Bite Club Pizza: Chicago vs New York

'Hey Hey' Jack Brickhouse Special at Pizano's in Chicago

A recent trek across the United States brought me to the home of our country's two most famous and notable pizza styles: Chicago's deep dish and New York City's large thin crust.  I've had both before.  I've enjoyed them in their hometown confines.  Eating these pizzas in their respective cities did not present a new experience for me in and of itself.  However, I had never been blessed with the chance to have each of them just a few days apart.  So when I had a few hours to kill in Chicago before catching a flight to New York, the only logical thought that crossed my mind was to jump on the "L" and grab some pie.  Brent and I took a train into the loop where we found a touristy and downtown business friendly joint called Pizano's.  Eating quickly commenced.   

Pizano's actually has several locations around Chicago.  The spot in the loop is not the original, but since I needed to hop right back on a train to Midway, it just made sense.  The famous deep dish pizza has a buttery crust and layers of flavor.  Packed with mozzarella and marinara, the pizzas can fill you up quickly as each "slice" contains enough food to sustain a drunk Cubs fan through the misery of another loss.  Brent and I split a 'Hey Hey' Jack Brickhouse Special which featured Italian sausage and mushrooms.  Every bite tasted like a little bit of heaven.  Okay, maybe that's a little strong.  This pizza did not top my list of best deep dishes I've had in Chicago.  But I'm still a sucker for it.  It is hard to go wrong with the combination of flavors presented in this deep dish.  The wedges of pie are most easily consumed with a fork, which is perhaps its one downfall in the eyes of New York City pizza purists.

 A Slice at Full Moon Pizza on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx

A different world over in the heart of the Bronx lies Arthur Avenue.  The traditional Italian neighborhood seems nostalgically out of place in the middle of the northern NYC borough.  That only gave it extra charm.  My friend Molly and I got a slice at the Full Moon Pizza on the corner of 187th and Arthur Ave.  Full moon serves up a multitude of large pies by the slice.  The thinly stretched and tossed dough is dusted with cornmeal to give it that authentically classic taste and texture.  The pies are topped with an assortment of combinations including the classics of cheese only, pepperoni, buffalo chicken, and more.  I went with a slice that had appropriate portions of peppers, mushrooms, and pepperoni.  Any more toppings than that and you're weighing down the pizza and sacrificing the integrity of the thin crust.  Many opt to fold their slice in half and eat it as a sandwich.  I took mine one bite at a time and finished each swallow with a smile.

So in the end, which pizza reign's supreme?  I haven't done many, but every now and then I make a special comparative post on Bite and Booze called "bite club."  In this battle of Chicago vs New York, I give the edge to Chicago.  The deep dish is a historic, cultural, and unique cuisine.  It is based off of the Italian pizzas, but transformed into something totally different.  The way the crust balances the ingredients is like having a lasagna with a buttery, crispy pizza crust instead of limp noodles.  While I do appreciate a large slice of New York pizza, I don't feel like I'm often blown away by them.  Perhaps the one exception to that was Lombardi's, but even then, the Bite Club crown goes to Chicago!  

Lombardi's Pizza in New York City

There is good pizza... and there is great pizza.  This, my friends, proudly represented the latter.  I'm not sure that it was the most mind blowing pie I've ever had.  It may not even top some of the deep dishes that I've eaten in Chicago, but it certainly lived up to every expectation of what a coal oven New York style pizza should taste like!  

Large pizza at Lombardi's in New York City

I met some good buddies from LSU, Adam and John Robert, who currently live in NYC, at Lombardi's Pizza in Manhattan.  Fortunately we got there right as they opened so we had no line to wait in.  Rumor is that this place builds up quite the crowd on a weekday lunch.  While it attracts its fair amount of tourists, multiple locals gave their support for Lombardi's as one of THE places to go for an authentic New York slice.

