Sunday, December 5, 2010

Shakespeare's Pizza, November 2010.

I have been traveling to and from my hometown a lot over the last few weeks and every trip takes me through Columbia, MO home of a couple of great pizza joints.  One of which just won Good Morning America's Favorite Collage Hangout.  Shakespeare's Pizza has a strong following,  I recently posted on CityProfile.com, the question "What's your favorite pizza joint?" and Shakespeare's Pizza keeps popping up as the answer. I last checked out Shake's about 1 year ago, you can see it here.

Today I could no longer just drive through Columbia and stopped at the new(er) Shakes way out west located at 3304 Broadway Business Park Court.  I brought 2 dinner salads ( lettuce, cheddar cheese, sprouts, tomato and red onions) and 2 Medium pizza's (one with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, hamburger and onions, the second the same just no onions).

As on my previous visit the pizza was great, maybe even a little better.  The staff at the way out west location were very friendly and it was defiantly easier for me to collect the pizza and go than the downtown location.  But the downtown location probably has more character, especially dining-in.

Highly Recommended.
Chief Pizza Eater.
GAW

P.S.  I was having some trouble with the white balance so the photos aren't the greatest.

Friday, November 19, 2010

The Good Pie: Pizzeria Napoletana

The Good Pie:  Pizzeria Napoletana.

3137 Olive Street Saint Louis, MO 63103 (map link);  (614)289-9391;  http://www.thegoodpie.com/

Pizza Style: Neapolitan.
Oven type: Wood.
The Skinny:  Neapolitan Pizza in St Louis.
Price: $9.50 (marinara) to $16.50 (prosciutto arugula)
Chief Pizza eater says:  Highly Recommended.

The Good Pie has been on my to do list for the past couple of years, but only just recently did I manage to try it.  In celebration of our 12th wedding anniversary my wife suggested I choose a pizza place for dinner, and The Good Pie was it.

The Good Pie is not your typical family pizza joint,  If you want a pepperoni and bacon pizza or a sausage and mushroom pizza with a pitcher of beer you might be disappointed.  As the names says, The Good Pie is a "Pizzeria Napoletana",  and myself being a Neapolitan Pizza neophyte I won't try to explain what goes into using that title, but will suggest you follow the link for a better idea.  I will say that the pizza's are somewhat simple in that they have few toppings and cooked at very high temperatures in a wood fired oven.  The menu has only 12 pizza's, including the daily special and the only additions or substitutions allowed are the addition of  Buffalo Mozzarella or a large farm fresh egg.

On our visit my wife (and part-time pizza eater) stared with the White Anchovy Panzanella from the appetizers.  It has a bed of greens (arugula?), croutons, olive oil, pesto and the white anchovy's.  The white anchovy's are nothing like the brown, briny bits you find at the supermarket and on most anchovy pizza's with the exception that they are both fish.  Don't get me wrong I like those brown briny bits, just in moderation.  The white anchovy's had a mellow taste and the dish as a whole was very good.  I ordered a Caesar Salad, it had romaine lettuce, Pecorino cheese and egg.  The menu states also that the dressing is made with raw eggs (just so you know).  I can't describe exactly what it was but, I believe my Caesar salad was the best I have ever had.  On my next visit I will add the white anchovy.  If they didn't serve pizza I would still return for the Caesar salad.

We ordered 2 pizza's the first was the Funghi, with roasted mushroom, taleggio (cheese), fresh mozzarella and herbs.  The second was The Good Pie with tomato, buffalo mozzarella and basil (same as the Margherita with exception of the buffalo mozzarella).  I believe both pies had a drizzle of olive oil.  The pizza's were about 12 inches and were served un-cut, each came with a pizza wheel.  Before I get any further, I should remind you that I know little or nothing about Neapolitan pizza other than what I may have read,  so...  As you can see from the photo above the crust on both pizza's had a nice char.  After cut, both pizza's where very limp at the tip, kind of needed to be folded back on it's self to keep the topping from falling off.  The Good Pie seemed to be a bit wet, I'm not sure if it was from the buffalo mozzarella or the tomato's, but even so I was quite good.  In the future I would probably order the Margherita over The Good Pie, as I suspect it was the cheese adding the extra wetness.  Although the Funghi needed to be folded up it didn't appear to have the same wetness going on as The Good Pie.  The Funghi with it's extra cheese and roasted mushrooms was very different experience and also very good.  The end crust (cornicione) was excellent all on it's own, so much so that  I wish I had ordered the pizza bianca (fresh bread) to start the meal off, next time.

Although not pictured we did get dessert, an order of salted caramel gelato.  When I ordered it our waitress response was "you know it's salted right?".  That may have been meant to warn us, as it had a lot of salt, really, a lot of salt.  I found it a interesting combination, but one I don't think I would try again.

Over all I had a very positive visit to The Good Pie, the food and service were both very good.  As I wrote this review I kept coming back to the fact that I really don't know much about Neapolitan Pizza and that I really need second point of reference, so I give my recommendation with a little bit of trepidation.  So until I can find a better Neapolitan pizza in St Louis, I Highly Recommend The Good Pie.  If you know of another location for Neapolitan pizza let me know I'm interested.

Highly Recommended.

Chief Pizza Eater.
GAW

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Friday, November 5, 2010

Domino's Pizza

I have what I will call an open work schedule.  Most days I get off work at 5 P.M. others I might not leave work until 8 or 9 P.M.  Sometimes I know the day before others I find out the same afternoon.  I found myself in the later situation not to long ago.  So if I want to eat dinner (supper) before 9 or 10 P.M., and I do, I must source food from the local eateries.  It must also be delivered, so that narrows down my options.

