Pizza

[CheezWizHed]

Pothole pizza at Kwik Trip was excellent (for frozen pizza). I though the topping/cheese balance on the top was perfect, but I'll admit that it was a bit greasy. Still very good. They are on the higher end for cost and unfortunately in MN, we don't get the discount with the Packers win.

[FVBrewerFan]

Getting Rocky rococo's after work today. i always thought their sauce was off tasting (too sweet) and its way too doughy. The kids love it so its a treat for them.

 

Just had Lou Malnati's, and I actually like Rockys a lot more. I get it's unique, but I get a huge craving for it every few months. Extra cheezy super-rony and side of breadsticks? Yes please.

[rondoman]

Pothole pizza at Kwik Trip was excellent (for frozen pizza). I though the topping/cheese balance on the top was perfect, but I'll admit that it was a bit greasy. Still very good. They are on the higher end for cost and unfortunately in MN, we don't get the discount with the Packers win.

 

Yea but you still get Viking victory discounts!

[homer]

Getting Rocky rococo's after work today. i always thought their sauce was off tasting (too sweet) and its way too doughy. The kids love it so its a treat for them.

 

Just had Lou Malnati's, and I actually like Rockys a lot more. I get it's unique, but I get a huge craving for it every few months. Extra cheezy super-rony and side of breadsticks? Yes please.

 

I really like Lou Malnati's thin crust

[MrTPlush]

I also decided to try a pothole pizza. I went with the pepperoni, wife went for the supreme one. The pepperoni one honestly reminded me of making a homemade pizza with one of those pre-made pizza crusts you can get in the bag at the store. The sauce was also very basic and thick/pasty like a generic pizza sauce is. The cheese blend was really solid, as long as you like a garlicy cheese. It was thick, but wasn't like a Lottza Mottza that it is difficult to even bite without everything wanting to come of the crust.

 

The supreme was actually pretty good too...though a bit spicy. The supreme had the sausage and I thought that was pretty good. However, the mushrooms were by far the most disgusting mushrooms (in any instance...pizza or not) that I have ever had in my life. The taste was horrid and the texture honestly made me want to gag and I like mushrooms. They honestly tasted like they sat in soapy dishwater and then got thrown on the pizza.

 

For $4 it was a good pizza and probably hangs there with the $8 range frozen pizzas in general for the typical pizza lover. That being said, probably too greasy for me to buy again. Maybe on hand for a grease bomb when drinking one night. For similar taste I could just do the homemade one I mentioned earlier and have about 80% less grease.

[MrTPlush]

Getting Rocky rococo's after work today. i always thought their sauce was off tasting (too sweet) and its way too doughy. The kids love it so its a treat for them.

 

Just had Lou Malnati's, and I actually like Rockys a lot more. I get it's unique, but I get a huge craving for it every few months. Extra cheezy super-rony and side of breadsticks? Yes please.

 

I really like Lou Malnati's thin crust

 

It certainly gets overshadowed by the deep dish (which I think is overrated anyway). I always ordered that because I am not really a deep dish person...always offended my Chicago 'burb friends. That being said, if I remember right, it was really expensive. Like pushing almost $20 for a one topping large.

[GreatNWwi]

I've yet to find a "good" pizza place in the Twin Cities... I had one deep dish (Chicago style) place highly recommended by 3-4 people so my wife and I did it for a date night. It was passable Pizza Hut level, but not something to out of your way for.

 

You have to go east for good pizza here. Grand Pizza in Stillwater was a go to when I worked in the area 10+ years ago, I hear they are still good. Carbone's is generally good at least at the east-east side locations (Wisconsin). New Richmond has Vinny's Sports Bar + Grill (excellent). River Falls has Luigi's (very good). If you are St. Paul or west, probably a long drive for just a pizza but it does get you back to God's Country for a bit.

[CheezWizHed]

Thanks. I'm in the south side and have friends that head up to Stillwater on occasion, but I've not spent much time there. Will have to give it a try.

[Joseph Zarr]

Thanks. I'm in the south side and have friends that head up to Stillwater on occasion, but I've not spent much time there. Will have to give it a try.

 

IF you are into truly authentic Neopolitan style Italian pizza, apparently 'Pizzeria Lola' on 53rd ish and Xerxes is highly highly thought of. I just spoke with a couple peepariños back in the Twin Schmitties and they both swore by it. Again, more that authentic thin crust experience. It was featured, apparently, on 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives'. Has a cult following.

 

I also see that Galactic is still there on Grand Ave and is rated in the Top 20 on Trip Advisor. I quite liked it back in the day, but I think the sauce hits or misses with folks. FWIW.

[CheezWizHed]

Ironically, I didn't care for the pizza I had in Italy.

 

But a good wood-fired hand-tossed or chicago-style deepdish (i.e. Eduardo's in Milwaukee in the 90s) pizza I would go out of my way for.

 

But thin crust... nah.

[GreatNWwi]

Thanks. I'm in the south side and have friends that head up to Stillwater on occasion, but I've not spent much time there. Will have to give it a try.

 

I forgot to add, Carbone's has the best Pizza Sandwich (calzone) I have ever had including homemade.