Lombardi's Coal Oven Pizza

As if he hadn't been back to Louisiana in a while, John Robert asked if it was too early to start drinking.  I smiled and said of course not!  We ordered a pitcher of Brooklyn Lager to help wash our pizza down!

Brooklyn Lager

We ordered our pizza with pepperoni, Italian sausage, and extra mozzarella.  It also came with some fresh basil on top.  The coal oven baked dough had a wonderful crunch on the outside while remaining hot and chewy on inside.  The little pepperonis shrunk as they heated up and released their amazing juices.  The outside edge turned up as they shriveled to provide little cups of greasy heaven.  The sauce, cheese, and basil were all fresh and magnificent as well.  I could eat one of these pies once a week and never even feel shame because it is that good.  New York Pizza... check!

Authentic New York City Pizza at Lombardi's

Emeril's One Pot Blogger Party: Deep Dish Pizza

After a world-wide search for bloggers, I am honored to be one of 20 selected to participate in a "Blogger Party" sponsored by Emeril Lagasse's new cookbook: Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders.  The challenge: make at least nine meals out of the book over the next three weeks, blog about them, and enjoy!  After all, it does mean I'll get to eat pretty well too!  The book officially releases on September 27th, so I'm actually getting a sneak preview, and now through Bite and Booze, so are you!  Plus, I also get to give away a second copy of the book and some other cool items.  Stay tuned for opportunities to win!

To get things started I wanted a recipe for a food that I love but had never actually cooked before.  When I saw the recipe for Meat and Veggie Lover's Deep Dish Pizza, I knew that would be a pie worth baking.  I've long enjoyed the deep dish, especially in Chicago, but I had never attempted to make one myself.  I figured that I ought to be able to make it in a cast iron skillet easy enough (although the recipe does call for cake pans).

Step one was to head to Calandro's Supermarket to stock up on all the essentials... I mean ingredients (yes, that is a six pack of Tin Room Amber in the bottom left of the cart... no, it was not in the recipe).  Calandro's had everything I need to make this pizza from the semolina flour to the fresh kalamata olives.  One stop did the trick!

I actually started with the pizza dough because it needed time to rise.  The dough contained active dry yeast, water, semolina flour, all purpose flour, olive oil, and salt.  Once I got it kneaded and set aside to do its things, I started working on the sauce.  Making a pizza sauce from scratch is definitely the way to go.  I started with toasting a few fennel seeds before adding in some olive oil.  Once the oil was hot the onions hit the pan along with the garlic, oregano and thyme sprigs, red wine, red pepper flakes and other seasonings.  Once all of that was cooked down I added the peeled cherry tomatoes and let it all simmer together.

With the sauce ready, Calandro's hot Italian sausage browned, and mise en place in place, I was ready to return my attention the dough. 

 I actually had enough dough for two pizzas so I cut it in half and then began to roll it out!

Once I thought I had flattened the dough out evenly enough and large enough to cover my cast iron skillet, I laid it on top of the pan and used my chef's knife to trip around the edges.  This skillet was looking delicious already!

First in went a nice layer of grated mozzarella followed by some Boar's Head pepperoni that I picked up at Calandro's.

Next up came the rest of the toppings.  Sausage, bell peppers and mushroom all filled the pie.  The olives were also added before a second layer of grated mozzarella.

Then came multiple ladles of that delicious tomato sauce.  I couldn't believe how delicious this sauce was.  I almost didn't want to put it into a pizza... and then I fortunately thought better of that.  Putting it in a pizza was the BEST thing I could possibly do with it!

The sauce was topped with freshly cut basil and oregano and then layers of sliced mozzarella that I got from the deli at Calandro's.  It ended up working out perfectly for the top part of the pie.  I also added a little more basil and oregano to the top for a little garnish, then into the hot oven it went!