On this most recent occasion I choose Domino's Pizza, one of the Big Guys.  I ordered pizza and payed for it on-line (it brings my human interaction level to a new low).  I seemed to have had the New Domino's pizza earlier this year (just didn't blog about it for some reason) so I ordered a thin crust (St Louis style?) with pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, hamburger, onions and mozzarella cheese.  It turned out to be a pretty good pizza, certainly better than I might have expected.  The thin crust was crispy and a little flaky,  much better that the New Crust as it doesn't have any of the fake buttery stuff.

Recommended But,  only if you are stuck at work, low on cash, can't go out to get a better pizza, and you are really hungry.  Plus you have to get the thin crust.  Do they offer the thin crust outside of the St Louis area??

The Chief Pizza Eater.
GAW

Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Haus Pizzeria and Bar

The Haus Pizzeria and Bar

14815 Clayton Rd Chesterfield, MO 63017 (map link);  (636)385-5919;  www.thehausstl.com

Pizza Style: Thin
Oven type: Gas.
The Skinny:  Great Pizza with a Style all their own.
Price: $8.99 (12" cheese) to $18.69 (16" Specialty pizza)
Chief Pizza eater says:  Highly Recommended.

A few weeks back I decided it was time for Pizza.  Believe it or not, that's a very tough decision for me to make.  Probably the hardest part is deciding where to go,  we (St. Louis area) have so many great pizza places that it can cause great mental anguish for me just to pick a place.  I've seen several great pizza joints close in the past few years so I try to spread the love around and keep it close to home also.

So after much thought I decided to get pizza from The Haus Pizzeria and Bar,  I had had both a good pizza and a good conversation with the owner from there during my Binge 2010  and wanted to try it again.

We started with a Garden Salad, which comes with lettuce, carrots, black olives, tomatoes, sliced bell peppers, chedder & mozzarella cheeses.  Not only was The regular size salad very good it was also more than ample for two adults and one child.

We ordered 2 pizza's the first was a thin crust half cheese and half Zesto Pesto.  The Zesto Pesto has chicken, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, pesto sauce and mozzarella cheese.  Both of my fellow pizza eaters thought the Zesto Pesto was excellent.   Although not the kind of pizza I would order for my self, I also enjoyed a slice of Zesto Pesto.  The Cheese pizza was well accepted also.  What little was left over of the two was gone before I could get to them the next day,  they had to be good for the girls not to leave me any.

The second pizza was a "Thicker Crust" with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, hamburger and red onions.  Yeah, I know I'm pretty predictable.  I have to be honest here,  I'm not a big note taker, never have been, so I'm writing this from memory and it has been at least a month maybe longer since I ate the pizza. That being said what I remember most was that I was in a happy place while eating this pizza.  The crust brought a flood of memory's from my childhood.  Although the pizza from The Haus is assembled and cut slightly different from the pizza of my childhood the crust is very similar, and was really bringing back great memory's.  I keep going on about the crust, but the pizza as a whole was very good, and I know I say this all the time, but it was truly a struggle to close the box and not just eat the whole thing in one sitting.  I normally take several photos throughout the eating process of the crust and such, but I was put a little off balance by the flash back and never photos beyond the unveiling.

I'm sure that there will be those that can't put the pizza into one of their well defined category's (New York, St Louis, Chicago, etc.) and won't like it, but if you don't try it you will never know, maybe it will bring a flood of memory's to you also.  What more can I say?

Highly Recommended.

Chief Pizza Eater.
GAW

Thursday, October 14, 2010

DCOD

I recently purchased 3 DVD’s each with 4 movies on them, not just any movies, but classics like:  Forbidden Planet, Time Machine, Soylent Green, The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, Strangers on a Train and The Wrong Man just to name a few.  Since I purchased them it has dawned on me that there is no chance in hell that I will ever get to watch them, Because...

I have come down with a bad case of DCOD,  otherwise know as Digital Content Overload Disorder.  It seems that most of my free time is spent sifting through tons of noisy data looking for that one useful fact or funny video.  I just seem to lose focus... (It’s happening to me as I write this post, just way to many things going on at one time.)

In the morning when I boot up a computer I usually find something like 200-300 items (all the blogs I read+) waiting from me in Google Reader, 10-15 updated threads in ADVrider, a few worthy items in Facebook and two email accounts with about 20-30 emails (personal, work related and junk that passed the filter).  That’s just when I boot up, if I’m having a busy day I can easily have 1000+ items in Reader alone before I can look at it.  Of course I can’t leave out the DVR can I?  It’s now digital content also.  The DVR is always full with MythBusters, Dexter, GoodGuys, Warehouse 13, NCIS, NCIS LA, Gears, Extreme 4X4, Horsepower TV, Trucks, Muscle Car TV, Truck U, Two Guys Garage,  The occasional Movie (anything by Tarintino) and the list just goes on.  Did I mention eBay or Craigslist?  Nope, but let me tell you it take though they add a whole other dimension to the DSOD.

All of this Digital Content is of course on top of working for a living, household duties (grass, trash and cooking 1-2 a week), raising a young child (7 year’s old) and commuting 10+ hours a week.

I currently have 2 post for The Pizza Files, 2 post for ScootnArt and a couple of other digital projects cluttering up my brain.  I will try to unload and upload them soon, once that is done I’m going for a bicycle ride, I feel like I’m turning into one of the humans from the movie Wall-E...

