It's been 25 days since I last ate Pizza!

I have got to get some pizza this weekend. It's been 25 days since my last fix, I have started to have tremors, hallucinations, and a general apathy for life.

Alright alright, if it was that bad I would have been to the "Hot and Ready $5" pizza joint just across the street from work. I'm desperate not hopeless.

Pizza Snobz, Deep Fried.

Are you getting tired of your run of the mill pizzeria pizza? Is your slice just not quenching your caloric needs? The Pizza Snobz of the Wilson Borough in Easton, PA have got just what you need, Deep Fried Pizza. You can drop every thing else in the deep fryer so why not a slice of pizza. For the full story click the title link.

Just in case you have a craving Pizza Snobz is located at: 2300 Butler St. Easton, PA 18042

I now know what direction my summer road trip will be going...

GAW

Pizza World expanding.

In a interview published today with the Belleville News Democrat, Eric Wortham the founder of Pizza World stated they had 15 locations with 10 more under contract to open.

I was a little bit disappointed to learn that Mr. Wortham started Pizza World in Maplewood, MO 18 years ago not for his passion in making great pizza, but instead for his desire to be his own boss. Even though it wasn't a passion for pizza that got him started, the pizza is very good, it beats the big three any day of the week hands down. Prior to starting Pizza World He worked in the aircraft industry. If you would like to read the interview please follow the title link.

Pizza World was the first pizza joint I reviewed on this site, and I liked it quite well. At some point in the future I'm sure I will spend some more of my money there.

GAW.

Racanelli's New York Style Pizzeria

It's my birthday and I will eat pizza if I want to. Ok so it's not my birthday today, but it was yesterday and believe it or not I was forced to eat Steak... but my co-workers came through big time with pizza today.

Racanelli's New York Style Pizzeria is a family owned local chain that first opened in University City in 1994, now they have 6 locations including St Peters, the source of pizza for this review. Their menu includes salads, appetizers, sandwiches, Stromboli, calzone and of course pizza. Aside from the hand tossed crust you can also get their version of the pan pizza called the Sicilian. The standard cheese is mozzarella, but you can also get feta, ricotta and cheddar cheese on your pie.

It was my birthday so they ordered my standard: pepperoni, ham (Canadian bacon is not offered), meatballs and onions. The pizza was a large (18in), and cut into 8 slices, so they required some support for the first few bites. The edge of the crust is a bit chewy but quite good. The sauce was evenly spred in the proper amount, not to much not to little. The ingredients were all good. The meatballs were very good, but I would have liked to have seen a few more on the pizza as there were a couple of slices with only one meatball. We also got a half meatball parmigianna (meatballs with mozzarella and ricotta cheese), half Veggie, both of which are on Racanelli's specialty pizza list. It too was a large (18in) and could have used a few more meatballs. Although I didn't sample the veggie portion of the pie I did try the meatball parmigianna. The ricotta cheese adds a whole new texture to the pizza. The ricotta doesn't really melt in the same way as the mozzarella, so they remain separate. I probably wouldn't order it myself but I wouldn't turn my nose up at it if somebody else was flipping the bill. (It should be noted that I found both pizza's to be as good if not better the next day after about 45 sec in the microwave. I much prefer to use a toaster oven for left over pizza, but at work it is a microwave on nothing)

The pizza was good and my standard pass's the "Would I pay for it again" test. As stated above I would like to see a little bit more toppings on the pizza's (my standard in a large runs almost $25). Racanelli's New York Style Pizzaeria is located at 3945 Mid Rivers Mall Dr. in St Peters, MO. You can reach them at (636) 447-1999, for more information check out their web-site(click on the title link).

Recommended.

GAW

Tomatoes Pizzeria.

I have recently learned that one of my favorite pizza joints Tomatoes Pizzeria has closed. Tomatoes was not easy for me to get to it was about 26 miles round trip from my home so I only made it there to eat a few times a year, But I talked it up to anybody that would listen. When topic of pizza came up I always recomended Tomatoes Pizzeria. Maybe if I had made the trip a few more times a year they would still be there... or maybe I should...

It's to bad that it's gone I'll miss the great pizza, salad with anchovy dressing and those garlic bread knots. Those bread knots had quite the bite.

If you have a favorite Pizza joint give them your business every chance you get you just don't know what the future will bring.

Tomatoes Pizzeria you will be sorely missed.

Napoli Pizza

It's your boss's birthday so what should his dedicated employees do? Well order him pizza of course, and from his favorite pizza joint.

Napoli Pizza is located in St Peters, MO. and has been there since 2004, maybe longer. It's a family owned pizzeria. They fall into the full service Pizza joint with eat-in, carry-out and delivery. Besides Pizza they also have soup, salads, pasta, sandwiches, entrees, stromboli, calzone and desserts. Napoli will make your pizza with their signature hand tossed crust or you can get it with a St. Louis thin crust or a thick crust. They have a wide variety of specialty pizza's including Taco pizza, BBQ Chicken, and Marinara pizzas (made with sweet pasta sauce). You can also choose from mozzarella, provel, parmesan, ricotta and provolone cheeses for your pie.