The result made my taste buds leap of my tongue.  After pulling the pie out of the oven I topped it with some parmigiano-reggiano that I grated by hand then allowed it to cool before digging in.  The mozzarella on top had turned golden brown and the crust developed the perfect form and function for a tasty deep dish.  The recipe as a whole took several hours of work, but the kitchen is a good time, and this pizza was completely worth it!  I can't wait to see (taste) which recipe out of Emeril's book I pick next!

Seattle Part II: The Pyramid Alehouse

After wrapping up with drinks and a snack at The Pike Brewing Company in Seattle Part I, Eric and I took a nice little walk to SoDo where we found the Pyramid Alehouse right next to Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners.  Stop number two on our Friday-Funday awaited us with more beer and delicious food.  We met up with Meech Crowley, a "brandvangelist" for Pyramid Brewing, who hung out with us at the bar as we talked about Seattle, Louisiana, travels, and, of course, beer.    

The Pyramid Alehouse in Seattle, WA

Once again we began our beverage intake with a sampler platter.  Pyramid's sampler came with five brews to choose from out of the majority of the beers they had on tap.  Picking the first five to try proved to be a bit of a challenge, but after I accomplished that task I promptly had some assorted liquid refreshments awaiting my taste buds.

A Beer Sampler Pyramid Style

I tried to get as much of a variety pack as I could when choosing my sampler dejour.  My selection included the Audacious Apricot Ale, the Haywire Hefeweizen, the Thunderhead IPA, the Alehouse Amber Ale, and the Grifter IPA.  The Audacious, Haywire, and Thunderhead are three of Pyramid's flagship, year-round brews.  I found the apricot ale to be a great fruit beer.  After the walk from the Pike Place Market, a refreshing, summertime beer really hit the spot.  The wheat malt and unfiltered appearance added to the beer's overall aroma and appearance.  The hefeweizen was very similar to the apricot ale minus the fruit influence.  A typical unfiltered wheat beer, the Haywire didn't blow me away.  The Thunderhead IPA is a lighter, golden IPA that is not over-hopped and is quite enjoyable.  While it does not deliver a "thunderous" Pacific Northwest hop overload to the tongue, it is quite nicely balanced with malt to make a pretty good light IPA.  The Amber didn't impress me much, but like almost all cold beer, it was certainly drinkable.  The Grifter IPA may have stolen the show though.  One of Pyramid's summer seasonals, the Grifter IPA delivered a much stronger bite than the Thunderhead.  Using two different malts and four different types of hops, this beer packed a punch of flavor just like what I was looking for in Seattle.  Bravo to the brewer!

Pyramid's Garlic Cheese Roll

Needing to put a little more food in our stomach's, we opted for our waiter's suggestion for an appetizer.  The garlic cheese roll is a well-portioned pizza roll filled with mozzarella cheese and rep pepper flakes, and brushed with roasted garlic olive oil.  Ours also came stuffed with pepperoni and served with marinara for dipping.  While the garlic cheese roll did nothing to bring out Seattle culture or flavor, it did pair nicely with my empty stomach and all that beer.  The dough tasted hot and fresh while the filling and sauce made me happy.  Hard to argue with that.

The Sausage Sampler at Pyramid

Needing to fill up with a little more pub-grub in between vessels of liquid courage, I opted to try Pyramid's sausage sampler.  The entrée came with three links of Uli's Famous Sausages, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, grilled onions, Audacious Apricot Ale BBQ Sauce and honey beer mustard. The sausage came in three different styles which I found quite appealing.  There was a traditional English banger, a German bratwurst, and a Cajun chicken sausage.  All of the sausages were quite appetizing and the sauces were delicious.  But the main thing was that I had some subsistence in my stomach because I was really there to drink.