[SeaBass]

Ironically, I didn't care for the pizza I had in Italy.

 

But a good wood-fired hand-tossed or chicago-style deepdish (i.e. Eduardo's in Milwaukee in the 90s) pizza I would go out of my way for.

 

But thin crust... nah.

I agree with you, the pizza in Italy is too simple and didn't impress me much either. It was ok, I don't want to say it was bad, just not what I was hoping for.

 

As a whole, the food in Italy didn't impress me, pasta included. I fully recognize that it's because I'm used to Americanized Italian food but sadly the fact remains.

[nate82]

Why is it that majority of pizzas in WI and other states are these horrible thin crust pizzas. I absolutely hate them. I will take a Chicago deep dish pizza over that horrible thin crust junk. That isn't even pizza it is just crackers with pizza toppings!

[Joseph Zarr]

Ironically, I didn't care for the pizza I had in Italy.

 

But a good wood-fired hand-tossed or chicago-style deepdish (i.e. Eduardo's in Milwaukee in the 90s) pizza I would go out of my way for.

 

But thin crust... nah.

I agree with you, the pizza in Italy is too simple and didn't impress me much either. It was ok, I don't want to say it was bad, just not what I was hoping for.

 

As a whole, the food in Italy didn't impress me, pasta included. I fully recognize that it's because I'm used to Americanized Italian food but sadly the fact remains.

 

Where did you eat in Italy? I found Italian food incredibly rich and delicious...with dirt cheap local wines to boot. Daily, I'd venture to the Markets and grab cheese, fresh bread, produce...go grab a couple bottles of wine. LOL. I think I gained 15 pounds?

[FVBrewerFan]

Why is it that majority of pizzas in WI and other states are these horrible thin crust pizzas. I absolutely hate them. I will take a Chicago deep dish pizza over that horrible thin crust junk. That isn't even pizza it is just crackers with pizza toppings!

 

 

Cmon man, thin crust is where it's at!

[Joseph Zarr]

Why is it that majority of pizzas in WI and other states are these horrible thin crust pizzas. I absolutely hate them. I will take a Chicago deep dish pizza over that horrible thin crust junk. That isn't even pizza it is just crackers with pizza toppings!

 

 

Cmon man, thin crust is where it's at!

 

The divide in the 'Deep Dish' or 'Traditional Crust' vs 'Thin Crust' appears to mirror the divide in our Nation. As a thinner crust man myself, I will pray we find the common ground.

[CheezWizHed]

Ironically, I didn't care for the pizza I had in Italy.

 

But a good wood-fired hand-tossed or chicago-style deepdish (i.e. Eduardo's in Milwaukee in the 90s) pizza I would go out of my way for.

 

But thin crust... nah.

I agree with you, the pizza in Italy is too simple and didn't impress me much either. It was ok, I don't want to say it was bad, just not what I was hoping for.

 

As a whole, the food in Italy didn't impress me, pasta included. I fully recognize that it's because I'm used to Americanized Italian food but sadly the fact remains.

 

Where did you eat in Italy? I found Italian food incredibly rich and delicious...with dirt cheap local wines to boot. Daily, I'd venture to the Markets and grab cheese, fresh bread, produce...go grab a couple bottles of wine. LOL. I think I gained 15 pounds?

 

Everything else I ate in Italy (Turin) was great. But the pizza was kind of meh. I followed the advice of a friend and ate a style I wouldn't normally otherwise (artichokes, hardly any cheese, etc...). I'm sure a different type would be better. I had a brick-oven pizza in Germany that was excellent (ironically).

[SeaBass]

Ironically, I didn't care for the pizza I had in Italy.

 

But a good wood-fired hand-tossed or chicago-style deepdish (i.e. Eduardo's in Milwaukee in the 90s) pizza I would go out of my way for.

 

But thin crust... nah.

I agree with you, the pizza in Italy is too simple and didn't impress me much either. It was ok, I don't want to say it was bad, just not what I was hoping for.

 

As a whole, the food in Italy didn't impress me, pasta included. I fully recognize that it's because I'm used to Americanized Italian food but sadly the fact remains.

 

Where did you eat in Italy? I found Italian food incredibly rich and delicious...with dirt cheap local wines to boot. Daily, I'd venture to the Markets and grab cheese, fresh bread, produce...go grab a couple bottles of wine. LOL. I think I gained 15 pounds?

I'm not a big wine guy, there was wine in abundance with all our meals and I drank it like everyone else but it's kind of wasted on me.

 

I was with a church tour group so our guide would bring us to different restaurants most nights. They were family run places and they fed us well. I don't want to hate on them, the food was fine but I guess I had high expectations. I also don't like seafood in any form. We would typically get many courses with a dinner, so sometimes if there was something I really liked it was just a small portion and then the next course would be served. In these situations we really didn't order for ourselves, they'd just seat us and then start bringing us food.

 

When we were left to find our own food for like lunches when out sightseeing we didn't have much luck with places we chose. We tried to find places with authentic food or sometimes it was just quick street food which was comparable to fast food quality. I don't want make it seem like everywhere we went was a letdown because it wasn't, but my general feeling was I expected a different experience. One day I literally went and had Chinese food because I wanted something different lol.