I have got to reevaluate my Digital Content and hack some of it off,  I’m missing out on two much of the 2-way communication (no time to leave comments when I should because I have to much data to sift...).  I apologize to all my fellow blogger’s who’s blogs I read (yes I read them, really) but only leave a statistic in Analytics as proof I was there.  I know it’s the positive feedback that keeps one going.  I plan on doing better, and I might get to watch those DVD’s too.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Papi's Pizza, Ice Cream & Subs. August 2010

Another great feast from Papi's Pizza, Ice Cream & Subs.

I usually like to eat my pizza at the pizza joint or pick it up my self if eating at home, but occasionally I will get it delivered.  This was one of those times,  I had a great deal to accomplish at home, there was no food to speak of at home and I was in charge of dinner for the night.  Knowing I would get a great pizza from Papi's I pulled up there web-site to see what I would order for the lady pizza eaters and I saw the "Order Online", so I did.  After I completed my order the confirmation stated my pizza would delivered at 6:36 P.M.  Believe it or not my door bell rang at 6:36 P.M. and the feast was on.

Chief Pizza Eater.
8/19/2010

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, A look back.

It's all over.  The Binge 2010 that is.

Some numbers,

11 weeks.
25 pizza's (same as Binge 2009).
17 pizza joints (same as Binge 2009).
9 of those joints were new to me.

Favorites,  I enjoyed all the pizza's and I look forward to hitting up some of the joints again, but the one that stood out the most was probably La Pizza in University City.  Follow this Link to see all of the places I visited on the Binge 2010.

Thanks to all of my fellow pizza eater's who helped to eat and pay for all those pizza's.  Only 10 months until the Binge 2011.

The Chief Pizza Eater.
8/21/10

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Seventeen.

For the last stop on the Binge 2010 I wanted to visit someplace new to me.  I had a plan to get lunch from Francesco Pizza in St Peters, just down the road from where I work.  I told my fellow pizza eaters (co-workers)  if they would order and pick-up the pizza I would buy.  After much trying to reach Francesco's to no avail, my fellow pizza eater decided to drive there and order our pizza.  She found the doors locked...  So my fellow pizza eater recommended Stefanian's Pizza.  I had never been to Stefanian's so I said sure.  Well it turns out the location my fellow pizza eater was thinking about was actually Andoro's Pizzeria...  I had Andoro's last year and wasn't to impressed, but it was getting late and I was hungry so I said "sounds good to me".  That's how Andoro's Pizzeria became stop seventeen on the 2010 Binge.

Having been there and done that before I choose to get a thin crust (St Louis style) with mozzarella cheese and the rest of my favorite toppings (pepperoni, Canadian bacon, hamburger and onions).  My fellow pizza eaters got a thick crust pepperoni and bacon.  I also got a side salad with the house dressing.  My pizza and the salad were good.  As with my prevouis visit the thick crust pizza was just not up to par.  If you just got to eat at Andoro's I suggest you go with the thin crust and mozzarella cheese.

The Chief Pizza Eater.
8/12/10

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Sixteen.

The Binge 2010 was nearing it's end (the last weekend) and I had only just been released from my broken collar bone, so I needed pizza and a motorcycle ride.  I had heard about a place in Potosi, MO that had pretty good pizza. That's how Boo's Market became stop sixteen on the 2010 Binge.

After riding my motorcycle all day I was rather hungry when I arrived at Boo's so I ordered 14" pizza with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, hamburger and onions.  I'm so predictable.  I also ordered a small side salad with Homemade ranch dressing.  The side salad comes with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and cheese.

The pizza was of the St Louis style with a very thin & crispy crust and was cut on the square.  It did have a blend of cheese, but tasted like it was more Provel than mozzarella.  Maybe it was because I had been on the road all day, or that I hadn't had a St Louis style pizza in a long time, but I really enjoyed the pizza.  If you are hungry and in Potosi, MO you can't go wrong at Boo's Market, and if you aren't much for St Louis Style pizza try one of their burgers or sandwiches.

Just so you know it's possible to transport pizza left overs on a motorcycle, but they may get a little tossed...

The Chief Pizza Eater.
8/9/10

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Fifteen.

I had planned to eat at Pi during last years Binge, but it just never happened.  So I was determined it would happen this year.  I called some fellow pizza eaters that are fans of Chicago Style deep dish pizza and told them when I would be there.  That's how Pi became stop fifteen on the 2010 Binge.

We started with a BLT salad.  One pizza eater started dinner with a Purple Cow, not sure how he was able to eat any pizza.  For pizza we had a thin crust Margarita, thin crust with half pepperoni half pepperoni & sausage and a deep dish with half Berkeley half Kirkwood.  We had intended for the pepperoni & pepperoni, sausage to be a deep dish also, but I must have been talking funny when ordering.  We were offered   a new pizza but, we were all pretty hungry and didn't really want to wait the extended time for a deep dish to bake.  It was probably a wise decision.  One of the things about their pizza that makes them stand out from the crowd is their cornmeal crust, and I have to say I just wasn't feeling the love for it.  That includes the thin crust also.  I liked the thin crust pizza somewhat better than the deep dish, but I probably won't be returning any time soon unless somebody else is paying.  I guess the press coverage and general hype about PI had me going in with high expectations, your pizza may vary.


The Chief Pizza Eater.
8/8/10

Friday, August 20, 2010

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Fourteen.

Early in the week I started planning pizza eating for Saturday, I called the Man, who said "Dude... can't make it on Satruday, how about this new place on Friday?".  A new pizza joint, I'm all over that.  That's how St. Louis National Pizza Co. (aka Natty's) became stop fourteen on the 2010 Binge.

