9-20-2012
Lizzie and I had a bit of free time before the reunion so we went to Scornovacca's on the south side. Not a lot to say really, just near perfection. The crust was amazing, thin with marvelous layers. The sausage was made in-house, and was perfect. I think I may have a new favorite DSM sausage. The pepperoni was just strong enough. My only complaint was that the ingredients didn't bind to the crust terribly well, but not terribly. This is Lizzie's favorite so far (I will let her add her comments when she can). This may have replaced Bordenaro's as my favorite, but I will go back to each after all this is done. They also had the best fried ravioli so far. Yeah, yummy.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 10
Tastiness Scale - 10
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 10
Tastiness - 10
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Ge-Angelo's Italian Restaurant - Ames
8-12-12
Very good pizza this, but not what I am looking for. It had a tasty, bready crust and really decent ingredients. Lizzie got something else this time, their Grazie Pie, the name of which should give you a clue. The stronger Graziano's sausage, mushrooms with a roasted red pepper sauce. Very, very good. I had a half and half, pepperoni and sausage. The sausage was their own, a nice medium sausage that was wonderfully spiced. The pepperoni was a little weak, but worked pretty well in the pizza. I preferred the sausage. All in all a good place with good food and excellent folks working there. A high recommendation, but not the right style, too thick of a crust.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 1
Tastiness Scale - 9
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 1
Tastiness - 9.5
Very good pizza this, but not what I am looking for. It had a tasty, bready crust and really decent ingredients. Lizzie got something else this time, their Grazie Pie, the name of which should give you a clue. The stronger Graziano's sausage, mushrooms with a roasted red pepper sauce. Very, very good. I had a half and half, pepperoni and sausage. The sausage was their own, a nice medium sausage that was wonderfully spiced. The pepperoni was a little weak, but worked pretty well in the pizza. I preferred the sausage. All in all a good place with good food and excellent folks working there. A high recommendation, but not the right style, too thick of a crust.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 1
Tastiness Scale - 9
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 1
Tastiness - 9.5
Scornovacca's North
7-12-12
We went to Scornovacca's on the north side (there is one on the south side as well, we will check that one out at a later date). This time it was dinner with Dad & Linda. They had a combo, we had our usual test subjects, one sausage and one pepperoni. The crust was a very thin cracker crust which was very good, although not quite what I have been looking for. I prefer a tiny bit thicker with layers. Still, it was exceptional for it's type. It had a decent layer of cheese, not too much, not too little. The sausage was the obligatory Grazianos, the medium I think, and very good, as expected. The pepperoni was a little on the weak side, and not as much on it as I would have liked. Still, both were very tasty, the sausage being the better of the two. Definitely worth another visit at some point. Lizzie and I were in complete accord with the numbers. The cracker crust lost some points, but it was very very good pizza.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 8
Tastiness Scale - 10
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 8
Tastiness - 10
We went to Scornovacca's on the north side (there is one on the south side as well, we will check that one out at a later date). This time it was dinner with Dad & Linda. They had a combo, we had our usual test subjects, one sausage and one pepperoni. The crust was a very thin cracker crust which was very good, although not quite what I have been looking for. I prefer a tiny bit thicker with layers. Still, it was exceptional for it's type. It had a decent layer of cheese, not too much, not too little. The sausage was the obligatory Grazianos, the medium I think, and very good, as expected. The pepperoni was a little on the weak side, and not as much on it as I would have liked. Still, both were very tasty, the sausage being the better of the two. Definitely worth another visit at some point. Lizzie and I were in complete accord with the numbers. The cracker crust lost some points, but it was very very good pizza.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 8
Tastiness Scale - 10
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 8
Tastiness - 10
Paesano's Pizzeria
5-8-12
Tonight we met Lewis Bissett at Paesano's Pizzeria on the south side. Not quite what we were looking for, but very tasty anyway. The crust was breadier than I am really looking for, with heavier cheese, which fits the style well. Graziano's sausage again and decent pepperoni, although both were slightly at risk of being overpowered by the sauce, which was strong and plentiful. It was well worth going to, but not really in the running for the style I am looking for.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 2
Tastiness Scale - 9
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 2
Tastiness - 8
Tonight we met Lewis Bissett at Paesano's Pizzeria on the south side. Not quite what we were looking for, but very tasty anyway. The crust was breadier than I am really looking for, with heavier cheese, which fits the style well. Graziano's sausage again and decent pepperoni, although both were slightly at risk of being overpowered by the sauce, which was strong and plentiful. It was well worth going to, but not really in the running for the style I am looking for.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 2
Tastiness Scale - 9
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 2
Tastiness - 8
Pagliai's Pizza
5-6-12
We went to Pagliai's Pizza on Merle Hay Road. Very tasty, some pluses, a few minuses. As usual it was two pizza's a thin crust pepperoni and a thin crust sausage. In this case, as Lizzie found out, the sausage is made in-house and is very tasty. A little heavy on the garlic, but not in a bad way. The pepperoni is a little understated, but still yummy. The crust seemed to work better with the pepperoni although the top did pull away with each slice as I got near the end, a big minus for me. The pepperoni crust was wonderfully layered and nice and crisp. The sausage was a little heavy on the cheese for my tastes, Lizzie agrees.
