What's your favorite pizza?

[dawn_kiebawls]

I love a good pizza just as much as anyone else. Deep dish, thin crust, square slices, normal slices, hot, cold. I love them all! But, I seem to always order the same thing: spicy sausage (links or crumbled, links are preferred), jalapeno, banana peppers, garlic, pineapple, bacon and Feta cheese (on the rare occasion the pizza join has it). Yes, pineapple has a place on pizza!! I once had a pizza where the sauce was a 50/50 blend of pizza sauce and peanut butter...damn was that good!

That's my standard thin/hand tossed pizza combo.

I always get the 'meat lovers' deep dish with extra meatballs. And, for the record, deep dish is superior to any other crust!


What are your guys and gals go-to combos or your (un)popular pizza opinions?

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Well I grew up in Chicago, so deep dish is my go-to. Nothing more than sausage is needed as a topping.

And then there's Chicago-style thin crust, cut into the traditional squares, which is amazing.

Now, I don't live in Chicago anymore, and there's only on acceptable deep dish joint I've found in SoCal, which is a 35 minute drive away. So I don't get that. And as bad as non-Chicago deep dish is, nobody has even heard of Chicago thin crust or can do even a reasonable facsimile of that...

We've got a good pizza joint right around the corner that we order from regularly. The default is sausage & mushroom, which is always a great combo. I would also normally say pineapple has no place on a pizza, but pineapple, pepperoni, and jalapeno actually works nicely. The heat of the jalapeno balances the sweetness of the pineapple and it works.

But nothing will ever replace REAL deep dish.

 

[dawn_kiebawls]

The pizza I bought yesterday was my usual toppings on as close to a Chicago thin crust as we can here in Omaha. Toppings underneath the cheese and cut into the little square slices.

My brother lived in Chicago for a long time and I would go visit him pretty frequently and would ALWAYS bring home an extra deep dish.

A few years ago a multi-generation Chicago family moved to Omaha, decided our pizza scene is junk (unfortunately it's a true observation, with very few exceptions) and opened up an authentic Chicago pizzaria. They're a little bit of a drive but when I get the itch for deep dish I just have to make the 20 minute drive.

Pineapple has a spot on pizza, but it has to be paired correctly with the other toppings. It can not just be added to anything. Around here cream cheese is starting to make its way onto everything, and I just can't stand for that. Cream cheese in sushi, on burgers, on pizza, in tacos.... It's gross

 

[day_trippr]

For me, gotta be Neapolitan crust - ie: thin. I'm not looking for a 12-13" bread sandwich. Toppings usually include mushrooms and onions, then we ping-pong between sausage and bacon, with a rare foray into pepperoni (not the Spousal Unit's favorite).

When I was in my 20s I could totally murder a 10" Deep Dish in down town Chicago (bidness stuff) and still have a bounce in my step. That probably contributed to me going from 6' 5" 170 pounds to 230. If I tried that these days not only would I barely get two, maybe three slices down, I'd be rolling to the door

Cheers! (fwiw, 198 these days. Gave up food for more beer )

 

[bracconiere]

i'd go for some of sorta spinach, i guess they call it florentine? white sauce, get my vitamins A & K, and shot of protein. on a thin crust to keep my "empty calories" to excesive beer drinking.

(and it might gross most people out, but i'd probably make the crust with navy bean flour)

 

[Redpappy]

I enjoy a lot of stuff, however.... I follow the wife’s lead on this.. so our normal pizza, weather it is home made or purchased from a franchise... pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives, extra cheese... usually hand toss, but sometimes pan

 

[dawn_kiebawls]

That probably contributed to me going from 6' 5" 170 pounds to 230.(fwiw, 198 these days. Gave up food for more beer )

I was 5'9" 160 all the way through highschool. Single digit body fat with rock climbing sponsorships as a Sophomore. I then discovered beer (among other illicit substances) and now I struggle to stay under 200...Damn it woulda been nice to even be 6' when I was climbing!

(and it might gross most people out, but i'd probably make the crust with navy bean flour)

My wife and I discovered a pizza joint in Santa Fe that uses Blue Corn flour for their dough. I'm not 100% sure but I think they even had a bean dough. That place was good...

 

[bracconiere]

I'm not 100% sure but I think they even had a bean dough. That place was good...

sounds like some place i'd frequent!

 

[dawn_kiebawls]

sounds like some place i'd frequent!

