Spin off pizza "discussion"

[Minnesota!]

Giovanni's Pizza, multiple locations in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia:

It's a weird, weird thing. I've had pizza everywhere throughout the country, and I subconsciously compare them all to the pizza I ate growing up and find those others wanting. And talking with fellow expatriates who live around the country, they do the same. Maybe (probably) it's not the best, but it is to me.

Bonus weirdness: they serve a flavor of dressing called "red." As in "Chef's Salad with red dressing, please." It's hard to describe what it tastes like--a little tangy, a lot sweet, not creamy, but not really a vinaigrette, either. The best way to describe it is that it tastes "red." It probably has enough additives in it to qualify as a chemical weapon, but I guarantee the next time I go home I'll get a Giovanni's pizza and salad with red dressing.

I looked up that recipe because it intrigued me - does this sound correct?

2 c. catsup
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. sugar
1 tbsp. vinegar
1/2 sm. onion, shredded
Pinch of garlic
Blend until mixed and smooth.

Sounds similar to something I have had...yum!

 

[Praying Colonel]

I looked up that recipe because it intrigued me - does this sound correct?

2 c. catsup
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. sugar
1 tbsp. vinegar
1/2 sm. onion, shredded
Pinch of garlic
Blend until mixed and smooth.

Sounds similar to something I have had...yum!

I've never made it, but my guess is those ingredients would come up tasting a lot like "red" dressing. Like I said, very sweet and a little tangy.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

DD brought me home a piece of her pizza today. Chicken, spinach and artichoke. Meh. It was ok. (At least no ranch dressing.) I might have liked some with tomato sauce. Originally she said she was getting Regina. Where did I go wrong?

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

DD brought me home a piece of her pizza today. Chicken, spinach and artichoke. Meh. It was ok. (At least no ranch dressing.) I might have liked some with tomato sauce. Originally she said she was getting Regina. Where did I go wrong?


View attachment 181352

I think it might be time to re-write the will.

 

[CPanther95]

Where did I go wrong?

OK, you just made me create another pizza rule.

Rule #67: If it looks like something a hospital worker would assume needs to be thrown away in a red bag, it's not pizza.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

OK, you just made me create another pizza rule.

Rule #67: If it looks like something a hospital worker would assume needs to be thrown away in a red bag, it's not pizza.

That does look like it originated on a petri dish.

 

[disney4us2002]

Ledo Pizza!!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We have really good pizza in STL, probably because of the strong Italian influence. You just have to avoid the places that make "St Louis style" pizza - BARF!!!

Locally, we have a place that an immigrant opened decades ago (he's still there every day) that I love. It's similar to NY style, though probably wouldn't du it for the purists.

One of the worst pizzas I ever are was at Gino's East in Chicago. I stood in line for this?????? Probably the only Chicago style pizza that I've ever failed to enjoy.


Oh, and my favorite gas station pizza is Hunt Brothers. We do like Casey's breakfast pizza

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

OK, you just made me create another pizza rule.

Rule #67: If it looks like something a hospital worker would assume needs to be thrown away in a red bag, it's not pizza.

Well. I guess I'm going to have to throw away that New York Pizza.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

OK, you just made me create another pizza rule.

Rule #67: If it looks like something a hospital worker would assume needs to be thrown away in a red bag, it's not pizza.

That does look like it originated on a petri dish.

That's parmesan cheese you idiots!

 

[CPanther95]

That's parmesan cheese you idiots!

I'm not the idiot, it's clearly Parmesan cheese.

The idiot is the guy that decided to put Parmesan cheese on the medical waste.

 

[Gracie09]

This place is always highly ranked, has been for years, Starn Tavern in Orange, NJ. Pizza should be served on metal pans.

View attachment 180968

Yup star tavern hands down

 

[frndshpcptn]

My top 3:
Roberta's in Brooklyn - amazing

Sicilian pie from a local joint in my hometown in NJ (square deep dish type of pizza)

Dominoes deep dish with pepperoni (i know, i know - as I lifelong NYC / NJ resident this is embarrassing to say - but sometimes you just want this with a cold beer)

 

[bcla]

So nobody is a fan of Yeast of Eden and their broccoli pizza?