We ordered a house salad with the house dressing.  Sorry no photos, the Man and Dude were talking, they forgot.  For pizza we had a 16" New York style with half "the rae-rae" and half Canadian bacon and bacon.  We actually ordered Canadian bacon and pineapple.  We were offered a new pizza, but choose to eat the one we had, it was actually pretty good.  The rae-rae has a four cheese blend, tomato slices, and fresh basil.  Even though there was some Provel cheese in the blend, it was still very good!

The name St Louis National Pizza Co. may make you think it's a chain, but it's not.  The National  comes from the fact that the owner traveled around the nation working at pizza joints learning the trade.
Natty's is defiantly worth a return visit, plus I still have to try their Chicago deep dish pie.


The Chief Pizza Eater.
8/7/10

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Thirteen.

It was Friday, and work was crazy busy.  I wouldn't be leaving for home anytime soon and dispair was starting to set-in, when suddenly the Pizza Angel called.  We where having pizza for lunch....  That's how Pizza Hut became stop thirteen on the 2010 Binge.

We had 2 pizza's both stuffed crust (cheese in it), one with, yep you guessed it, pepperoni, ham, hamburger and onions. The second pizza was pepperoni, ham and bacon.  We also got an order of Chocolate Dunkers, they were strangely appetizing.  The pizza was okay, and I would eat it again as long as somebody else is paying.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the Pizza Angel for buying it, in fact I'm glad she did because Free Pizza is Free Pizza is Free Pizza is Free Pizza is Free Pizza.  Not matter where Free Pizza comes from you can't go wrong, really... I think.

The Chief Pizza Eater.
8/2/10

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Twelve.

I like to get away from the St Louis area to sample some pizza once in awhile, so I often head towards my old stomping grounds of central Missouri.  One of my fellow pizza eaters has been telling me about a new joint in a small town not far from where I grew up, so I decided a road trip was in order so as to give it a try.  That's how Main Street Mercantile in Clark, MO became stop twelve on the 2010 Binge. 

The Main Street Mercantile is basically a small town (pop. 275) quicky mart and has rather unusual hours so if you plan on eating there you better call ahead to confirm they will be open.  I arrived in my home town on Saturday about 4:30 p.m. had the pizza ordered by 5p.m. and picked up at 5:30p.m. just shy of their closing time.  We ordered two large (14in) meat-lovers pizza's with onions added to one.  The first thing I noticed was how heavy the boxes were, they don't skimp on the toppings.  They even use Red Onions, my favorite.  The pizza was pretty good, but I would probably pass on the sausage and beef / hamburger next time.

Chief Pizza Eater.
7/26/10

Friday, July 30, 2010

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Eleven.

It was Friday, I had family visiting and they were determined to take me out for supper.  Who am I to turn down free supper.  I told them they were paying so they could decide where to go, knowing it was the 2010 Binge they wanted to get pizza and started to name a few places, all places I had been recently.  I said "Whaoo, there are some rules if we eat pizza"  I would only do pizza if it was some place new to me or if I hadn't eaten there in the past year.  That narrows down the options quite a bit.  Then finally I knew where to go.  That's how Talayna's Italian Restaurant (68 Four Season Center, Chesterfield, MO) became stop eleven on the 2010 Binge.

Shortly after being seated we had a loaf of warm bread and a dish of olive oil with cheese and herbs sitting on the table.  It was very good and difficult to put down.  We ordered a House salad with the House dressing, easily enough for two.  We ordered two pizza's.  The first a Margarita on hand tossed crust, it had Tomato, Olive Oil, Mozzarella Cheese and fresh basil.  The second was a hand tossed crust with pepperoni, hamburger and onions.  Both pizza's were great, but between the bread and the salad all three of us pizza eaters filled up pretty fast.  The left over pizza was good a couple of days later, but not as good as some so if you visit Talayna's take it easy on the bread or order a smaller pizza so you don't have any left overs.

Great pizza and some place new, plus I have exceeded my goal for the 2010 Binge.

The Chief Pizza Eater.
7/26/10 

 

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Ten.

A fellow pizza eater calls me on Saturday and says he saw a new pizza joint, and asks if  I want to go?  Yes of course, is there any other answer.  That's how The Haus Pizzeria & Bar became stop ten of the 2010 Binge.

Myself and two other pizza eaters arrived at The Haus Pizzeria & Bar about 5:30 on Sunday and were greeted by Pascal one of he proprietors.  After reviewing the menu we decided to share a large garden salad with the house dressing.  The salad was probably big enough for 4 people and the dressing was excellent. 

For pizza we ordered 2 medium thin crust, one with pepperoni, sausage and mushrooms the second with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, hamburger and red onions.  Although the pizza is of the thin crust variety and cut on the square it should not be confused with St Louis style pizza.  First off they use mozzarella cheese, secondly their crust is a bit thicker and of the hand made variety.  In the end the food was not only great, but plentiful. The Haus Pizzeria & Bar is definitely worth a return visit,  maybe when they have a live blues.

The Chief Pizza Eater.
7/19/10

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Nine.

It was Friday and it looked like I would be getting out of work on time for a change, so to celebrate I decided pizza for supper.  I also had to do an errand in Brentwood and I wanted to hit someplace new, so after studding my list of Binge 2010 candidates I found what I was looking for.  That's how Pizza A Go Go came to be stop nine of the Binge 2010.

There are some things you should know before you go to Pizza A Go Go, first is that they only have pizza on their menu.  If you want cheese bread, pasta or salad you are not going to be happy.  They only have PIZZA that's it... oh they also have fountain soft drinks, really that's it.  Second they only take cash or checks.  Yep that's right they actually take checks. Third they open at 4 p.m. and are closed on Wednesday.  None of those things mattered to me as I went on Friday evening with a wad of cash in my pocket and I only wanted pizza, so it worked out just fine.