We've both agreed that we would both be willing to move to Santa Fe but neither ABQ or SF can support either of our careers. I would get so fat if I lived close enough to that place. They put some honey on their crust so it was almost like the native fry-breads

 

[bracconiere]

I would get so fat if I lived close enough to that place.

damn, tracking what i eat..comments like that crack me up, as far as i can tell counting calories, i HAVE to drink at least a gallon of beer or i'd starve.....lol (feel free to refresh your memory where that middle finger emoji is! )

 

[dawn_kiebawls]

damn, tracking what i eat..comments like that crack me up, as far as i can tell counting calories, i HAVE to drink at least a gallon of beer or i'd starve.....lol (feel free to refresh your memory where that middle finger emoji is! )

<--- This one? Yea, I've got it on speed dial just for you lol! My problem is I don't count any sort of calories. I'm on the see food diet. If I see it, I eat it! Same with beer..There are plenty of nights where nothing good in the fridge sounds good so I'll drink my dinner

 

[bracconiere]

took me 5 years of neglect, bursting ass abscess's, and puking blood, to realize if i want to be an alcoholic, i got to do it right!

 

[wsmith1625]

I live in NJ so we've got a lot of great pizza places around here. Pizza is all good, but really it's all about the crust. You can put anything on a good crust and it tastes great. Crispy, chewy, and flavorful. Put good toppings on cardboard and it tastes like cardboard. Forgetaboutit! Lol, I really don't talk that way.

My favorite topping is sausage, red pepper flakes, and grated cheese. Yum!

 

[dawn_kiebawls]

I line in NJ so we've got a lot of great pizza places around here. Pizza is all good, but really it's all about the crust. You can put anything on a good crust and it tastes great. Crispy, chewy, and flavorful. Put good toppings on cardboard and it tastes like cardboard. Forgetaboutit! Lol, I really don't talk that way.

My favorite topping is sausage, red pepper flakes, and grated cheese. Yum!

I just had Dominoes for the first time a few weeks ago and I gotta say, for being a big national chain I was blown away with their crust! Pizza hut stuffed crust is also a guilty pleasure of mine..

 

[day_trippr]

took me 5 years of neglect, bursting ass abscess's, and puking blood, to realize if i want to be an alcoholic, i got to do it right!

Major TMI right there...

Cheers! (and, "YIKES!" )

 

[Chorgey]

Brooklyn style... pepperoni!

 

[day_trippr]

[...]My favorite topping is sausage, red pepper flakes, and grated cheese. Yum!

Yup, I gotta have the red hots and grated cheese (preferably a solid Parm). Pizza isn't pizza without 'em...

Cheers!

 

[bracconiere]

Major TMI right there...

Cheers! (and, "YIKES!" )

just figure it's best to say it. as a word of warning like "don't try this at home"...i swear the ***** ass is the only thing that made me snap out of it. i coulda taken the puking blood, but the monthly ass clit spewing blood i couldn't handle. not what i wanted it to say on my tombstone!

just in case TMI wasn't enough for you.

(wait, what forum is this in again? i think that qualifies as chit-chat?)

edit: and honestly, i think it's on topic with this conversation! this crap gives you diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and should be consumed in moderation!

 

[day_trippr]

"La La La La La La La...."
Not reading that!

Cheers! (Nope. Wouldn't be prudent )

 

[dawn_kiebawls]

I don't think there's anything on earth I like enough to deal with any of those symptoms. Not even pizza or beer! And now that I think about it, I don't think there's anything I could have done to deserve hearing about any of that lol...

Hell, I've even started noticing what I think is acid reflux the day after a long night of drinking so I am seriously cutting down on consumption. I'm a 32 year old candidate for a spinal fusion surgery with two bad knees and countless improperly healed bones. I hurt bad enough on a good day, so I really need to start taking care of the inside of my body!

 

[Qhrumphf]

Best pizza I think I've had is from Scarr's in the Lower East Side. One of the few Sicilian pizzas I've liked, and it wasn't even close. I normally trend to either plain cheese NY style or modern fancy neopolitan pizza, typically with spicy ham/pork of some variety. A number of places around here do the latter. When it comes to generic "take out mega chain" pizza, I'll go for standard crust plain cheese or pepperoni. The Domino's and Pizza Huts of the world cannot do a proper thin crust pizza.

 

[bracconiere]

I've even started noticing what I think is acid reflux the day after a long night of drinking

damn, i remeber the heart burn that gave me the puking blood! it was HELL! :sympathy:

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

 

[passedpawn]

damn, i remeber the heart burn that gave me the puking blood! it was HELL! :sympathy:

You need to stfu sometimes. And maybe stay on topic. I like you, but cmon.