The sampler obviously could not satisfy my thirst alone, so I drank several more pints.  And then a few more... I think.  The bar filled up as the pre-game Mariners crowd started to arrive.  We had a couple of visitors stop and chat with us for a while about the oil spill and other things, but the main thing Eric and I did was keep drinking.  My favorites included the Fling Pale Ale and the Dark IPA, though there were several more that added to the flavor profile of Pyramid.  They did seem to be missing a dark beer though.  There was no porter or stout option, which would have been nice to try.  Still, the cold beer satisfied every bone in my body during the Seattle heat wave.  Thanks to Meech for chatting with us about the brewery, and I'll make sure to go back next time I'm in Seattle!

Now on to Seattle Part III for more debauchery and amazing cuisine!

Things To Do
Seattle

Beer and Pizza at the St. Elias Brewing Company in Soldotna, AK

Our second day in Alaska brought a road trip from Anchorage, down the Kenai Peninsula, to the town of Homer where we had a house rented for the week.  Along the way we passed through a town called Soldotna which is home to two craft breweries.  Ready for lunch and brews for the non-drivers, our caravan stopped in to see what the St. Elias Brewing Company had to offer.

While St. Elias only opened its doors and tapped its first kegs in 2007, the brewery and pizza joint is already well known for producing high quality bites and boozes.  They claim that their beer matches the personality of their business: fun and lively yet historic and eclectic.  In addition, the brewery also serves brick-oven baked, rustic, traditional Neapolitan style pizzas.  I was ready to get started and see what I thought about these proclamations.

Our party of seven arrived at St. Elias and were promptly greeted by the aromas of baking pies and boiling mash.  Within minutes we had a table and began ordering brews.  My first choice was a pint of Marathon Mild.  The Marathon Mild is a seasonal that is brewed in the style of a  English working class ale.  Though the beer is very dark in color, it actually tastes a fair amount lighter than it appears.  I enjoyed the brew and prepared myself for more.

The St. Elias Brewing Company, Soldotna, Alaska

Brew Tanks and Brick Oven at the St. Elias Brewing Company

Since there were seven of us there, we decided to order seven different pizzas and share the variety amongst ourselves.  Boo tried to mess this process up, but in the end we got it taken care of.  All of the pizzas were pretty good, though I think my favorites were these two:

Brewhouse and Chicken on the Ranch Pizzas

The Brewhouse pizza is loaded with garlic oil, mozzarella, provolone, bacon, Italian sausage, pepperoni, marinated mushrooms, and caramelized onions.  The salty pie tasted fresh and delicious with the meats, mushrooms, and onions all melting together with the cheese blend.  The Chicken on the Ranch pizza had garlic oil, ranch, mozzarella, provolone, garlic chicken, marinated mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and fresh basil.  Although the pizza seems very similar to the Brewhouse pie, the flavors were actually a good bit different.  The real killer ingredient in all the pizzas was the dough.  The fire-baked crust had a crisp and flavorful outside with a remarkably chewy inside for a small thin crust pizza.

Hawaiian, Chicken Pesto, and Lonestar Pizzas

Running in the close second tier were the Hawaiian, Chicken Pesto, and Lonestar pizzas.  The Hawaiian was an average version of the classic pineapple and ham combination.  St. Elias's Chicken Pesto was a like a the second cousin to the superior Chicken on the Ranch.  Finally, the Lonestar showed a little originality by putting red peppers, chicken, onions, and pineapples on a homemade barbeque sauce base.  It proved to be an interesting combination that succeeded in offering something other than the typical pies.

Sampler Platter of Brews

To get off the subject of pizza for a bit, let's switch gears back to beers!  Not knowing what to order and wanting to try them all, the logical choice involved something that brewpubs like to call "samplers."  I got eight 3-ounce pours of brews to indulge on.  Starting on the left and going clockwise: Even Keel Kolsch, The Farmer's Friend, Puddle Jumper Pale Ale, Mother's Milk Irish Stout, Williwaw IPA, Vanilla Bean Porter, Brass Monkey ESB, and Marathon Mild.  I'd tell you what my favorites were, but after a week of drinking I really don't recall.  I'm pretty sure that the darker the beer, the more I liked it.  The light beers were just average, but some of the others like the Vanilla Bean Porter and the Brass Monkey ESB were fantastic!

