Oh my. So far away what I have been looking for. SO tasty.
Their schtick is Chinese food made into pizza. For an appetizer we had egg rolls, which were more of spring rolls, but delicious. The sweet chili sauce was amazing.
Then we had the Fongolian Beef pizza.
So much of this blog has been about an anti-fancy pizza attitude. I told myself that I wouldn't post about any sort of fancy pizza, just good old-fashioned basic pizza. This place made me change my mind.
The crust is very thin and very crispy. The toppings were generous and amazing. I love Mongolian Beef anyway, and this was a superb take on it.
Now for the ratings.
Eric
Tastiness - Can I give this an 11?
Rightness - Can I give it a negative number?
Lizzie
Tastiness - She agrees with the whole 11 thing
Rightness - Absolute Zero
We will go back, we want to go with a few friends and everyone order a small pizza in a different style so we can try more kinds.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Friday, January 9, 2015
Joe's Pizza & Pasta - 01-08-2015
So, I am going to add to this occasionally.
Lizzie and I went to Joe's Pizza & Pasta last night. It's really, really good New York style pizza.
As usual, we ordered half and half pizza, pepperoni and sausage. The crust was thin and soft, with a bit of crispness to it, so not exactly what I am looking for. I expected that. The sauce leaned towards sweetness, but only because of the caraway that was the most prevalent spice. The sausage was tasty, crumbled into small pieces and spread nicely over the pie. The pepperoni is quite greasy, either you like that or you don't. I liked it a lot. The two sides have distinctly individual tastes to them, the sauce reacts very differently to the two toppings.
The appetizer was this very yummy, fluffy bread, with a bit of butter and parmesan cheese to it.
On our usual two part scale
Eric
Rightness - 3 (although for what they set out to accomplish, I'd call it an 8)
Tastiness - 9
Lizzie
Rightness - 2 (she agrees with the New York rightness)
Tastiness -8
Lizzie and I went to Joe's Pizza & Pasta last night. It's really, really good New York style pizza.
As usual, we ordered half and half pizza, pepperoni and sausage. The crust was thin and soft, with a bit of crispness to it, so not exactly what I am looking for. I expected that. The sauce leaned towards sweetness, but only because of the caraway that was the most prevalent spice. The sausage was tasty, crumbled into small pieces and spread nicely over the pie. The pepperoni is quite greasy, either you like that or you don't. I liked it a lot. The two sides have distinctly individual tastes to them, the sauce reacts very differently to the two toppings.
The appetizer was this very yummy, fluffy bread, with a bit of butter and parmesan cheese to it.
On our usual two part scale
Eric
Rightness - 3 (although for what they set out to accomplish, I'd call it an 8)
Tastiness - 9
Lizzie
Rightness - 2 (she agrees with the New York rightness)
Tastiness -8
Monday, August 25, 2014
Sonny's Pizza Bistro
Ok, so I have another.
08-22-14
We had been meaning to go here for ages. Pretty good stuff.
First, the negatives. The garlic bread seems to be made from Wonderbread. Yeah, 4 bucks for 4 slices of toast.
The pizza made up for it. As before, the negatives. The crust is a little thicker than I am looking for, but is nicely crunchy. The ingredients do not bind well to the crust, pretty much every piece I had the toppings pulled away from the crust. Those toppings were very tasty though.
The sauce has a nice little bit of heat to it. The sausage is very tasty. The pepperoni is put on top so it crisps up nicely. The veggies were well cooked, with just enough crispness to them.
All in all, this was very good pizza. Not quite right for what I am looking for, but very good pizza.
Eric
Rightness: 3
Tastiness: 9
Lizzie
Rightness: 1
Tastiness: 8
08-22-14
We had been meaning to go here for ages. Pretty good stuff.
First, the negatives. The garlic bread seems to be made from Wonderbread. Yeah, 4 bucks for 4 slices of toast.
The pizza made up for it. As before, the negatives. The crust is a little thicker than I am looking for, but is nicely crunchy. The ingredients do not bind well to the crust, pretty much every piece I had the toppings pulled away from the crust. Those toppings were very tasty though.
The sauce has a nice little bit of heat to it. The sausage is very tasty. The pepperoni is put on top so it crisps up nicely. The veggies were well cooked, with just enough crispness to them.