I ordered a large hand tossed pizza (remember pizza, that's all they have) with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, sausage and onions. I'm not one to order sausage often, but they don't have hamburger, so I went with sausage.  I found it to be good, not to herbed up or spicy. 

Pizza A Go Go was a worthy stop on the 2010 Binge, even if they only have pizza and don't take plastic.

The Chief Pizza Eater.
7/17/10

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Eight.

The weekend flew past before I knew what happened and I didn't get any pizza.  So I was determined to get pizza for supper and there is one place close to my work that is only open for supper, and it had been one year since I last had there pizza, so this would be the perfect time.  That's how Erio's Ristorante became stop eight on the Binge 2010.

I started with a Dinner salad and the House dressing.  I also asked for the Anchovy fillets, as I like them in my salad (or pizza for that matter).  I was shocked when I opened the salad and found the equivalent of a whole can, all for just $.75.   It was time for me to go out side of my typical pizza so I ordered the Pizza di Palermo, it's hand tossed dough is brushed with minced garlic and extra virgin olive oil then topped with bacon, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.  The pizza brought to me straight from oven by owner Pietro (Pete) Pulizzi, was delicious.  The ride home in the car was absolute torturer, I could barely control my self long enough to snap a few photos before digging in.

One year is just way to long to go between visits,  I have to come up with a pizza eating schedule.

The Chief Pizza Eater.
7/13/10

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Seven.

The phone rings and it is an invitation to go eat pizza,  and you know me.  Being the invitee I go where their going, and their going to Dewey's Pizza.  That's how Dewey's Pizza became stop seven on the Binge 2010.

For 3 pizza eaters we got a Peppercorn Ranch Salad and a large pizza half with pepperoni, meatballs, Canadian bacon and red onions, the other half was pepperoni and meatball. 

Dewey's wasn't on my list for the Binge 2010, as it's a family favorite I seem to find my self there several times a year, but as always the pizza was great.

The Chief Pizza Eater.
7/5/10

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Six.

The Sixth Stop on the 2010 Summer Binge was new to me, I first read about it last fall in the St Louis Post-Dispatch and put it on my to do list at that time.  They also made it in to the St Louis magazine's Best Pizza issue.  I went there last week only to find them closed, not deterred I returned today, and that's how Feraro's Jersey Style Pizza became stop Six on the Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge.

The Chief Pizza Eater.
6/27/10

La Pizza



La Pizza

8137 Delmar Blvd. University City, MO (map link);  (314)725-1230;  www.lapizzamenu.com/

Pizza Style:  Hand Tossed (New York Style), Sicilian (call 24 hours in advance)
Oven type:  Gas.
The Skinny:  Won St Louis Magazine Best Pizza 2009 for a reason.
Price: $2.50 (Slice of Cheese), $11.00 (14" cheese) to $30.50 (18" The Roberto)
Chief Pizza eater says: Highly Recommended.

I was planning to go to La Pizza last summer during my Binge, but I just ran out of time, and during the rest of the year I really don't get to eat that much pizza.  After La Pizza won St Louis Magazine's Best Pizza award there was not way I would miss it again.  I had some errands to run and when I was finished at 3p.m. I called in my order,  I was told it would be about 45 minutes before it would be ready,  not a probably, but I was a bit surprised.  I arrived about 30 minutes latter and understood the time,  there was not an empty seat in the joint.  Granted it's not a huge restaurant, but there was only one person running the place and he was the pizza maker, server, cashier, and chief bottle washer.  Even though I showed up early, he felt bad that I had to wait and offered a free drink.  A pretty good first impression.

I started with a Garden Salad and the House Italian dressing.  The salad comes with Iceberg and green leaf lettuce, mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.  Simple and fresh, a good start to the meal.

For pizza I went with my favorite pepperoni, hamburger, ham and onions.  The first thing you notice when opening the box aside from intoxicating aromas is the more than generous toppings.  You get some everything in every bit.  The crust was browned nicely.  Because I had a long drive home the pizza had cooled slightly and was able to pretty much support it's self, had I eaten it at the restaurant I'm sure it would have needed a fold to support it's self.  Of the toppings the hamburger was excellent.  The sauce was also very good holding everything together.  I had a difficult time controlling my hunger, I just didn't want to stop eating.  The pizza did very well a day later in the toaster oven.

La Pizza has a full menu with two styles of pizza, hand tossed (New York) & Sicilian (they ask you to call 24 hour's in advance for the Sicilian).  You can get the hand tossed by the slice or whole pie.  There are also Salads, Cheese Garlic bread, Stromboli, Calzone and Heroes  They offer dine-in and carry-out.

Everything was great,  I will be finding excuses to go to U-city all the time, just so I can go to La Pizza.  You can't have to many slice joints either.  If you haven't been to La Pizza before make the trek it will be worth it.  If you want to eat there, just make sure and go early or be prepared to wait,  the seating is very limited.

Highly Recommended.

GAW

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Five.

The Fith Stop on the 2010 Summer Binge was on my list, but not my intended location for the day.  The last few days have been kind of a lousy, so I was determined to drowned my self pity in Pizza.  I had wanted to visit someplace new to me, so in my aimless wandering around this afternoon I found my self at Feraro's Jersey Style Pizza in South St. Louis County, only to find it closed on Monday's.  My Day just got worse...  I tend to have a hard time deciding where to eat, so finding the place closed was just one more kick in the ribs.

