What Happens When I Eat No Piza Pizza
This weekend I was supposed to go out with some friends to eat a piz'a pizza. I wanted to put a little review on the famous Tacconelli’s Pizza in Philadelphia but they were closed for the week for vacation. Is this what happens to a pizzeria when they become famous? With no piza pizza (translation: no piece of pizza) to eat, I was forced to do some thinking.
If you don’t know, Tacconelli’s Pizzeria is ranked one of the best Philadelphia pizza restaurants in Philly. Their traffic flow is constant and considering that they only have one man on the oven at all times, customers need to be patient. The day that I was ready to go eat, Tacconelli’s closes its doors down for a week’s vacation and there is no pizza available for the curious consumer. I further explored their hours of operation to find out that they are only open an average of 4 hours a day.
I guess if you owned a restaurant that was considered to be the best pizza place in a major city your attitude on running your business may change. I am not knocking Tacconelli’s at all. I just am thinking out loud about how certain pizza places need to stay open 7 days a week almost 24 hours just to survive (especially in this economy). Then there are famous pizza places that only need to be opened a limited amount of time and just because they can. Tacconelli’s, for example, is packed with customers almost every day. They don’t need to be open all of the time. They know that no matter what time they decide to open their doors that people will come just because they are the best, and people flock to the best pizza places.
This best pizza place mentality applies to many top pizza joints. I don’t agree with this business attitude but I understand it. If a business is really successful, I believe that this is the time to step it up another notch instead of shifting gears down. Don’t these pizza joints know that us consumers get upset when there is no pizza made? Especially if you visit that pizzeria frequently. As a loyal customer, I know that this would upset me.
Anyway, I didn’t get to Tacconelli’s this week but I will make my review on Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog when I do. In the mean time, this article will be building up my future restaurant review.
All I wanted this weekend was a piz’a pizza and it didn’t happen. I ended up eating at a Japanese Sushi place. If you don’t know already, I am a food lover of all kinds as several of my other food blogs point out. I eat food from an average of 4-5 different continents on a normal 7 day week. But Pizza is on the top of my list. I’ll be honest, at this point I don’t believe that I have a favorite because I love all foods. Although I don’t have a favorite food I do have a top list of favorite foods. I don’t know where pizza exactly ranks but it is definitely on the top 5.
So no piza pizza for me this week but I still dropped by to let you all know. Please feel free to comment on Blog Pizza as often as you like. We love your comments and appreciate our readers (even if it is on our philosophical pizza posts like no piza pizza).
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thin Crust Pizza Recipe
Ultra-Thin-Crust Pizza Recipe with Onions, Mushrooms, and Ricotta
Olive oil
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 large flour tortillas (sandwich wraps)
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese (about 2 ounces)
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
6 button or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Equipment needed:
It really helps to have a baking stone and a pizza peel. If not, you'll use a rimmed baking sheet with some parchment paper.
Method
1a If you are using a baking stone, place the stone on top of the middle rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Allow the oven to stay at 450°F for at least 15 minutes before cooking, to thoroughly heat up the stone.
1b If you are NOT using a baking stone, place racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2 Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a small sauté pan on medium hight heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften. Add a pinch of sugar and the balsamic vinegar, cook for a few more minutes until the onions are thoroughly softened and translucent. Remove from heat.
3a If you are using a baking stone, sprinkle some corn meal on your pizza peel and place one tortilla on top of the pizza peel. (If you don't have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet.) Thoroughly brush the top of the tortilla with olive oil.
3b If you are not using a baking stone, line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Place a tortilla on each baking sheet and brush each with olive oil.
4 Sprinkle each tortilla with half a cup of shredded Asiago cheese. Add bits of ricotta cheese, 1/3 cup for each tortilla. Sprinkle with mushrooms and with the slightly caramelized onions. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
5a If you are using a baking stone, and can fit both pizzas on the stone (it depends on the size of your tortilla) do it. Use the pizza peel to transfer the pizzas to the stone in the oven. If your tortillas are large, you'll need to cook them one at a time. But that's okay. Cooking on the stone goes very quickly. Bake the pizzas until the crust is crisp and very brown - 5-7 minutes using the baking stone. Cut with a pizza cutter or a knife.
5b If you are using baking sheets, place the baking sheets in the oven. Bake until the crust is crisp and brown all over (the time varies, depending on the oven and if your cookie sheet has already been heated, start with 10 minutes and check), rotating the sheets to ensure even baking. Cut with a pizza cutter or a knife.
Each pizza serves 1-2, depending on how hungry you are.
If you have a pizza recipe...let us know. If we think it is good enough for Blog Pizza and our readers then we will let the world know!