All in all, this was very good pizza. Not quite right for what I am looking for, but very good pizza.
Eric
Rightness: 3
Tastiness: 9
Lizzie
Rightness: 1
Tastiness: 8
Thursday, August 14, 2014
And my final comments - At least until I find some other places to go.
It's been awhile since I did an update. I have a couple more places I visited, but none of them made the top of the list. So a couple quick comments and then my the place I consider the best in town.
We went to Belluci Pizza House in Boone IA awhile ago. Not the sort of pizza I am looking for. It is still excellent pizza. We went on the railroad and then had pizza after and it's a great way to end your day if you find yourself out that way. Our highest recommendation for non-thin crust pizza. The sausage had this wonderful garlic tang to it. The crust was thicker than I am looking for, but still had this nice crispness to it. Great, great pizza.
I went back to Scornovacca's for lunch and had a terribly mediocre pizza. Too much cheese, not enough ingredients. I was very disappointed. They slip down from my original estimation.
Lizzie and I went back to Bordenaro's and had one of the best pizzas we have ever had. It was a combo with one of the best balances of ingredients ever. Oh my it was good. But …
Then last week Lizzie and I made a return to Chuck's and had what was probably the best thin crust pizza I have ever had in my life. Once again a combo. Everything that we loved about the pizza the first time was amplified this time.
I have to say, Chuck's has the best thin crust pizza in town with Bordenaro's a very, very close second.
We went to Belluci Pizza House in Boone IA awhile ago. Not the sort of pizza I am looking for. It is still excellent pizza. We went on the railroad and then had pizza after and it's a great way to end your day if you find yourself out that way. Our highest recommendation for non-thin crust pizza. The sausage had this wonderful garlic tang to it. The crust was thicker than I am looking for, but still had this nice crispness to it. Great, great pizza.
I went back to Scornovacca's for lunch and had a terribly mediocre pizza. Too much cheese, not enough ingredients. I was very disappointed. They slip down from my original estimation.
Lizzie and I went back to Bordenaro's and had one of the best pizzas we have ever had. It was a combo with one of the best balances of ingredients ever. Oh my it was good. But …
Then last week Lizzie and I made a return to Chuck's and had what was probably the best thin crust pizza I have ever had in my life. Once again a combo. Everything that we loved about the pizza the first time was amplified this time.
I have to say, Chuck's has the best thin crust pizza in town with Bordenaro's a very, very close second.
Bianchi Brothers - April 6, 2014
As we do if possible, we started with the fried ravioli. The ravioli was a little bland but had a nice flavor with the marinari. It had ground beef rather than sausage. We weren't impressed.
The pizzas were quite good. The sausage was a little on the mild side, but had a nice flavor to it. The pepperoni had a nice bite to it. It had a thin, cracker sort of crust and the ingredients tended to pull away from the crust. I think that this will be much better pizza when the oven gets a chance to age a bit, it's a very new place.
Eric's Rating
Rightness: 6
Tastiness: 8
The pizzas were quite good. The sausage was a little on the mild side, but had a nice flavor to it. The pepperoni had a nice bite to it. It had a thin, cracker sort of crust and the ingredients tended to pull away from the crust. I think that this will be much better pizza when the oven gets a chance to age a bit, it's a very new place.
Eric's Rating
Rightness: 6
Tastiness: 8
Orlandos - June 16, 2013
I had not been to Orlando's in a few years and it was as good as I remembered. Still not quite what I am looking for. The crust is thicker and cheesier than what I am looking for, bit is still excellent. The sauce is some of the best that we have had. Very meaty, very strong without being overpowering. The sausage is also some of the best we have had and is made in-house. The cheese comes close to being too much, but ends up balancing things nicely. The pepperoni is tasty without being too spicy. The ingredients bind to the crust nicely. All in all a great pizza, if not quite what I am looking for.
I did speak to the owner as we were leaving and was informed that we could get a thinner crust if we asked. We will go back.
Eric's Rating
Rightness: 6
Tastiness: 10
Lizzie
Rightness: 7
Tastiness: 9.5
I did speak to the owner as we were leaving and was informed that we could get a thinner crust if we asked. We will go back.