 

[tcufrog]

I know it's not traditional but I make a damn good chicken tikka pizza. One of our favorite pizza chains is Mellow Mushroom. For more traditional pizza we really like Cane Rosso. The owner went to Italy to learn how to make Neopolitan pizza.

 

[bcla]

I know it's not traditional but I make a damn good chicken tikka pizza. One of our favorite pizza chains is Mellow Mushroom. For more traditional pizza we really like Cane Rosso. The owner went to Italy to learn how to make Neopolitan pizza.

Tradition and "authenticity" is overrated. Quality and value is underrated. Chicken tikka itself is really a British Indo-Pak creation, similar to something like mostly Americanized Chinese food like chop suey and egg foo yung.

I've mentioned working with Europeans. Through them I learned a lot about authenticity and how they view Americanized versions of European food. They look at the typical portions (they call them "American portions") for pasta and pizza and point to that as to why so many Americans are overweight. They actually liked a certain pasta place that was far from "authentic". They look at these new agey pizza places and actually enjoy them if they're good. Heck - I went with a couple of Italians to a place serving a Chicago style stuffed pizza, and they were impressed. However, I do remember an Italian coworker who was telling me that somehow his daughter was always asking to go to California Pizza Kitchen, even though he thought it was mediocre.

I was also wondering when you mentioned some place called "Cane Rosso". That was the name of a now-closed restaurant at the San Francisco Ferry Building. Actually the full name was Il Cane Rosso. It wasn't a place that served pizza though. The same owners still operate a place called Red Dog.

http://canerossosf.com

 

[tcufrog]

The Cane Rosso I was talking about is in Dallas. As for chicken tikka masala my Indian dh loves it even if it isn't authentic.

 

[bcla]

The Cane Rosso I was talking about is in Dallas. As for chicken tikka masala my Indian dh loves it even if it isn't authentic.

Yeah - I looked it up. I think the now-closed place in San Francisco came first. The joke about chicken tikka masala is that it's the most popular food in the UK. But now it's so ubiquitous that its commonly found in India and Pakistan.

Around here there's a local chain of Indo-Pak restaurants called Shalimar, named after a neighborhood in Karachi. The reviews are hilarious. A lot of people talk about the slow service, odd smells, and ugly decor. The original location is in a highly sketchy neighborhood with panhandlers and drug use. Then they talk about the food like it from another plane of existence. The food looks horrible but it's so addictive. The first time I was taken there it was with one Indian coworker and another coworker who was vegetarian. The vegetarian wasn't opposed to others eating meat, and was actually happy when two in our party ordered the lamb brain masala. My only problem is that after eating there I'm passing serious gas for a couple of days.

This review kind of describes the charm:

http://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/article/THE-TANDOOR-LOIN-A-mecca-for-curry-and-naan-2606933.php

When I discovered Shalimar on Jones Street, everything changed. This was the type of restaurant I remembered from college days in India -- chipped Formica tables, busboys half-heartedly swiping tables with turmeric-stained dishrags, the heady steam laden with the smell of cloves and cardamom, and the surly wait staff yelling out orders across the room.

I looked at the napkin dispenser. It was empty. I felt right at home.

And I wasn't alone. The hi-tech boom in the Silicon Valley meant that hordes of homesick South Asians working in the industry kept the restaurants busy. On weekends they would flock to San Francisco to see the sights and then stop by restaurants like Shalimar and Pakwan before hitting the freeway back to Milpitas and Sunnyvale. These restaurants seem impervious to the changing economy.​

 

[JaneBanks]

A Long Island pie. This isn't from a specific pizzeria, I just google imaged "Long Island pizza". Nothing beats a cheesy, greasy slice of pizza!

 

[chirurgeon]

Not my picture but this is from Villa Reale in Downtown Pittsburgh. They make the dough and pizza right in front of you. I will admit I use a knife and fork. I get it at lunch and I don't like to risk pizza all over myself.