I have discovered another great pizza recipe from Elise of Elise.com (originally inspired from Everyday Food Magazine). This recipe is for Ultra-Thin-Crust Pizza with Onions, Mushrooms, and Ricotta. This is a very tasty pizza. So give it a try and let us know what you think.
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 large flour tortillas (sandwich wraps)
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese (about 2 ounces)
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
6 button or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Equipment needed:
It really helps to have a baking stone and a pizza peel. If not, you'll use a rimmed baking sheet with some parchment paper.
Method
1a If you are using a baking stone, place the stone on top of the middle rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Allow the oven to stay at 450°F for at least 15 minutes before cooking, to thoroughly heat up the stone.
1b If you are NOT using a baking stone, place racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2 Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a small sauté pan on medium hight heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften. Add a pinch of sugar and the balsamic vinegar, cook for a few more minutes until the onions are thoroughly softened and translucent. Remove from heat.
3a If you are using a baking stone, sprinkle some corn meal on your pizza peel and place one tortilla on top of the pizza peel. (If you don't have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet.) Thoroughly brush the top of the tortilla with olive oil.
3b If you are not using a baking stone, line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Place a tortilla on each baking sheet and brush each with olive oil.
4 Sprinkle each tortilla with half a cup of shredded Asiago cheese. Add bits of ricotta cheese, 1/3 cup for each tortilla. Sprinkle with mushrooms and with the slightly caramelized onions. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
5a If you are using a baking stone, and can fit both pizzas on the stone (it depends on the size of your tortilla) do it. Use the pizza peel to transfer the pizzas to the stone in the oven. If your tortillas are large, you'll need to cook them one at a time. But that's okay. Cooking on the stone goes very quickly. Bake the pizzas until the crust is crisp and very brown - 5-7 minutes using the baking stone. Cut with a pizza cutter or a knife.
5b If you are using baking sheets, place the baking sheets in the oven. Bake until the crust is crisp and brown all over (the time varies, depending on the oven and if your cookie sheet has already been heated, start with 10 minutes and check), rotating the sheets to ensure even baking. Cut with a pizza cutter or a knife.
Each pizza serves 1-2, depending on how hungry you are.
If you have a pizza recipe...let us know. If we think it is good enough for Blog Pizza and our readers then we will let the world know!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Best New Jersey Boardwalk Pizza
Best New Jersey Boardwalk Pizza: Sam’s Pizza Palace in Wildwood, New Jersey
This weekend I had the opportunity to eat at one of the best boardwalk pizzerias in New Jersey called Sam’s Pizza Palace. Sam’s is located at 26th and Boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey right next to Morey’s Pier. Sam’s pizza is truly one of a kind. The best New Jersey Boardwalk pizza!
I am writing this post to inform the pizza community to visit Sam’s. Sam's is definitely a contender for a top 25 best pizza restaurants. I have been eating there for many years and I can truly say that they are consistent every time. Sam’s pizza is a unique pizza with a taste similar to none. If you are a pizza connoisseur then you need to put this place on the map.
As normal, before I start my review I would like to give a brief history of Sam’s Pizza Palace. Sam’s Pizza palace was started by Sam Spera from Valalba, Sicily. He started his American journey in Trenton, NJ in 1951. One day, he visited Wildwood with a friend. That was the day that he realized that he wanted to start his food business.
Within two years of being in Wildwood running a boardwalk restaurant called Marconi’s, Sam opened his restaurant called Sam’s Steak House (officially opened in 1957). Initially this business served only sandwiches and sodas. Sam realized that he needed to add something else so he gave pizza a try. He bought a pizza oven and used the secret Sicilian family recipe to make the pizza. The rest is history as the only thing that has changed since then is the name and a new building (same location but a recent fire caused it to be remodeled).
The review…
What I like best about Sam’s Pizza Palace is their consistency. Every time that I go there (many years because of the proximity to Philadelphia) their pizza tastes the same. They have the same recipe time and time again. A consistent pizza recipe is a must for a great pizza business.
I also like the fact that this pizza business is a family run business. I see the same faces year after year when I go there. These are the family of the original owner Sam Spera. This means that the family must be passionate about their business. Pride and pizza works well together.
Sam’s pizza also has a great set up. They make the pizza right in front of you. These pizza makers are serious too. They can churn out a couple hundred pies an hour (or more). It is fun to watch them work. Actually if you are into pizza like I am then you will be entertained at how fast and efficient Sam’s Pizza Palace is. They can make great pizzas to accommodate one of the busiest sections on the boardwalk of Wildwood, New Jersey.
Sam’ pizza is the truest form of boardwalk pizza. If you walk down the endless Wildwood boardwalk you will see plenty of pizza “want a be’s”. The fact is that Sam’s is the only boardwalk pizza that you should be eating. The second contender, Mack’s Pizza comes nowhere close to a Sam’s pizza.