Some how I convinced the boss that he wanted a pepperoni, Canadian bacon, meatball and red onion pizza on a hand toss crust, my favorite. We also ordered a pepperoni pizza that was all gone before I could sample it. To me this pizza was a feast for the eyes, The golden brown crust with crispy bits of cheese, the large pieces of meatballs, the pepperonis, the scattered Canadian bacon and the randomness of the red onions. Visually it's perfect. To the taste buds it's nearly the same (nearly perfect, it can't be perfect as that would end my journey). Not unexpectedly the slice needs some support on the skinny end when you pick it up. The meatballs are seasoned nicely, the pepperoni has just the right amount of bite to it, the Canadian bacon is slice to the perfect thickness and the red onions have sweetened up just right. It is music to your mouth or at least to my mouth. Then you get to the golden brown crust, crispy and chewy at the same time, defiantly not to be left on you plate (eat it).

The pizza was great, not only does Napoli Pizza pass the "Would I pay for it again" test (in a heart beat), but it's pretty close to the top of my favorite pizza joints list. I will be visiting Napoli Pizza again in the near future in order to sample the house anchovy Italian salad dressing (I just love a good salad with my pizza), the Marinara pizza and the Pizza Nutella for dessert. Napoli Pizza is located at 7114 Mexico Rd at Mid Rivers Mall Dr in St Peters, MO. You can reach them at (636) 397-7499, for more information check out their web-site(click on the title link).

Highly Recommended.

GAW

Pizza Works

Pizza Works, I have a bit of history with this pizza joint starting before I was old enough to drive. When one of my school buddy's (J.U.B.) got his license it was like getting out of prison, at least to a 15 year old living in a town of about 700-800 people with one stop sign, a gas station and a beer joint. A car load of us would go to the Pizza Works pool our money and order a pizza, typically we ate the majority of the pizza with the rest expertly applied to the wall's, table, seats, floor, and window. We were only asked to leave a few times and occasionally we were threatened by the waitress to clean up our mess or else!

I turned 16 in 1984 and became the owner of a 1973 VW Super beetle (see Pizza Files post). I soon found out that gas money didn't grow on trees, so I made the rounds to the Wal-Marts (just think how much stock I would have if I had got that job and still worked there today, I would probably still be mopping the floors, but...), IGA's, McDonald's, etc. At some point I found my self filling out a application at of all places Pizza Works. I learned quite a few lessons while working there.
1. It can be a lot of fun working in a pizza joint.
2. It can be a lot of WORK working in a pizza joint.
3. If you work at a pizza joint everybody you know wants free pizza.
4. How to mop the floor.
5. How to make a really good pizza.
6. To despise insulate teenagers that make a mess for the sake of making a mess (I think that was me).
7. To like and/or eat onions, mushrooms, olives and anchovies.
I worked at Pizza Works until Christmas Eve 1986 when I had had enough, I left the manager a note stating I wouldn't be back, EVER! Some time after that I became a customer again, a better customer this time, I didn't blow the tip money in video games and I didn't make anywhere near as big a mess.

To my knowledge Pizza Works has been around since the early 1980's with at least 5 or 6 restaurants. The first being in Mexico, MO, I don't recall the other locations out side of Moberly. They were owned by a couple of Guys named Ken and Bruce, whom I met once or twice while working there.

Pizza Works has a pizza style all their own, with their crust being what sets them apart from the rest. The crust has a uniform thickness that gives it some structure when holding it. It is cooked in a pizza pan with a small lip so that the sauce and other ingredients don't run over the edge of the crust. When done the crust is light golden brown and just a bit crispy on the bottom. The dough and pizza sauce were made fresh on site in the past and I suspect they still are. The pizza's are round but cut on the square. It must be a mental thing but I prefer their pizza square cut over pie.

At this point I would normally tell you that I ordered pepperoni, Canadian bacon, meatballs and onions, or some variation of that pie, but it's a different story at the Pizza Works. My favorite is the BJ special (named I believe after one of the owners Bruce Johnson?), it has pepperoni, sausage, onions and a dash of parmasan on top (before baking) of course there is also a thick mild red sauce and a generous helping of mozzarella cheese. One of the things that make the BJ special different is that the pepperonis and sausage are under the cheese, the other is that the sausage is used very sparingly, and for me a little sausage goes a long way. The combination works great, the sausage doesn't have a chance to overpower the other ingredeants. As stated above the crust is sturdy and can be easily handled with one hand (forks not allowed). I usually order mine to go, and this time was no exception. By the time you get home the pizza will have reached that ideal eating temperature. If I'm the only one eating I must physically restrain my self from eating the whole pizza, and you can imagine how hard that is...

My take-out expirance was excellent, and the pizza passes the "Would I pay for it?" test with a most definently Yes. Pizza Works is located at 319 N Morley St. Moberly, MO. You can reach them at (660) 263-8102.

Highly Recommended.

GAW