $1.50 hot dog and beverage.

The Costco pizza, and all the Costco food, are delicious.

And I love their cakes. One year, a friend of mine got a different cake for her son's birthday, and I asked why.

She said, "Well, it's not as good as a Costco cake, and it costs more. But at least there's less of it."

Longhorned wrote:The Costco pizza, and all the Costco food, are delicious.

And I love their cakes. One year, a friend of mine got a different cake for her son's birthday, and I asked why.

She said, "Well, it's not as good as a Costco cake, and it costs more. But at least there's less of it."

Maybe it would have been better to get you nothing. Same arguments apply.

Daryl Zero wrote:

Longhorned wrote:The Costco pizza, and all the Costco food, are delicious.

And I love their cakes. One year, a friend of mine got a different cake for her son's birthday, and I asked why.

She said, "Well, it's not as good as a Costco cake, and it costs more. But at least there's less of it."

Maybe it would have been better to get you nothing. Same arguments apply.

I think what she meant was that the guests always refused to take home dangerous leftover Costco cake, and she'd rather pay more for a worse product that didn't leave her robust husband with several weeks worth of midnight cake snacks. But her articulation was something to behold.

Longhorned wrote:The Costco pizza, and all the Costco food, are delicious.

And I love their cakes. One year, a friend of mine got a different cake for her son's birthday, and I asked why.

She said, "Well, it's not as good as a Costco cake, and it costs more. But at least there's less of it."

Ha! They are enormous. Got one for my son's grad party ... plenty of leftovers. There were shelves and shelves of them in the Costco cooler. Bet Costco is one of the top bakers by volume in the country.

I read that their pizza sales would place them 15th in the country (just behind Roundtable) if they were just a pizza joint.

Just had Gramaldis on Campbell/6th tonight... Pep/shroom/meatball... Really enjoyed it... Love pizza, but not a pizza officianado...haven't had Bianco downtown Tucson, even though I work there, cuz they aren't open for lunch... Dislike Brooklyn... really like Magpies, and can always put away at least 2 big ol slices of Mama's...

Tonight we went to a pizza joint I used to go to all the time, but hadn't been to for about 2 years. Great pizza as always, but the wait staff is always a bit 'special'. Tonight our waitress handed us our menus and went to get some water. She was gone all of 15 or 20 seconds and asked us if we were ready to order yet. Eventually we call her back and order two small pizzas and two glasses of red wine - which she writes down carefully and even reads it back. A couple minutes later she brings us a glass of white and a glass of red. That gets cleared up and about 5 minutes later she brings over 'our' bowl of penne bolognaise. That gets cleared up and we eventually we get our pizzas. By this time the joint is starting to fill up, and I start hearing 'sorry wrong table' almost constantly.

The chick was absolutely stoned out of her head!!! Long time since I've seen someone so completely unable to 'maintain'. We were cracking up all night - then we went to see a really really depressing play. We shoulda been stoned ourselves.

How about frozen/oven pizza?

My go to used to be Red Baron but we've completely switched to the Screamin' Sicilian brand. Their Bessie's Revenge and Boss Hog varieties are awesome.

What I don't get about so many frozen pizzas is the branding. What about Tombstone conjures up an expectation for good pizza? How does a historic German fighter pilot awaken my desire for cheesey Italian goodness?

I'm going to try the Screamin' Sicilian. Looks like it's not available outside Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana?

azgreg wrote:I remember Ray's pizza inside the bowling allay across the street from Palo Verde HS as being pretty damn good.

Greg - I think the people that owned it now own this restaurant in Corona de Tucson:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/argenzianos-vail



We took a trip to Chicago about 10 years ago. First day went to Giordano's (got a deep dish and a thin) and ended the trip with a trip to Geno's East. (thin)
Best pizza we have ever had - nothing in Arizona compares.


If any of you in Tucson like NY style, this place is pretty good:

http://nypizzadepttucson.com/

Great pizza and wings, the owner (Mark Fontana) is from New York and played O-line for the 'Cats in the late '80s.

Last time I was in Chicago for business in 2010 I stayed at the Palmer House and right across the street was this place:

http://www.pizanoschicago.com/

Not the best pizza I've ever had but solid enough that I ate there 3 times in 5 days... lol. Proximity played a role.

Longhorned wrote:What I don't get about so many frozen pizzas is the branding. What about Tombstone conjures up an expectation for good pizza? How does a historic German fighter pilot awaken my desire for cheesey Italian goodness?

I'm going to try the Screamin' Sicilian. Looks like it's not available outside Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana?

Ghetto Fry's (1st-Roger) just started to stock Screamin' Sicilian.

Chicat wrote:How about frozen/oven pizza?

My go to used to be Red Baron but we've completely switched to the Screamin' Sicilian brand. Their Bessie's Revenge and Boss Hog varieties are awesome.

I love frozen pizza. I always doctor them up though with all kinds of extras. They're usually unrecognizable by the time I get done with them. I go for the thin crust varieties.

BearDown89 wrote:

Chicat wrote:How about frozen/oven pizza?

My go to used to be Red Baron but we've completely switched to the Screamin' Sicilian brand. Their Bessie's Revenge and Boss Hog varieties are awesome.

I love frozen pizza. I always doctor them up though with all kinds of extras. They're usually unrecognizable by the time I get done with them. I go for the thin crust varieties.

Try the Boss Hog. There's literally no room to add any other toppings because they pile on the meat.