Also, I would like to recommend that you try the High C Fruit punch to wash your pizza down. It is just regular fruit punch but it tastes like no other for some reason. I think it is because the way their ice is made (very small and choppy).
So go ahead and try Sam’s Pizza Palace. Pizza fans – this place is a must. It is one of the best pizzas in New Jersey and the best boardwalk pizza place in Wildwood, New Jersey.
This weekend I had the opportunity to eat at one of the best boardwalk pizzerias in New Jersey called Sam’s Pizza Palace. Sam’s is located at 26th and Boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey right next to Morey’s Pier. Sam’s pizza is truly one of a kind. The best New Jersey Boardwalk pizza!
I am writing this post to inform the pizza community to visit Sam’s. Sam's is definitely a contender for a top 25 best pizza restaurants. I have been eating there for many years and I can truly say that they are consistent every time. Sam’s pizza is a unique pizza with a taste similar to none. If you are a pizza connoisseur then you need to put this place on the map.
As normal, before I start my review I would like to give a brief history of Sam’s Pizza Palace. Sam’s Pizza palace was started by Sam Spera from Valalba, Sicily. He started his American journey in Trenton, NJ in 1951. One day, he visited Wildwood with a friend. That was the day that he realized that he wanted to start his food business.
Within two years of being in Wildwood running a boardwalk restaurant called Marconi’s, Sam opened his restaurant called Sam’s Steak House (officially opened in 1957). Initially this business served only sandwiches and sodas. Sam realized that he needed to add something else so he gave pizza a try. He bought a pizza oven and used the secret Sicilian family recipe to make the pizza. The rest is history as the only thing that has changed since then is the name and a new building (same location but a recent fire caused it to be remodeled).
The review…
What I like best about Sam’s Pizza Palace is their consistency. Every time that I go there (many years because of the proximity to Philadelphia) their pizza tastes the same. They have the same recipe time and time again. A consistent pizza recipe is a must for a great pizza business.
I also like the fact that this pizza business is a family run business. I see the same faces year after year when I go there. These are the family of the original owner Sam Spera. This means that the family must be passionate about their business. Pride and pizza works well together.
Sam’s pizza also has a great set up. They make the pizza right in front of you. These pizza makers are serious too. They can churn out a couple hundred pies an hour (or more). It is fun to watch them work. Actually if you are into pizza like I am then you will be entertained at how fast and efficient Sam’s Pizza Palace is. They can make great pizzas to accommodate one of the busiest sections on the boardwalk of Wildwood, New Jersey.
Sam’ pizza is the truest form of boardwalk pizza. If you walk down the endless Wildwood boardwalk you will see plenty of pizza “want a be’s”. The fact is that Sam’s is the only boardwalk pizza that you should be eating. The second contender, Mack’s Pizza comes nowhere close to a Sam’s pizza.
Also, I would like to recommend that you try the High C Fruit punch to wash your pizza down. It is just regular fruit punch but it tastes like no other for some reason. I think it is because the way their ice is made (very small and choppy).
So go ahead and try Sam’s Pizza Palace. Pizza fans – this place is a must. It is one of the best pizzas in New Jersey and the best boardwalk pizza place in Wildwood, New Jersey.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Philadelphia Best Pizza Blog
Philadelphia Best Pizza Blog
I just wanted to quickly introduce our new Philadelphia pizza blog (called Philadelphia Best Pizza Blog) that will run side by side with this blog. I have made a post today that has a story in there that may have you laughing in your seats. I reviewed the famous Pietro’s Coal Oven Pizzeria on South Street in Philadelphia. The review was not so good with a yellow light.
I created this new Philadelphia pizza blog to help eliminate the myths about Philadelphia pizza and put this city on the pizza map where it rightfully belongs. As a local, I should be able to dispel some of the rumors about Philadelphia pizza and prove to the pizza world that this city has what it takes to shake up New York and Chicago pizzerias.
I was reluctant at first to start this blog for many reasons but the more I blog with Blog Pizza the more that I realize that too many other cities are taking too much credit for good pizza. So on that note I feel that it is my duty to step up and let the world know about how good Philadelphia pizza is. I will be reviewing all of the best famous pizza places in Philly. I will also review pizza places that only local Philadelphians conceal. But it is time to let the secret out: Philadelphia makes more delicious foods other than cheese steaks and pretzels.
Blog Pizza on out new pizza blog called Philadelphia Best Pizza Blog!
I just wanted to quickly introduce our new Philadelphia pizza blog (called Philadelphia Best Pizza Blog) that will run side by side with this blog. I have made a post today that has a story in there that may have you laughing in your seats. I reviewed the famous Pietro’s Coal Oven Pizzeria on South Street in Philadelphia. The review was not so good with a yellow light.