Lizzie says, LOVED LOVED the sausage. Also, they had her favorite cheese blend so far.The rest she is pretty much in accord with me.
The numbers never seem to really completely reflect what we thought, but this rides a very close third after Bordenaro's and Chuck's. Highly recommended.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 8
Tastiness Scale - 9
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 7
Tastiness - 9
We went to Pagliai's Pizza on Merle Hay Road. Very tasty, some pluses, a few minuses. As usual it was two pizza's a thin crust pepperoni and a thin crust sausage. In this case, as Lizzie found out, the sausage is made in-house and is very tasty. A little heavy on the garlic, but not in a bad way. The pepperoni is a little understated, but still yummy. The crust seemed to work better with the pepperoni although the top did pull away with each slice as I got near the end, a big minus for me. The pepperoni crust was wonderfully layered and nice and crisp. The sausage was a little heavy on the cheese for my tastes, Lizzie agrees.
Lizzie says, LOVED LOVED the sausage. Also, they had her favorite cheese blend so far.The rest she is pretty much in accord with me.
The numbers never seem to really completely reflect what we thought, but this rides a very close third after Bordenaro's and Chuck's. Highly recommended.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 8
Tastiness Scale - 9
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 7
Tastiness - 9
Bordenaro’s Pizza
4-28-2012
Tonight we went to Bordenaro’s Pizza on the south side. As much as I loved Chuck's, this may have made the rest of my search moot. Once again the sausage was Graziano's, really as it should be in Des Moines. The pepperoni was tasty, not as strong as some we have had, which was fine. Let's talk about the crust. It was thin, but it had layers. It had a nice crunch to it on the edges, but was softer, yet firm in the middle. The ingredients and the crust bonded nicely. There was a good amount of cheese, without drowning the pizza. The sauce had a nice tang that complimented both the sausage and the pepperoni very well. In all of our first bites we were all agreeing that this was the best so far.
Ok, I will say it, this was the best thin crust pizza I have had in decades. Tons of flavor and a good price. The search will continue, but I may be happy just going back here every few weeks.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 10
Tastiness Scale - 10
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 10
Tastiness - 10
Tonight we went to Bordenaro’s Pizza on the south side. As much as I loved Chuck's, this may have made the rest of my search moot. Once again the sausage was Graziano's, really as it should be in Des Moines. The pepperoni was tasty, not as strong as some we have had, which was fine. Let's talk about the crust. It was thin, but it had layers. It had a nice crunch to it on the edges, but was softer, yet firm in the middle. The ingredients and the crust bonded nicely. There was a good amount of cheese, without drowning the pizza. The sauce had a nice tang that complimented both the sausage and the pepperoni very well. In all of our first bites we were all agreeing that this was the best so far.
Ok, I will say it, this was the best thin crust pizza I have had in decades. Tons of flavor and a good price. The search will continue, but I may be happy just going back here every few weeks.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 10
Tastiness Scale - 10
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 10
Tastiness - 10
Two from the Indianapolis area.
Donatos is the more traditional. Nice thick slices of pepperoni that have curled up attractively with the heat. The crust is a slight bit bready, but not terribly so. It is very very good, very traditional thin crust. They cut it in straight lines rather than like a pie, which is a slight minus to me, but not enough to take any points off. The sauce has a sweet tanginess to it that I like a lot.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 8
Tastiness Scale - 9
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 7
Tastiness - 8
Pizza King is a little different, although with a very similar crust. They use ground pepperoni, which is quite good, spicier than most I have had so far. They also cut in straight lines, it must be a regional thing. Their pizza is a little stronger taste, a bit sharper. I like it a lot.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 8
Tastiness Scale - 8
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 9
Tastiness - 8
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 8
Tastiness Scale - 9
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 7
Tastiness - 8
Pizza King is a little different, although with a very similar crust. They use ground pepperoni, which is quite good, spicier than most I have had so far. They also cut in straight lines, it must be a regional thing. Their pizza is a little stronger taste, a bit sharper. I like it a lot.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 8
Tastiness Scale - 8
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 9
Tastiness - 8
Mario's Italian Restaurant - Dubuque
3-16-12
A quick aside for a moment of traveling. Lizzie and I went through Dubuque last weekend and had lunch at Mario's Italian Restaurant. Very tasty, but not quite sort of thing that I am searching for. A good, hearty slightly bready crust (which is what takes them out of the area of search), they had great sausage and mushrooms and green peppers out of a can. Oddly enough that last detail worked for me, because the sort of pizza I remember from my childhood and teenage years always had the veggies out of a can.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 2