 

[bracconiere]

this is a serious conversation about pizza! deep dish, stuffed crust, thin crust, i couldn't help but bring up the side effects! i'm up to 10 9% beers so, i'm going to hang my head in shame, and grind up 42g's of flax seeds, and wash them down in a cup of milk

 

[bracconiere]

You need to stfu sometimes. And maybe stay on topic. I like you, but cmon.

i've been heavy drinking for 16 years now, just want to share my learning experiences....it might be unpleasant to hear, but very real!

 

[bracconiere]

oh, and @dawn_kiebawls says he's 32 i believe, i had all these problems when i was 31...i learned how to fix them, with out quiting drinking.....just trying to share the joy!


and i stand by my thin crust spinach pizza! spinach isn't the best, or cheapest, source of A & K, but it is the most tender. i would also go for a spinach pesto, with maybe bell peppers for vitamin C, roast of course!

 

[Jayjay1976]

South sider here, so thin crust cut in party squares is the one true pizza IMHO, and as for toppings I'm a bit of a puritan; spicy pepperoni or sweet fennel sausage, but not both. If I have to pretend I like other toppings just to blend in with the normals, I can tolerate green peppers, mushrooms and black olives. If somebody orders pineapple I'm leaving. Well, my one exception is when we order from tomato head, my wife got me to like their pepperoni, pineapple and garlic, but it only works because they have a great, light-bodied sauce that tastes like fresh marinara.

As for deep dish? I tried it once in college, just out of curiosity. It's not for me, leave it for the tourists and north-siders.

On a side note, my favorite spice on homemade pizza are nigella seeds. Sprinkle some on the counter when you roll out the dough, you want them mostly on the bottom to get some char, then sprinkle more on top of everything before baking the pie. They have a subtle woody smoke aroma that takes me back to Venuso's in my childhood. Also a hint of pencil shavings (in a good way) that goes reeeeally well with melted cheese. Find them on amazon or in a Mediterranean grocery, they certainly arent available at Jewel's.

Since I went and mentioned cheese, skip the mozz; a real old-school southside pie uses scamorza, smoked or regular.

 

[dawn_kiebawls]

South sider here, so thin crust cut in party squares is the one true pizza IMHO, and as for toppings I'm a bit of a puritan; spicy pepperoni or sweet fennel sausage, but not both. If I have to pretend I like other toppings just to blend in with the normals, I can tolerate green peppers, mushrooms and black olives. If somebody orders pineapple I'm leaving. Well, my one exception is when we order from tomato head, my wife got me to like their pepperoni, pineapple and garlic, but it only works because they have a great, light-bodied sauce that tastes like fresh marinara.

As for deep dish? I tried it once in college, just out of curiosity. It's not for me, leave it for the tourists and north-siders.

On a side note, my favorite spice on homemade pizza are nigella seeds. Sprinkle some on the counter when you roll out the dough, you want them mostly on the bottom to get some char, then sprinkle more on top of everything before baking the pie. They have a subtle woody smoke aroma that takes me back to Venuso's in my childhood. Also a hint of pencil shavings (in a good way) that goes reeeeally well with melted cheese. Find them on amazon or in a Mediterranean grocery, they certainly arent available at Jewel's.

Since I went and mentioned cheese, skip the mozz; a real old-school southside pie uses scamorza, smoked or regular.

But...would you stay if I order a pizza with pineapple and have good beer on tap?! Pineapple, jalapeno, garlic and either pepperoni or sausage is key. I don't think pineapple has a place on a slice otherwise. I've spent a lot of time in Chicago (North side) but never lived, so I'm happy being a tourist and eating deep dish!

Nigella sounds interesting though. I get 'pencil shavings' from a few of my favorite cigars and most people look at me like I've lost my mind. You're the only other person I've ever heard reference that, thanks for making me feel like I've gotten one of my loose screws tightened up!

Scamorza sounds really interesting. Maybe when I take a drive out there again to get some Jolly Pumpkin I'll see what the South side has to offer.

'But...what if I order a pizza with pineapple and have good beer on tap?!' This is actually another one of my controversial opinions...I don't like drinking and eating at the same time. Not beer. Not wine. Not nothin. Drink first, then eat, then drink some more.

 

[DU99]

wood fired chicken and buffalo mozzarella,tomato base and sprinkle of dried hot chilli.