I created this new Philadelphia pizza blog to help eliminate the myths about Philadelphia pizza and put this city on the pizza map where it rightfully belongs. As a local, I should be able to dispel some of the rumors about Philadelphia pizza and prove to the pizza world that this city has what it takes to shake up New York and Chicago pizzerias.
I was reluctant at first to start this blog for many reasons but the more I blog with Blog Pizza the more that I realize that too many other cities are taking too much credit for good pizza. So on that note I feel that it is my duty to step up and let the world know about how good Philadelphia pizza is. I will be reviewing all of the best famous pizza places in Philly. I will also review pizza places that only local Philadelphians conceal. But it is time to let the secret out: Philadelphia makes more delicious foods other than cheese steaks and pretzels.
Blog Pizza on out new pizza blog called Philadelphia Best Pizza Blog!
Largest Pizza Restaurants
Largest Pizza Restaurants
As a frequent reader of Slice, I discovered that R & I just released the largest pizza restaurants of 2009. This was part of their release of the Top 400 Restaurant Chains of 2009. Restaurants & Institutions (R&I) is the leading source of business-critical information, both in print and online, for the entire foodservice industry covering chains, independent restaurants, hotels and institutions.
Before I show the break down of the largest pizza restaurants, I thought it would be nice to brief you with a little snapshot of the entire top 400 chain restaurants results. According to R&I,
Below are the results of the largest pizza restaurant chains. Of course, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Papa John’s are dominating the entire pizza industry.
R & I’s TOP PIZZA RESTAURANT CHAINS
Segment sales: $25,259,000,000
Share of Top 400 sales: 8.1%
Segment units: 37,341
Concept/400 Rank/ Sales $MM
10,400.0
Domino’s Pizza
9
5,505.6
Papa John’s
26
2,262.4
Little Caesars
42
1,170.0**
Sbarro
56
715.3
Papa Murphy’s Take 'N’ Bake Pizza
69
585.0
CiCi’s Pizza
70
580.0
Chuck E. Cheese’s
84
444.0**
Round Table Pizza
98
388.0**
Godfather’s Pizza
105
330.0**
Hungry Howie’s Pizza
129
265.0
Peter Piper Pizza
168
196.0**
Donatos
180
177.0
Papa Gino’s Pizzeria
195
152.2
Noble Roman’s Pizza
198
150.0**
Gatti’s Pizza
201
148.8
Pizza Inn
206
139.0**
Fox’s Pizza Den
208
137.0**
LaRosa’s Pizzeria
213
134.0**
Jet’s Pizza
231
116.0**
Rosati’s Pizza
232
116.0**
Giordano’s Pizza
242
103.0**
Pizza Ranch
246
101.4
Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza
248
101.0**
Marco’s Pizza
261
93.3
Imo’s Pizza
278
84.0**
Ledo Pizza
286
79.0**
Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen
295
76.0**
Mountain Mike’s Pizza
298
75.0**
Pizza Pro
317
66.0**
Vocelli Pizza
326
62.0**
Shakey’s
329
60.0
Monical’s Pizza
349
54.0
Me-N-Ed’s Pizzeria
354
53.0**
Pizza Factory
371
50.0**
Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream
387
45.0**
Simple Simon Pizza
389
45.0**
· Sales data for chain restaurants are for calendar year 2008 or for a fiscal year ended between July 1, 2008, and April 1, 2009. Exceptions are noted in the ranking pages.
· As with the main ranking pages, chain restaurants are defined as restaurant concepts with more than five locations operating under the same name. In a few instances, concepts with two or more brand names but a single management team (i.e., Checkers Drive-In/Rally’s Hamburgers) are considered to be one chain.
· Unless noted, chain restaurant sales are worldwide totals (company-owned, franchised and licensed) and are in U.S.$ millions.
· The notation (*) indicates sales are a company-made estimate; (**) indicates chain restaurant sales have been estimated by R&I.
As a frequent reader of Slice, I discovered that R & I just released the largest pizza restaurants of 2009. This was part of their release of the Top 400 Restaurant Chains of 2009. Restaurants & Institutions (R&I) is the leading source of business-critical information, both in print and online, for the entire foodservice industry covering chains, independent restaurants, hotels and institutions.
Before I show the break down of the largest pizza restaurants, I thought it would be nice to brief you with a little snapshot of the entire top 400 chain restaurants results. According to R&I,
“The Top 400 chain restaurants had combined systemwide sales of roughly $312.2
billion in 2008, up 7% from the previous year, according to Restaurants &
Institutions' annual ranking of the largest chain brands. McDonald’s is, once
again, the top-grossing restaurant chain, with worldwide sales of $70.7 billion.