I start to think about the different pizza joints between where I was and home, several came to mind but only Fortel's was on list  for the 2010 Summer Binge, so it's decided.  That's how Fortel's Pizza Den became stop Five on the Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge.  I started with a small side salad and the House dressing.  For pizza I did my favorite,(remember I'm drowning my self pity) Pepperoni, ham, hamburger and onions.  Fortel's pizza is very interesting, It's a bit like St Louis style in that they put sauce and toppings all the way to the edge, no handle on this pie, and it's cut on the square.  Similarity's stop there, the crust is slightly thicker, they use Mozzarella cheese and they put all the toppings on top of the cheese.  Speaking of toppings, they load it up.  Delicious, no matter how they slice it.

The Chief Pizza Eater.
6/21/10

Friday, June 18, 2010

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Four.

The Fourth Stop on the 2010 Summer Binge was a place I have visited a couple of times in the past year.  Luckily It's not far from my home as I was both hungry for pizza and to tired to drive very far.  Thats how Papi's Pizza became stop four.

I started with a small Papi's house salad with oil & vinegar dressing.  For pizza I went with my fave pepperoni, meatball, ham and onion.  The salad was very good, although the dressing was little lacking.  The pizza was great.  A worthy visit.

Chief Pizza Eater
6/13/10


Thursday, June 10, 2010

Picasso's Pizza



Picasso's Pizza

7827 Mexico Rd. St Peters, MO 63376 (map);  (636)387-1699;  picassospizzaplace.biz

Pizza Style: Hand tossed (New York), Sicilian
Oven type: Gas
The Skinny: Great pizza by the slice or whole pie. No ham or Canadian Bacon?? Closed on Sundays.
Price: $7.95 (12in cheese) to $17.00 (16in Rembrant), $2.50 (slice of cheese)
Chief Pizza eater says:  Highly Recommended.  Unless you can't live without your ham or Canadian Bacon.

I have been to Picasso's a few times since the first of the year, but I've only gotten a slice of pepperoni on those visits, so I haven't gone into detail until now.  I had seen there name in the phone book, but was encouraged to try Picasso's by the friend of a friend pizza eater.

We started with a house salad with the House dressing (creamy Italian), it's covered with tomatoes, red onions, black olives, and mozzarella cheese.  The salad, big enough for two also comes with garlic sticks.

For Pizza we had a large with half pepperoni, meatball & onion, and half pepperoni & bacon.  The slice, nicely done on the bottom,  needs some support at the end or just fold it New York style and your good to go.  It's nice and chewy at he edge, just the way I like it.  With the first bite you notice they don't skimp on the  cheese.  There's a lot of cheese, the rest of the toppings not so much but still a little bit of everything with each bite.  The meatballs, quite good are sliced on the thin side.  The sauce wasn't too sweet or spicy, it complimented the rest of the pie.


Picasso's Pizza has a full menu, with two styles of pizza, hand tossed (New York) & Sicilian.  There are also Appetizers, Salads, Entrees (pasta), Hot Sandwiches and Paninis.  They offer dine-in, carry-out and delivery (We were told so on the phone, but the web-site doesn't list it so check ahead).

All of my fellow pizza eaters enjoyed the pizza and said they would go again.  I found everything quite good also, and I'm sure I will be returning again soon.  At the very least I need to try the Sicilian pizza (thick crust).  I also like that you can get your pizza by the slice, including the Sicilian.  So whether you want a whole pie or just a slice for lunch, give Picasso's Pizza a try.  Picasso's Pizza is well worth a visit.

Highly Recommended.

GAW

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Three.

The Third Stop on the 2010 Summer Binge was a place that I had wanted to visit last year but just never made it.  I'm kind of peeved at myself for not getting there sooner, as St Louis Magazine named La Pizza the best pizza in St Louis earlier this year.  I wasn't going to let it slip by this year.  So that's how La Pizza became stop three.

I Stared with a Garden salad with the House dressing, and for pizza, pepperoni, ham, hamburger and onion (my favorite combo).  All I can say is it was Great!  There was one young man working there today and when I called in the order he told me it would take 35 minutes.  I got there a little early and knew I would have to wait, but he still felt bad that I had to wait and gave me a free drink.  The pizza by the way was ready exactly when he said it would be.

Chief Pizza Eater.
6/6/10

Friday, June 4, 2010

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop Two.

Stop 2 of The Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Little Caesars.  Unplanned bonus stop.

So I'm at work suffering from my broken collar bone, I was barely able to get my self dressed that morning, and there was no way I could make my lunch, actually food of any kind was the last thing on my mind.  At about 11 A.M. my co-wokers told me they were going to Little Caesars for lunch and did I want any thing?  Of course I wanted something.  $5.00 Hot-N-Ready with pepperoni please.

The best part is that I had pizza for lunch 2 days in a row for just $5.00.  Interestingly enough I found the pizza quite satisfying.  Maybe...It should be noted I was taking pain medicine at the time...

Chief Pizza Eater.
6/4/10

Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge, Stop One.

The Pizza Files 2010 Summer Binge has begun.  The first stop, Picasso's Pizza in St Peters.  On the menu was the House Salad with House dressing (creamy Italian), a large pizza half pepperoni, meatball and onions.  The other half was pepperoni and bacon.  There were three pizza eaters and all came away satisfied.

Not a bad start to the 2010 summer binge.  Look for more on Picasso's Pizza in the near future.
Chief Pizza eater.

5/27/10

Bump in the road, back on track now.

