This week, Mom of Many picked the topic: Pizza wars... is New York Style better than New Haven? What about Deep Dish? Let's talk about our favorite pizza. Why do you like the kind you do and what sort of toppings make it perfect?
Before reading ahead, first see what everyone else had to say on this topic:
Froggie
Mom of Many
Moma Rock
Given that I’ve always been a picky eater, it should be no surprise that I have always leaned toward plain cheese pizza ever since I was a kid. Maybe there was a part of my brain that prepared me for keeping Kosher as an adult in terms of not having meat on my pizza (even though it didn’t stop me from eating cheeseburgers), along with rejecting shellfish and pork products. In any case, I didn’t like vegetables on my pizza either, so it was always plain cheese for me. When I got Chicago style stuffed pizza (i.e. Lou Malnati’s or Gino’s East), I would scrape off the tomato sauce on top. (My older son does this now, so maybe it’s genetic.)
In late 1990, I found a kindred spirit...Kevin McCallister from “Home Alone.” When he asked if anyone ordered him plain cheese pizza, I wanted to cheer for him. And I was so upset when Buzz told him that if he wanted cheese pizza, someone would have to puke it up for him. So, when he was left to his own devices and got to order a plain cheese pizza all for himself, it was as good as Julia Roberts getting to shop in “Pretty Woman.”
In my college years and up until I started keeping Kosher, I did have an exception to my "cheese only" rule. That came in the form of California Pizza Kitchen. I loved their garlic chicken and Thai chicken pizzas. They even sold them at the grocery store, but it still tasted better fresh from the oven at the restaurant. The other kind I eventually tried was barbecue chicken pizza. That was really good too! I was sad to give those up when I started keeping Kosher, but I was rewarded when I moved to Maryland.
In my neck of the woods, we have two really good Kosher pizza establishments. Ben Yehuda’s pizza was voted “Best Pizza in DC” in 2010. I’m sure it was mostly the Jewish community that helped this title become a possibility (and a friend who said it was the only pizza he would eat, but he keeps Kosher so that makes sense). They also have amazing cheese fries, but that’s another story for another time. Keep in mind, I’ve grown up eating pizza from every pizza chain imaginable...Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Little Caesar’s, Papa John’s, etc. However, Ben Yehuda makes a much better pizza than any of those establishments. It’s even better than the NY style Kosher pizzas I’ve consumed. Then there’s Siena’s, which makes a great Sicilian pizza and also attempts the Chicago style stuffed pizza (which we accidentally ordered as a deep dish pizza once). Their take on it is pretty good, but compared to Lou Malnati’s, there’s room for improvement.
I can never get enough pizza. If there are free slices offered at work, I am sure to take at least one, depending on how much there is to go around. My family and I go out for pizza about once a week. Otherwise, I make pizza bagels, which are really good. I also love matzah pizza during Pesach. (It’s only good during that time, which makes having to give up chometz more bearable.) If there could be a pizza version of Cookie Monster, it would be me, as I love it no matter how many years I’ve been eating it.
Now I’m in the mood for pizza...
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| Mmmm...pizza....*salivating like Homer Simpson* |
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