While several of the chains on the list saw double-digit worldwide sales growth
in 2008, quite a few others experienced sales declines, shuttered units,
or faced bankruptcy or buyouts.”
Below are the results of the largest pizza restaurant chains. Of course, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Papa John’s are dominating the entire pizza industry.
R & I’s TOP PIZZA RESTAURANT CHAINS
Segment sales: $25,259,000,000
Share of Top 400 sales: 8.1%
Segment units: 37,341
Concept/400 Rank/ Sales $MM
Pizza Hut
10,400.0
Domino’s Pizza
9
5,505.6
Papa John’s
26
2,262.4
Little Caesars
42
1,170.0**
Sbarro
56
715.3
Papa Murphy’s Take 'N’ Bake Pizza
69
585.0
CiCi’s Pizza
70
580.0
Chuck E. Cheese’s
84
444.0**
Round Table Pizza
98
388.0**
Godfather’s Pizza
105
330.0**
Hungry Howie’s Pizza
129
265.0
Peter Piper Pizza
168
196.0**
Donatos
180
177.0
Papa Gino’s Pizzeria
195
152.2
Noble Roman’s Pizza
198
150.0**
Gatti’s Pizza
201
148.8
Pizza Inn
206
139.0**
Fox’s Pizza Den
208
137.0**
LaRosa’s Pizzeria
213
134.0**
Jet’s Pizza
231
116.0**
Rosati’s Pizza
232
116.0**
Giordano’s Pizza
242
103.0**
Pizza Ranch
246
101.4
Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza
248
101.0**
Marco’s Pizza
261
93.3
Imo’s Pizza
278
84.0**
Ledo Pizza
286
79.0**
Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen
295
76.0**
Mountain Mike’s Pizza
298
75.0**
Pizza Pro
317
66.0**
Vocelli Pizza
326
62.0**
Shakey’s
329
60.0
Monical’s Pizza
349
54.0
Me-N-Ed’s Pizzeria
354
53.0**
Pizza Factory
371
50.0**
Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream
387
45.0**
Simple Simon Pizza
389
45.0**
· Sales data for chain restaurants are for calendar year 2008 or for a fiscal year ended between July 1, 2008, and April 1, 2009. Exceptions are noted in the ranking pages.
· As with the main ranking pages, chain restaurants are defined as restaurant concepts with more than five locations operating under the same name. In a few instances, concepts with two or more brand names but a single management team (i.e., Checkers Drive-In/Rally’s Hamburgers) are considered to be one chain.
· Unless noted, chain restaurant sales are worldwide totals (company-owned, franchised and licensed) and are in U.S.$ millions.
· The notation (*) indicates sales are a company-made estimate; (**) indicates chain restaurant sales have been estimated by R&I.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Old Orchard Beach Maine Best Pizza
Old Orchard Beach Maine Best Pizza
The past few weeks I had the opportunity to travel throughout Maine and sample many pizza joints. Since there are too many to talk about in one review I have decided to limit this discussion to Old Orchard Beach Maine best pizza places. Old Orchard Beach is one of the most popular places to be in Maine in the summer and its population goes wild in July and August. More people foster more pizza lovers.
Maine is known for its seafood, especially lobsters. Mainers put lobster on just about everything from omelets to spaghetti. In Maine, if you name it they will find a way to incorporate lobster in that food. With that said, you would think that I would be on a mission to eat lobster pizza while in Maine. If that is what you seek, lobster pizza will be a lot easier to obtain than any other location. But I admittedly did not seek lobster pizza. I just wanted some laid back places to eat pizza while in Maine. Not too much of a request.
This article will focus on my pizza mission in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, although I have eaten pizza all over the state. Old Orchard Beach, Maine does not have any pizza that would turn a New Yorkers head. The main area in Old Orchard Beach called “The Pier” has several shabby pizza joints nearby. These include Lisa’s Pizza, Rocco’s Pizza, and of course the pizza place inside the pier. All of these pizza places are overpriced, small, and have been sitting for hours. These places are designed for the late night bar goers who come out of the bars on the pier drunk and are extremely hungry. These are the first places in sight and cost becomes no object.
The amount of grease that was on the three pizza places just mentioned is out of control. I stuck 4 paper napkins on Lisa’s pizza and still had plenty of grease left on top.
Another thing that bothered me about these quick pizza joints was that the pizza was sitting for a long time. It appeared that several of the pizzas that were not very popular were sitting for several hours. I hope (but probably was) not to have been that unfortunate soul who ate from that pie.
The pizza place on The Pier was the most expensive. Would you believe that I was charged $4 for a slice? One slice. I can see if it was from the best pizza maker in New York. But this pizza was small, oily, dirty, stale and very expensive. I only sampled one slice and did it in the name of this blog.