About one week ago I hit a bump in the road, literally a bump in the road.  The results of the bump in the road are documented in the image above, a broken left collar bone.  It took the wind from my sails for a bit, but I'm back and will be eating pizza again very soon.  You will see some eaten pizza photos very soon.


Chief Pizza Eater.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Pizza Files Summer Binge 2010..


The second annual Pizza Files Summer Binge is nearly hear, this years binge will start May 27th and end on August 12th.  Last year I had a modest plan to hit eight local pizza joints and find a few while on a road trip out west, in the end I had 25 different pie's (see photo above) from 17 different pizza joints.  I have a similar plan for the 2010 Binge, I would like to visit at least 10 local pizza joints and try to find a few during my travels.

The list that follows is but a suggestion and are in no particular order other than places I have yet to visit and places I have visited.

New locations:
Previously visited locations:

The Binge will start promptly at Noon on Thursday May 27th, where it will end I'm not sure, but it will end, at Noon on August 12th in fact.  Be there or Be hungry.

GAW

Just 10...   really.
The Binge, are you in?

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Pizzarelli's Pizzeria

Pizzarelli's Pizzeria

15858 Manchester Rd, Ellisville, MO 63011 (map);  (636) 394-0094;  pizzarellispizza.com

Pizza Style:  New York, Thin & Crispy and Deep Dish
Oven type:  Gas
Price:  $11 for a 14" cheese to $23 for a 18" Deluxe
Chief Pizza Eater Says:  Highly Recommended.
The Basics:  Nothing fancy, just Great New Your style pizza.

A couple of weekend's ago on our way home from a family outing, my wife says those rare words that I long for, "Why don't you order a for us to take home".  I was so shocked to hear those word that I immediately had a brain fart and was incapacitated for several minutes.  I had to pick a pizza joint that was close to home and would not take us far out of the way.  After processing the data for a few moments I came up with Pizzarelli's Pizzeria, and a Google search later I had the phone number, thank you android, and the order was placed.  Shortly after arriving at Pizzarelli's I had two fresh from the oven pizza's, a 14" half veggie, half cheese for the girls and a 14" pepperoni, meatball, Canadian bacon and onion for me, both on New York style crust.

The last time I had Pizzarelli's Pizzeria was September 2008, and let me tell you that is just way to much time between visits.  The girls didn't feel like sharing so I know theirs was good.  My pizza was excellent.  I like a lot of different toppings on my pizza and if not done correctly it can suffer.  Pizzarelli's did a great job, every bite came away with a little bit every topping.  The perfect quantity of ingredients, not to much not to little.  The crust was great, nicely done on the bottom, a little floppy at the tip and a little chewy at the edge.  The sauce was not overly seasoned.  There was plenty of cheese.  The sliced / crumbled meatballs were incredible, nicely seasoned and great texture.  Real Canadian bacon, or at least what us non-Canadian's call Canadian bacon, pepperoni with a little bit and thin sliced onions.  I was unable to resist it and had the first piece half devoured before I could get the camera out for the obligatory photo.  That first slice was heaven and it took every bit of will power to not eat the whole pizza in one sitting. 

The next morning the leftovers had a excellent trip to the toaster oven and I was in heaven allover again.  Granted not quite to the same extent as when it was fresh, buts still heaven.

Pizzarelli's Pizzeria has a full menu, besides three styles of pizza (New York hand tossed, Chicago thin & crispy and deep dish) there are Appetizers, Salads, Wings, Calzones, Eppie rolls, Pasta, Sandwiches and desserts.  They offer dine-in, but I would say they are more of a carry-out and delivery joint.

Pizzarelli's Pizzeria is well worth the trip and I can guarantee it won't take me a year and half to visit again.

Highly Recommended.

GAW

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Arm twisting, painful arm twisting!



After much painful arm twisting I agreed to eat some delicious pizza from Picasso's Pizza.

Really, very painful arm twisting.

Location : 5650 Mexico Rd, St Peters, MO 63303, 

Sorry for the bad photo,  I was to busy eating pizza to make it better.  

GAW

Saturday, March 27, 2010

G & D Pizza



I have found myself in Columbia, MO today and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to eat at G & D.

Location : 2101 W Broadway, Columbia, MO 65203,

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Of course I did it !



Medium pepperoni, ham, beef and onion.

Location : 2400-2498 Executive Dr, St Peters, MO 63303,

Stuck late at work, what to do?



I'm stuck late at work tonight without supper, sounds like a good time to order Pizza. I haven't had Domino's Pizza in I don't know how many years. So should I pull the trigger?

Location : 2400-2498 Executive Dr, St Peters, MO 63303,

Stuck late at work, what to do?



I'm stuck late at work tonight without supper, sounds like a good time to order Pizza. I haven't had Domino's Pizza in I don't know how many years. So should I pull the trigger?

Location : 2400-2498 Executive Dr, St Peters, MO 63303,

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Three day's in a row!



Pizza 3 days in a row, it doesn't get much better.

I'm eating a slice at East Coast Pizza at this very moment.

GAW

Location : 17304 Chesterfield Airport Rd, Chesterfield, MO 63005,

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Picasso's Pizza

To make a long story short it goes like this,  the pizza eater friend of a pizza eater friend said you have to try Picasso's Pizza in St Peters.  Well today my fellow pizza eater picked up a couple of slices, yeah you can get it by the slice or whole pie, and brought them to work for a afternoon snack.  It took a lot of self control not to just up and leave work to get another slice, it was excellent.  I will be visiting Picasso's Pizza in the very near future for a more indepth review.