[homer]

Non-Frozen pizza variety...

 

Tried this out, and it was amazing: https://www.seriouseats.com/foolproof-pan-pizza-recipe

 

Trying this out on Saturday. Better be good

[Joseph Zarr]

I agree with you, the pizza in Italy is too simple and didn't impress me much either. It was ok, I don't want to say it was bad, just not what I was hoping for.

 

As a whole, the food in Italy didn't impress me, pasta included. I fully recognize that it's because I'm used to Americanized Italian food but sadly the fact remains.

 

Where did you eat in Italy? I found Italian food incredibly rich and delicious...with dirt cheap local wines to boot. Daily, I'd venture to the Markets and grab cheese, fresh bread, produce...go grab a couple bottles of wine. LOL. I think I gained 15 pounds?

I'm not a big wine guy, there was wine in abundance with all our meals and I drank it like everyone else but it's kind of wasted on me.

 

I was with a church tour group so our guide would bring us to different restaurants most nights. They were family run places and they fed us well. I don't want to hate on them, the food was fine but I guess I had high expectations. I also don't like seafood in any form. We would typically get many courses with a dinner, so sometimes if there was something I really liked it was just a small portion and then the next course would be served. In these situations we really didn't order for ourselves, they'd just seat us and then start bringing us food.

 

When we were left to find our own food for like lunches when out sightseeing we didn't have much luck with places we chose. We tried to find places with authentic food or sometimes it was just quick street food which was comparable to fast food quality. I don't want make it seem like everywhere we went was a letdown because it wasn't, but my general feeling was I expected a different experience. One day I literally went and had Chinese food because I wanted something different lol.

 

Oh man, that's funny - the Chinese food.

 

I think, perhaps an addendum is in order, I have a skewed perspective. When I went, I went to watch my brother-in-law play in the Lega Basket Serie A, so I was pretty much treated to the best restaurant recommendations each and every stay. Outside of the Markets, I just relied on others local and expert opinions. I'll never forget the night we were treated to a dinner by the clearly apparent Mob boss in Avelino (in the South of Italy - distinctively different cuisine than Tuscany or the Po region). It was one plate after the next just rapid succession. Everything came with fresh grated truffles. It was insanity. At the end, we paid a grand total of the equivalent of like $20USD. Never was it more apparent to me that it's all about who you know and that I was living in a very impermanent Bubble while he had a career. Ted Kennedy used to clandestinely fly into Tuscany and eat at Monteriggioni's 'Ill Pozzo'. I used to stay at a BnB just outside the city - a repurposed Convent. I ran into him one night while eating solo. Wild times.

[homer]

Non-Frozen pizza variety...

 

Tried this out, and it was amazing: https://www.seriouseats.com/foolproof-pan-pizza-recipe

 

Trying this out on Saturday. Better be good

 

I went full out and made my own sauce and my own sausage in addition to using the dough recipe above. It turned out pretty good but I wasn't super happy with my crust. It was fine. I think the recipe is legit - I am just not a very experienced baker. I don't think I let it proof long enough. Also I wish my oven went to 550 but oh well. It's a very easy recipe so I will definitely be trying it again soon.

[nate82]

Non-Frozen pizza variety...

 

Tried this out, and it was amazing: https://www.seriouseats.com/foolproof-pan-pizza-recipe

 

Trying this out on Saturday. Better be good

 

I went full out and made my own sauce and my own sausage in addition to using the dough recipe above. It turned out pretty good but I wasn't super happy with my crust. It was fine. I think the recipe is legit - I am just not a very experienced baker. I don't think I let it proof long enough. Also I wish my oven went to 550 but oh well. It's a very easy recipe so I will definitely be trying it again soon.

 

For my pizzas I bought one of these and I love it! I use either charcoal or wood mostly wood. You can also get an older version that just does propane or wood pellets for cheaper. I haven't used one of the older models though.

 

https://ooni.com/products/ooni-karu-16

[homer]

 

For my pizzas I bought one of these and I love it! I use either charcoal or wood mostly wood. You can also get an older version that just does propane or wood pellets for cheaper. I haven't used one of the older models though.

 

https://ooni.com/products/ooni-karu-16

 

Very nice! I assume you have it on a patio or something? I want one of those at some point in my life.

[nate82]

 

Very nice! I assume you have it on a patio or something? I want one of those at some point in my life.

 

Yes on my patio and also serves as a heater during the cold winter nights here in AZ when outside.

[homer]

Non-Frozen pizza variety...

 

Tried this out, and it was amazing: https://www.seriouseats.com/foolproof-pan-pizza-recipe

 

Trying this out on Saturday. Better be good

 

I went full out and made my own sauce and my own sausage in addition to using the dough recipe above. It turned out pretty good but I wasn't super happy with my crust. It was fine. I think the recipe is legit - I am just not a very experienced baker. I don't think I let it proof long enough. Also I wish my oven went to 550 but oh well. It's a very easy recipe so I will definitely be trying it again soon.

 

OK have to amend this...I only used half the dough last night and just made the other half today. The extra proofing time really helped.