There were several other pizza places in Old Orchard Beach, Maine that I sampled from but the one that stood out the best was Jimmy The Greeks Brick Oven Restaurant located at 215 Saco Avenue, Old Orchard Beach, Maine 04064. I am giving them Blog Pizza’s Old Orchard Beach Maine Best pizza award (and I will explain).
The irony is that Jimmy the Greeks has received the best Old Orchard Beach Maine Best pizza award from this blog not because of its pizza. Actually, the pizza was less than to about average. I’ll elaborate.
I ordered two small 10 inch pizzas for me and a friend of mine. I had a Margherita pizza and a Mediterranean pizza. The piiza pies were very thin. The crust was not golden at all (very pale). The tomato sauce was not really tasteful. The toppings were not plentiful. These results surprised me though considering that they promote themselves as a brick oven pizza place.
The value for the pizzas was about right. Jimmy the Greeks was not too expensive but yet not cheap. For two 10 inch pies I spent under $25.
OK...So by now your thinking how can I have rated this place the Old Orchard Beach Maine Best pizza award if I have said all bad things about it. The truth is that the true value in this pizza restaurant is in the atmosphere. This place was very lively and fun. Jimmy the Greeks has a different event scheduled for every night of the week. If I was a local then I would be there at least once a week. For example, one day a week they have a beer company come to their place and talk about their beer. Another night is a pizza buffet night.
Jimmy the Greeks also has very good looking staff. I don’t think that I would be alone to say that that is a reason to frequent certain restaurants.
Jimmy the Greeks also has a fantastic bar and drink menu. There are plenty of good local beers on tap. This goes great with a pizza place. There is nothing better than a good pizza except when it is washed down with a good tasting cold beer.
Overall, despite some sacrifices made with the quality of the pizza, Jimmy the Greeks has the best pizza place in the city. It also had the best pizza in Old Orchard Beach. That’s right. Even though I said their pizza was average it was a lot better than its competitors in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
The article demonstrates that you don’t always have to have the best pizza to be considered a best pizza place. The atmosphere plays a large part in making a pizza place great. Although you can buy the best pizza from someone whose pizza place is an old vendor stand up a dirty alley, that same pizza would taste so much better if it was cooked in a beautiful brick oven pizza restaurant with Frank Sinatra playing in the background. Don’t you think?
So here is my question that I pose for you: Is it the pizza, the pizza place, or both that creates the reviews given by food critics. You know my answer so let’s hear yours.
Thank you for visiting Blog Pizza and reading our post on Old Orchard Beach Maine Best pizza!
The past few weeks I had the opportunity to travel throughout Maine and sample many pizza joints. Since there are too many to talk about in one review I have decided to limit this discussion to Old Orchard Beach Maine best pizza places. Old Orchard Beach is one of the most popular places to be in Maine in the summer and its population goes wild in July and August. More people foster more pizza lovers.
Maine is known for its seafood, especially lobsters. Mainers put lobster on just about everything from omelets to spaghetti. In Maine, if you name it they will find a way to incorporate lobster in that food. With that said, you would think that I would be on a mission to eat lobster pizza while in Maine. If that is what you seek, lobster pizza will be a lot easier to obtain than any other location. But I admittedly did not seek lobster pizza. I just wanted some laid back places to eat pizza while in Maine. Not too much of a request.
This article will focus on my pizza mission in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, although I have eaten pizza all over the state. Old Orchard Beach, Maine does not have any pizza that would turn a New Yorkers head. The main area in Old Orchard Beach called “The Pier” has several shabby pizza joints nearby. These include Lisa’s Pizza, Rocco’s Pizza, and of course the pizza place inside the pier. All of these pizza places are overpriced, small, and have been sitting for hours. These places are designed for the late night bar goers who come out of the bars on the pier drunk and are extremely hungry. These are the first places in sight and cost becomes no object.
The amount of grease that was on the three pizza places just mentioned is out of control. I stuck 4 paper napkins on Lisa’s pizza and still had plenty of grease left on top.
Another thing that bothered me about these quick pizza joints was that the pizza was sitting for a long time. It appeared that several of the pizzas that were not very popular were sitting for several hours. I hope (but probably was) not to have been that unfortunate soul who ate from that pie.
The pizza place on The Pier was the most expensive. Would you believe that I was charged $4 for a slice? One slice. I can see if it was from the best pizza maker in New York. But this pizza was small, oily, dirty, stale and very expensive. I only sampled one slice and did it in the name of this blog.