Tastiness Scale - 7
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 5
Tastiness - 8
A quick aside for a moment of traveling. Lizzie and I went through Dubuque last weekend and had lunch at Mario's Italian Restaurant. Very tasty, but not quite sort of thing that I am searching for. A good, hearty slightly bready crust (which is what takes them out of the area of search), they had great sausage and mushrooms and green peppers out of a can. Oddly enough that last detail worked for me, because the sort of pizza I remember from my childhood and teenage years always had the veggies out of a can.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 2
Tastiness Scale - 7
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 5
Tastiness - 8
Chuck’s Italian-American Restaurant
3-3-12
But mine … Chuck’s Italian-American Restaurant. This is going to be hard to beat. First of all they are not regular. They are not perfect circles. They are odd, oblong. The crust is crispy on the edges, with a bit of burned cheese here and there (a big plus for me). The ingredients are tasty. They use the milder Grazianos sausage, once again a plus. Graziano's sausage is the best I have ever had … period. I prefer the spicier, but for this pizza it was perfect. The pepperoni was wonderfully spicy, too much for WSPA-3, but the sausage was just to her liking.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 10
Tastiness Scale - 10
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 9
Tastiness - 10
The difference between the two I think is the difference between analog and digital. Noah's was almost too perfect. Chuck's was better for it's imperfections. You wouldn't see that much burned cheese on the edges at Noah's, something that I think is essential for perfect pizza. The crust had a little flour char to it here and there, another important thing.
But mine … Chuck’s Italian-American Restaurant. This is going to be hard to beat. First of all they are not regular. They are not perfect circles. They are odd, oblong. The crust is crispy on the edges, with a bit of burned cheese here and there (a big plus for me). The ingredients are tasty. They use the milder Grazianos sausage, once again a plus. Graziano's sausage is the best I have ever had … period. I prefer the spicier, but for this pizza it was perfect. The pepperoni was wonderfully spicy, too much for WSPA-3, but the sausage was just to her liking.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 10
Tastiness Scale - 10
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 9
Tastiness - 10
The difference between the two I think is the difference between analog and digital. Noah's was almost too perfect. Chuck's was better for it's imperfections. You wouldn't see that much burned cheese on the edges at Noah's, something that I think is essential for perfect pizza. The crust had a little flour char to it here and there, another important thing.
Noah's Ark Restaurant & Lounge
2-21-12
Lizzie and I went to Noah's Ark Restaurant & Lounge. The pizza was exceptional. Great crust, tasty ingredients. We got sausage, green pepper and garlic. I do want to go back and do a more exact test with the new rules. Of the two so far this was Lizzie's favorite.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 7
Tastiness Scale - 8
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 8
Tastiness - 9
Lizzie and I went to Noah's Ark Restaurant & Lounge. The pizza was exceptional. Great crust, tasty ingredients. We got sausage, green pepper and garlic. I do want to go back and do a more exact test with the new rules. Of the two so far this was Lizzie's favorite.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 7
Tastiness Scale - 8
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 8
Tastiness - 9
Welcome to the blog, I guess you all know why we're here.
I want to find the best old fashioned thin crust pizza in the Des
Moines area. I'm tired of fancy pizza. I am tired of easy bake oven
pizza. I am tired of chain pizza. I am tired of standardized pizza. I
want a pizza made in an old fashioned metal pizza oven (stone oven pizza just doesn't do it for me) with simple
ingredients. We decided that we need to get something
specific so we had the correct sort of test. In this case one pepperoni pizza, one sausage pizza.
I have been at this for almost a year now. Everything here gets posted to my FB page as well. Feel free to comment, feel free to recommend a pizza place if you think it will fit my criteria.
Places that are on our list to try;
Orlandos
Limey's
Hilltop Lounge & Restaurant
Fia's
Bianchi Boys Pizza & Pasta
Angelos Pizza
Belluci Pizza House - Boone
Corigliano's Pizzeria
La Pizza House
Sonny's Pizza Bistro
Marino's Italian Restaurant
Pete's Pizza - Indianola
Encore Pizza
Paul Reveres - South Side
Jersey Guys Pizza
I have been at this for almost a year now. Everything here gets posted to my FB page as well. Feel free to comment, feel free to recommend a pizza place if you think it will fit my criteria.
Places that are on our list to try;
Orlandos
Limey's
Hilltop Lounge & Restaurant
Fia's
Bianchi Boys Pizza & Pasta
Angelos Pizza
Belluci Pizza House - Boone
Corigliano's Pizzeria
La Pizza House
Sonny's Pizza Bistro
Marino's Italian Restaurant
Pete's Pizza - Indianola
Encore Pizza
Paul Reveres - South Side
Jersey Guys Pizza
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