Eric's Rating
Rightness: 6
Tastiness: 10
Lizzie
Rightness: 7
Tastiness: 9.5
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Mama Lacona's 03-23-2013
As has been the habit, we started with fried ravioli, 3 sausage and 3 cheese. The
cheese is ok, I am uncertain about the sausage. It had an odd texture and odd
slightly fishy taste. I like it better on the second piece. It is a
softer texture than I like. Not bad really, just not to my taste.
Lizzie got a Wedge salad, which she says is quite good. More from her in a moment.
Lizzie:
the pepperoni is flavorful without being too spicy. The sausage is the
mild grazianos, and its a very nice compliment to the over taste. The
sauce is supportive without being overpowering. The crust isn't what we
were looking for, but it is still VERY good. I really liked the cheese
ravioli, but the meat ravioli was a much softer texture than I prefer.
My salad was perfect.
Eric again: Overall, this is exceptional pizza. Really exceptional. The crust isn't quite what I am looking for, but it is still an excellent crust. Everything else is wonderful. Not the tastiest I have had, but darn close.
Eric's Rating
Rightness: 5
Tastiness: 9
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness: 3
Tastiness: 8.5
It occurred to me, I think that the last time I was in Mama Lacona's it was on Beaver, so that was at least two moves ago.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
The Tavern (West Des Moines)
We went to one of the three Tavern restaurants in town. I expected better things. We had some of the usual stuff.
Fried Ravioli
A little too crunchy for me, less so for Lizzie. The flavor made me think they had been cooked in the same oil as fish. Not bad by any means, just not particularly good. The filling was bland, the theme of the evening it seems.
I had a 1/2 sausage 1/2 pepperoni pizza, to keep the test fair. I was uncertain about the crust, it was heading towards being good but something about it made me think of easy bake oven pizza. I asked the waitress (who was very good at her job I must say) and the awful truth was verified. The Tavern does not make real pizza. The crust became chewy after awhile. The sausage was bland, but ok, just ok. The pepperoni was ... well ... I felt that that half of the pizza was just cheese. I took a piece out to taste just the pepperoni, it was almost tasteless. Easily the worst pepperoni so far. The sauce was unexceptional, almost no tang to it at all.
Lizzie had The Works (no onion). It kind of fell apart. Because of the inferior way the pizza is made, the ingredients pulled away from the crust all too easy. This was the better of the two pizzas, fresh green peppers and mushrooms and the pepperoni is fine being bland with other things to taste but still, mediocre.
The pizza wasn't bad really, it just wasn't any good. This was a waste of our time and money. I think it was Lizzie who said that it was upscale chain pizza. I wouldn't go that far.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 0
Tastiness Scale - 6
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 4
Tastiness - 7
Fried Ravioli
A little too crunchy for me, less so for Lizzie. The flavor made me think they had been cooked in the same oil as fish. Not bad by any means, just not particularly good. The filling was bland, the theme of the evening it seems.
I had a 1/2 sausage 1/2 pepperoni pizza, to keep the test fair. I was uncertain about the crust, it was heading towards being good but something about it made me think of easy bake oven pizza. I asked the waitress (who was very good at her job I must say) and the awful truth was verified. The Tavern does not make real pizza. The crust became chewy after awhile. The sausage was bland, but ok, just ok. The pepperoni was ... well ... I felt that that half of the pizza was just cheese. I took a piece out to taste just the pepperoni, it was almost tasteless. Easily the worst pepperoni so far. The sauce was unexceptional, almost no tang to it at all.
Lizzie had The Works (no onion). It kind of fell apart. Because of the inferior way the pizza is made, the ingredients pulled away from the crust all too easy. This was the better of the two pizzas, fresh green peppers and mushrooms and the pepperoni is fine being bland with other things to taste but still, mediocre.
The pizza wasn't bad really, it just wasn't any good. This was a waste of our time and money. I think it was Lizzie who said that it was upscale chain pizza. I wouldn't go that far.
Eric's Rating
Rightness Scale - 0
Tastiness Scale - 6
Lizzie's Rating
Rightness - 4
Tastiness - 7
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Scornovacca's - South
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
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
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
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