There were several other pizza places in Old Orchard Beach, Maine that I sampled from but the one that stood out the best was Jimmy The Greeks Brick Oven Restaurant located at 215 Saco Avenue, Old Orchard Beach, Maine 04064. I am giving them Blog Pizza’s Old Orchard Beach Maine Best pizza award (and I will explain).
The irony is that Jimmy the Greeks has received the best Old Orchard Beach Maine Best pizza award from this blog not because of its pizza. Actually, the pizza was less than to about average. I’ll elaborate.
I ordered two small 10 inch pizzas for me and a friend of mine. I had a Margherita pizza and a Mediterranean pizza. The piiza pies were very thin. The crust was not golden at all (very pale). The tomato sauce was not really tasteful. The toppings were not plentiful. These results surprised me though considering that they promote themselves as a brick oven pizza place.
The value for the pizzas was about right. Jimmy the Greeks was not too expensive but yet not cheap. For two 10 inch pies I spent under $25.
OK...So by now your thinking how can I have rated this place the Old Orchard Beach Maine Best pizza award if I have said all bad things about it. The truth is that the true value in this pizza restaurant is in the atmosphere. This place was very lively and fun. Jimmy the Greeks has a different event scheduled for every night of the week. If I was a local then I would be there at least once a week. For example, one day a week they have a beer company come to their place and talk about their beer. Another night is a pizza buffet night.
Jimmy the Greeks also has very good looking staff. I don’t think that I would be alone to say that that is a reason to frequent certain restaurants.
Jimmy the Greeks also has a fantastic bar and drink menu. There are plenty of good local beers on tap. This goes great with a pizza place. There is nothing better than a good pizza except when it is washed down with a good tasting cold beer.
Overall, despite some sacrifices made with the quality of the pizza, Jimmy the Greeks has the best pizza place in the city. It also had the best pizza in Old Orchard Beach. That’s right. Even though I said their pizza was average it was a lot better than its competitors in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
The article demonstrates that you don’t always have to have the best pizza to be considered a best pizza place. The atmosphere plays a large part in making a pizza place great. Although you can buy the best pizza from someone whose pizza place is an old vendor stand up a dirty alley, that same pizza would taste so much better if it was cooked in a beautiful brick oven pizza restaurant with Frank Sinatra playing in the background. Don’t you think?
So here is my question that I pose for you: Is it the pizza, the pizza place, or both that creates the reviews given by food critics. You know my answer so let’s hear yours.
Thank you for visiting Blog Pizza and reading our post on Old Orchard Beach Maine Best pizza!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
English Muffin Pizza Recipe
Dad's English Muffin Pizza Recipe by Elise Bauer of Elise.com
I found a very interesting pizza recipe called Dad’s English Muffin Pizza from Elise.com that I had to share with everyone. This website and their sister site, simplyrecipes.com, has wonderful recipes for various types of food. I may be posting more recipes from them as I see fit. They have several other pizza recipes that I have to test first before I post them.
If you have a pizza recipe that is special, please feel free to let us know and I may just have to feature it on Blog Pizza.
Dad's English Muffin Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
6 muffin halves (want to make your own English muffins? 1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese, packed1 Tbsp butter1 medium onion, sliced thin3/4 cup diced hamA pinch of chopped fresh sage1/4 teaspoon stoneground mustardOptional: A few slices of fresh tomato
Method
I found a very interesting pizza recipe called Dad’s English Muffin Pizza from Elise.com that I had to share with everyone. This website and their sister site, simplyrecipes.com, has wonderful recipes for various types of food. I may be posting more recipes from them as I see fit. They have several other pizza recipes that I have to test first before I post them.
If you have a pizza recipe that is special, please feel free to let us know and I may just have to feature it on Blog Pizza.
Dad's English Muffin Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
6 muffin halves (want to make your own English muffins? 1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese, packed1 Tbsp butter1 medium onion, sliced thin3/4 cup diced hamA pinch of chopped fresh sage1/4 teaspoon stoneground mustardOptional: A few slices of fresh tomato
Method
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Melt butter in a medium skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the diced ham, cook 5 minutes more. Mix in the sage and mustard. Remove from heat.
Put muffin halves, open side up on a sturdy baking pan. Distribute the cheese evenly, sprinkling over the muffin halves. Put the onion ham mixture on top of the cheese. If you want to use tomato slices, layer them between the cheese and onion mixture.
Bake at 425°F for 8-9 minutes, until the muffins and toppings are nicely browned, but not burnt. Cut into quarters for appetizers or just leave whole for a meal or snack.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Worst Pizza Blog Review
Worst Pizza Blog Review
This article will be a review of our friends at WorstPizza.com, a pizza blog about the best and worst pizza. Overall, Worst Pizza has a very good pizza blog. They offer plenty of useful information to the pizza community. I will review the good parts of this site as well as provide my recommendations for them.
