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All In The Name of Pizza
March 22, 2005

So we decided to just hop in the car and go for a nice drive yesterday. We had no particular destination other than I had heard of this little Mom & Pop Pizza Place a good distance away and I wanted to check it out.


I have been a pizza snob since childhood. The Father always taught me that good pizza was worth a long drive and a long wait, if that's what it took. Many a weekend was spent driving great distances to check out a new place. And it was very common for us to head to the bad part of town and hang out in a place not fit for children to order up some of the best pizza known to man.


And I have to tell you, the best pizza known to man can't be found at places like Domino's or Pizza Hut. They will do in times of complete desperation like if you're travelling from San Diego to Tucson and you stop in a place called El Centro and your only options are Pizza Hut or the Chinese Buffet. Or if it's, say, 1985 and you're at a Loverboy concert Downtown Seattle and you find yourself in a hotel room with a group of friends and the only thing you can find to eat is Domino's delivery.

And just so we're clear, in 1985 I was young - very young - and I wasn't so in love with Mike Reno that I owned any red leather pants.


Anyway.

So while I had the pizza in my head, I simply told The Husband that I wanted to just take the back roads and relax for a while. Telling him we were about to drive 100 miles or better for a reputed good slice of pie would have gotten me sigh and an eye roll. The Husband is game for anything, which is good since he's married to me. And it's not that he doesn't appreciate good pizza, but he's pretty happy as long as two criteria are met: There has to be meat and there has to be cheese. And lots of it.

The drive was nice. We avoided the freeway in an attempt to catch some backroad relaxation and maybe catch a few funky farm stands and antique shops along the way.


After a couple hours of driving we finally stumbled across the place and I acted surprised and excited at the prospect of pizza for lunch. The Husband was thrilled, too.

And the place did not disappoint. The crust was that perfect balance of thin, yet substantial. Crispy with a slight give and "chewiness" factor. The bottom was covered in good cornmeal and natural char from the brick-lined oven. It was, by far, the best pizza I have had in a very, very long time.


Well worth the nearly 100 miles of travel, give or take a few.

As we left the place and mapped out our next destination, The Husband commented that it's too bad we had to drive so far for such a great pizza.

Little does he know, we're going back again next week.

Posted by Foodwhore at March 22, 2005 10:58 AM

Love your blog, and can definitely relate to your most recent entry ... sounds exactly like my husband and I! I put a link for you at my blog. :)

Posted by: Sweetnicks at March 22, 2005 07:19 PM

Some of the very best pizza I had when I was living in New Haven, CT. I was ruined for all other pizza afterwards.

Posted by: Sarah G. at March 22, 2005 07:27 PM

oh my kris, the one thing i miss about living with my father, and child/teenagehood is the constant seeking of things such as pizza, mexican food, east indian, and thai in the most godawful neighbourhoods, i'll never forget the day i found out about tomotito green salsa, and how right afterwards i had witnessed my first gangshooting in east LA, all for the sake of a burrito.
which is a lot for a jewish princess from laguna beach:D
u must come visit vancouver this summer
i'll take u to good food, i promise!

Posted by: roy at March 22, 2005 07:42 PM

So does the "fold it in half as you eat it so the grease runs down your arm" pizza I grew up eating in NY constitute a good pizza?!

My parents actually still have this gi-normous pizza heater thing that plugs into the wall and keeps an entire super large pizza warm. It is covered in the most hideous marigold and brown colored design and screams 1973. But damn, hot slices of NY take out pizza- yum!

Posted by: veg4me at March 22, 2005 08:23 PM

Chris - I've linked to you on my blog for months now. When you get to Texas this spring, if you plan on visiting anywhere furthere north than Houston, let me know and I will gladly point you in a few dining directions.

Posted by: momma_hester at March 22, 2005 09:43 PM

He he. You said Loverboy...

Posted by: Paul at March 22, 2005 10:53 PM

You gotta put up the link to that restaurant.. the people need to know!

Posted by: Jen at March 23, 2005 09:30 AM

So very worth it, great pizza is hard to find. I think I'm going to drive 100 miles for some cheese this weekend...I'll tell him there's a place with great beer there...

Posted by: molly at March 23, 2005 09:48 AM

I can totally relate. Whenever I go 'home' I drive two hours to buy pounds and pounds of fudge.

And Loverboy, yeah. Mike Reno was hot, but the red pants never did it for me.

Posted by: Barb at March 23, 2005 02:42 PM

What, they don't deliver?

Posted by: Tony S. at March 24, 2005 01:32 AM

Wow, you gotta love a lady who'll drive 100 miles for a pizza. Great blog. Hope you don't mind some linkage ...

I'm gonna need me some regular feeding :D

Posted by: Bitch at March 24, 2005 01:54 AM
 
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