My fellow pizza eater is from New York and was surprised to see Peppers and Egg sandwiches on the menu.  She tells me that it's a standard in New York, and Picasso's is the first place in the St Louis area that she has found them.  I suspect I will be having a Peppers and Egg Sandwich with my pizza...

GAW

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Andoro's Pizzeria

I drive past Andoro's Pizzeria on my way to and from work several times a week.  The first time I noticed it was last summer.  They don't have a website per-say, but they do have a Facebook page. The Facebook page list a website (Link), the link will take you to Andoro and Sons a pizza and restaurant supply company based in Wentsville, MO.  While the pizzeria has only been around for less than a year Andoro and Sons has been in business since 1957.  Andoror's Pizzeria menu includes Salads, Appetizers, Wings, Pastas, Sandwiches, Desserts and of course Pizza.  The Pizza is available in St. Louis style or New York style.  The St Louis pizza comes with provel cheese and the New York mozzarella cheese.

I started with a Dinner salad, it had Iceberg lettuce, provel cheese (one of the few good uses of provel), tomatoes, onion, peppercini and croutons. I choose the Oil & Vinegar dressing.  The salad was very good, but I would have liked to have seen red onion instead of the yellow.

For pizza I ordered a New York style crust with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, hamburger and onions (my usual).  New York style pizza in the St Louis area varies greatly from one place to the next, and Andoro's is another variation.  The crust wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.  As I was eating it There was something I just couldn't put my finger on, later.  The sauce was balanced not to sweet or spicy.  The toppings were all good and in the proper quantities, just look at the photo above the pizza looks great.  Overall the pizza was good.

A couple of days after eating the pizza I found my way to the Andoro and Sons web-site.  They sell cheese, frozen foods (toasted ravioli etc), meats, pizza crusts, redi-made pizza and tomato products (canned).  I know that most St Louis style pizza crusts (not all by any means) are pre-made, you order a St Louis style pizza and the cook just pulls a crust out of a bag.  Haven't you ever wondered why they are so perfectly round?  Andoro and Sons offers a whole variety of pre-made crust including; Original Pizza Crust, Pan Style Pizza Crust, Neopolitan Thick Pizza Crust and the list goes on.  In fact they sell 7 different styles of crust in a number of sizes.  So I have to wonder if the pizza I ate was from a pre-made crust or not.  I intend to get back there someday and I will ask when I do.  I know from my days in the pizza biz that it takes a lot of work to make fresh dough everyday, but doing so can make a good pizza into a great pizza.

The pizza and salad were good, but I'm a bit on the fence with the crust, so Andoro's Pizzeria just squeaks in to Recommeded.  I know it's not a simple task, but do something with the New York style crust and  throw some red onions at things and it would have been Highly Recommended.  It should be noted, I didn't try the St Louis style pizza so you are on your own if you order one of those.  Andoro's Pizzeria is located at 6240 Mexico Rd. in St Peters, MO.  You can reach them at (636) 926-0333, for more information check out there Facebook page (click on the title link).

Recommended.

GAW


Monday, February 22, 2010

It's my birthday and I will eat pizza if I want to.

Today was my XX'nd birthday, and though I didn't go out for pizza I did eat pizza for breakfast.  I ate the last of the leftovers from a small gathering celebrating my birthday this past Saturday.  I have been thinking about where I wanted to eat pizza on birthday for the past several months.  My only criteria was that where ever I went it should be new me.  Near the end there were 3 contenders;  Pi PizzeriaThe Good Pie and Onesto Pizza & Trattoria.  After much internal debating I finally asked my wife which one she thought would be a good choice, now she's not really a true pizza eater (sushi is another story), but I felt I needed a outside opinion. Saturday morning I decided that Onesto Pizza & Trattoria would be the lucky one and called them to make Reservations for 12 pizza eaters.

Just in case you are wondering starting in the upper left and moving clockwise the pizza's are 1.  Pesto in the House  2.  Pepperoni, Ham, Meatball & Onion  3.  Queen Margherita  4.  Italian Sausage & Mushrooms.

The pizza's were great, the company of pizza eaters was great and it was a great birthday.

GAW

Monday, February 8, 2010

Papi's Pizza

The day after having my Costco Slice (see previous post) I get a call from some of my fellow pizza eaters asking about a joint I had recently visited,  Papi's Pizza in Wildwood (see review here).  Was it any good?  Do they have seating?  Etc.  Yes, Yes and Yes.  So they said I should meet them there at 5:30, and not being someone to refuse pizza I said I'll be there.
We had a Mediterranean salad to start.  For pizza there were 4 kinds ordered, a Mediterranean, a butcher shop, a pepperoni & bacon and finally a  pepperoni, meatball, onion & red bell peppers.  I almost forgot there was a small cheese, but again my pizza eating daughter wouldn't let me have any, I'm told it was quite good.
I ordered the pepperoni, meatball, onion and red bell pepper pizza, it was very good, and so thought my fellow pizza eaters.  I had a slice of the pepperoni and bacon pizza which was also very good.  I missed out on the butcher shop, but did get a slice of the Mediterranean.  The Mediterranean is not a pizza that I would typically order so I especially wanted to try it.  The Mediterranean has artichoke, tomato, mushrooms, spinach, black olives and feta cheese.  All those veggies bring a lot of water with them and keeps the crust on the soft side.  The combination was quite good aside from the crust being a bit soft, my fellow pizza eaters thought it was very good also.

I couldn't forget the Ice Cream.  I had a scoop of Praline Pecan, a very good way to end a pizza eating session.

It was a last minute trip and I didn't have my normal pizza cam, hence the poor photo quality.

GAW