This review is part of our series of pizza blog reviews. WorstPizza.com has been around since the earlier part of 2008. Their pizza blog offers reviews of the best and worst pizza places. Although they have several writers nationwide that help them with various other locations, they appear to specialize in various areas of Florida.
Worst pizza reviews are straight up and that is the number one reason why I like them. They are not afraid to tell the world exactly how they feel about a pizzeria that they reviewed. A site like this has the most to offer to its readers. The reason I believe this is because they make sure that the readers know the truth before they decide to eat there. This is very helpful to many visitors and locals who are looking to eat a good pizza place in their area.
Honest pizza and other food reviews save people time, energy, and the aggravation of experiencing a terrible food restaurant. Worst Pizza provides honest feedback about their eating experiences without regard to favoritism of the store owners. They are totally customer focused, that is, their goal is to help customers have the best pizza experience by doing the grunt work and eliminating the worst pizza places from the list. By having a worst pizza list, customers are able to bypass the risk of trying out bad pizza places.
I have several suggestions for Worst Pizza. First, they should double check the archive page as it does not allow its readers to access former articles. It was very difficult for me to access other relevant articles to learn more about their site as the archives always takes me to the first page.
Second, WorstPizza.com should have an “About Page” as I was not sure, without do research, as of what their site was about. This should be very helpful to other food bloggers who are interested in knowing more about their pizza site.
Third, Worst Pizza needs a snap shot page to summarize their best and worst pizza places they have visited and in ranking order. Without this, readers will have to go through every article to determine what restaurants that should eat at and which ones they should avoid.
My final suggestion would be for Worst Pizza to focus on Florida pizza. It appears that they are trying to tackle other areas simultaneously. As far as I know, they are the major pizza player in Florida for pizza blogs. There are so many pizza places to review there that I don’t think that they need to review any other areas. There is a lifetime of reviews in Florida that could keep their site preoccupied.
In summary, WorstPizza.com is an excellent website to learn about the best and worst pizzas in Florida. They have very honest reviews and are proving to be a leader in their market. By following my suggestions above, I believe that their pizza blog will be an even better asset to the pizza community.
So a warm congrats is extended to Worstpizza.com for being another great pizza blog!
Sincerely,
Blog Pizza
This article will be a review of our friends at WorstPizza.com, a pizza blog about the best and worst pizza. Overall, Worst Pizza has a very good pizza blog. They offer plenty of useful information to the pizza community. I will review the good parts of this site as well as provide my recommendations for them.
This review is part of our series of pizza blog reviews. WorstPizza.com has been around since the earlier part of 2008. Their pizza blog offers reviews of the best and worst pizza places. Although they have several writers nationwide that help them with various other locations, they appear to specialize in various areas of Florida.
Worst pizza reviews are straight up and that is the number one reason why I like them. They are not afraid to tell the world exactly how they feel about a pizzeria that they reviewed. A site like this has the most to offer to its readers. The reason I believe this is because they make sure that the readers know the truth before they decide to eat there. This is very helpful to many visitors and locals who are looking to eat a good pizza place in their area.
Honest pizza and other food reviews save people time, energy, and the aggravation of experiencing a terrible food restaurant. Worst Pizza provides honest feedback about their eating experiences without regard to favoritism of the store owners. They are totally customer focused, that is, their goal is to help customers have the best pizza experience by doing the grunt work and eliminating the worst pizza places from the list. By having a worst pizza list, customers are able to bypass the risk of trying out bad pizza places.
I have several suggestions for Worst Pizza. First, they should double check the archive page as it does not allow its readers to access former articles. It was very difficult for me to access other relevant articles to learn more about their site as the archives always takes me to the first page.
Second, WorstPizza.com should have an “About Page” as I was not sure, without do research, as of what their site was about. This should be very helpful to other food bloggers who are interested in knowing more about their pizza site.
Third, Worst Pizza needs a snap shot page to summarize their best and worst pizza places they have visited and in ranking order. Without this, readers will have to go through every article to determine what restaurants that should eat at and which ones they should avoid.
My final suggestion would be for Worst Pizza to focus on Florida pizza. It appears that they are trying to tackle other areas simultaneously. As far as I know, they are the major pizza player in Florida for pizza blogs. There are so many pizza places to review there that I don’t think that they need to review any other areas. There is a lifetime of reviews in Florida that could keep their site preoccupied.
In summary, WorstPizza.com is an excellent website to learn about the best and worst pizzas in Florida. They have very honest reviews and are proving to be a leader in their market. By following my suggestions above, I believe that their pizza blog will be an even better asset to the pizza community.
So a warm congrats is extended to Worstpizza.com for being another great pizza blog!
Sincerely,
Blog Pizza
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