Peter Rabbit and Smokestack Pizzas

My bottom rung of pizzas were still tasty, but they would be the least likely for me to order again.  The Peter Rabbit filled the role of St. Elias's vegetarian pie.  Broccoli on pizza just doesn't fit with me despite it being quite edible.  For a veggie pizza it did the trick, but not being a vegetarian myself, I'd shy away from it next time.  Finally, the Smokestack had bacon, olives, and rosemary.  Again, the pizza was fine, just not up to par with some of the other ones.  I would have appreciated a little pizazz.  Still, simple is okay when you have bacon, so it's not all bad!

Yukon Gold Tater

Eusebio took the adventure of ordering a dessert.  The Yukon Gold Tater is not actually a baked potato at all!  The artistic creation is actually a larger portion of cookies 'n' cream ice cream rolled in powdered cocoa, then topped with whipped cream, pistachios, and a little custard that looked like butter.  The dessert could maybe earn credit for creativity, but I'd have a hard time saying that it earns much merit otherwise.  The ice cream is Dreyer's and isn't anything special or homemade.  The cocoa powder that is used to give the potato skin appearance is so fine that both Eusebio and I both accidentally inhaled it to the point that we choked.  After coughing a bit and drinking some beer to clear my throat, it became obvious that the dessert did not quite tickle my fancy.  Oh well, I still enjoyed the pizza and beer, and I had plenty more of Alaska to eat and drink!  

Things To Do
Soldotna

Hot Pizza at Schlittz and Giggles on a Cold, Rainy Day

On a cold, rainy winter day in Baton Rouge there are few things that help boost the spirits more than going out for some hot food at lunch time.  I previously had been disappointed with the quality of pizza at Schlittz and Giggles on Third Street, so when a coworker suggested that we meet there I wasn't exactly thrilled.  Still, not being one to refuse to eat at places (other than maybe Olive Garden or Applebee's), I decided to give the downtown pizza joint another shot. 

Schlittz and Giggles in Downtown Baton Rouge: "Silly Name, Serious Pizza."

The aroma inside Schlittz and Giggles is a beautiful fragrance of baked pizza crust and assorted cooked toppings mixed in with mass quantities of macro-brewed swill.  It is quite a delicious smell, and it took every bit of self restraint that I had not order a beer in the middle of the day.  While their beer selection offers nothing of extraordinary value other than possibly the Abita Amber that is on tap, there is something to be said about a beer menu that features cans of Schlitz, PBR, Coors Banquet, The Beast, Schaefer Light, High Life, and Old Milwaukee.  Oh, and they have a $1 mug or $5 pitcher on their "House" beer which is nothing other than a keg of Natty Light.  Genius!  I took a seat on one of their leather bar stools and glazed over the menu.

Kitchen Floor Pie

The pizza tasted a fair amount better than my previous experience led me to believe.  Perhaps that is because on my previous trip I stumbled over there and ordered pepperoni pizza by the slice at one o-clock in the morning.  Usually when I eat like that everything tastes ridiculously amazing, so this is a mystery that will need to be solved.  However, for this day, the pizza hit the spot.  I ordered a lunch sized Kitchen Floor pizza, which is their version of a supreme. It came reasonably loaded with pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, bacon, roasted red peppers, green bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, olives, and their Schlitty Cheese Blend (Mozzarella, Asiago, Romano, and Parmesan).  The hand-tossed dough needed very few cooking utensils as the chefs flung the circles of bread high in the air. The size of the pizza turned out to be plenty enough food to full up even a fat man.  While the pizza certainly did not amaze me as a form of culinary genius, it certainly lit up my taste buds enough to bring me back in on another day... though it will probably be when I can sit around and have a few of those cheap beers while watching one of the many TVs that are always tuned into sports.