tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58076843612373569272024-02-07T03:21:28.173-05:00In Pursuit of PizzaMaking pizza, eating pizza, and wishing I was eating pizza. Pizza is the best.Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-40683740825612810382009-06-24T09:29:00.001-04:002009-06-24T09:31:42.831-04:00Pizza by Astrological SignMy darling friend Maggie forwarded on this guide to pizza. I'm a Taurus and they are definitely right on!<br /><br /><br /><br />Did you know that your Sun Sign influences how you like your pizza? Each Sign has a unique approach to eating this popular food -- what's your style?<br /><br />Aries:<br />You want your pizza to go, with extra hot peppers.<br /><br />Taurus: <br />You order one with everything on it, and then another in case you're still hungry.<br /><br />Gemini: <br />You like half mushroom and half olives but are usually too busy chatting with the waiter or delivery person to eat it.<br /><br />Cancer: <br />You bake your own, making the dough from scratch and using tomatoes from your garden.<br /><br />Leo: <br />You prefer gourmet pizza from trendy Italian places, but you only eat a piece so that your stomach still looks flat in your fitted jeans.<br /><br />Virgo: <br />You order plain cheese pizza and request extra napkins for blotting the grease.<br /><br />Libra: <br />You order one all-meat and one all-veggie because you can't decide which one you want.<br /><br />Scorpio: <br />You get your pizza with pineapple, anchovies and secret sauce -- and you also manage to get the delivery person's phone number.<br /><br />Sagittarius: <br />A Brazilian or Mexican pizza that can be put into an environmentally-friendly to-go box works for you.<br /><br />Capricorn: <br />You like any pizza that can be folded calzone-style so that you can eat while you work.<br /><br />Aquarius: <br />Mmmmm … doesn't a wheat-free pizza with soy cheese topped with organic vegetables sound delicious?<br /><br />Pisces: <br />You get lost on the way to the pizza shop and end up at a Thai restaurant instead.<br /><br /><br /><a href= "http://horoscopes.astrology.com/astronet/fun/pizza.html">Source: horoscopes.astrology.com</a>Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-38899027922560327842009-05-18T16:43:00.001-04:002009-05-18T16:44:50.008-04:00I know, it's been a while.My friends, I am so sorry it's been so long. Last night I dined on a delicious cheese and garlic pie from Gianfranco's. Tonight, though... tonight I will be eating birthday pizza (in anticipation of my bday tomorrow) from Bruno's.<br /><br />Full, cheesy report to come. Yum yum!Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-75204894307106576982009-04-13T08:14:00.002-04:002009-04-13T08:19:29.378-04:00Important Lesson Learned on Easter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzuR71r8odgGlQknds3g-XtgFQub2kJeUiWZiw8Lo8edMYvx3g71AGNGNmRWF8zWMF6a_fxC7eEEYzJ1K_jBOVaC8ku-z0fiKAK0YZWuR2vCD4D8euIP0ldYg8iXM-F-FN4PpIWsLdZ9L/s1600-h/peppfrmpizzabage3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWzuR71r8odgGlQknds3g-XtgFQub2kJeUiWZiw8Lo8edMYvx3g71AGNGNmRWF8zWMF6a_fxC7eEEYzJ1K_jBOVaC8ku-z0fiKAK0YZWuR2vCD4D8euIP0ldYg8iXM-F-FN4PpIWsLdZ9L/s200/peppfrmpizzabage3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324148851397580098" /></a> <strong><big><center> ≠ </strong></big></center><br /><a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/112709/2/pepperoni_pizza_slice.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 380px;" src="http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/112709/2/pepperoni_pizza_slice.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-63046397711243036042009-03-31T14:14:00.002-04:002009-03-31T14:21:09.364-04:00The Apartment Vegan PizzaMy friend Art writes <a href= "http://www.theapartmentvegan.blogspot.com/">The Apartment Vegan</a>, a wonderful food blog with lots of recipes and thoughts about delicious food.<br /><br />About a week or so ago (probably longer) he sent me a text with a picture and description of a beautiful pizza and then my phone went haywire and I couldn't share it with you. I was hoping he would write about pizza on his blog and - behold! He has!<br /><br />Check out his <a href= "http://theapartmentvegan.blogspot.com/2009/03/apartment-pizza.html">pizza with fra diavlo sauce</a>! Oh man, also, Art gives helpful hints on how to stretch dough.<br /><br />Looks delicious, even with the soy cheese. Which, for the record, I am against.Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-15069410390858586962009-03-27T12:13:00.001-04:002009-03-27T12:15:54.292-04:00I am easily persuadedI brought a [freezer aisle] veggie pot pie with me to work today. I am planning to check out that new pizza place again tonight, so I thought this would be a good option. My work girls brought their Lean Cuisines. We were going to just do that for lunch, no problem.<br /><br />That is, until I got this call from Work Girl #1: "We don't think we can eat what we brought today. We need pizza."<br /><br /><br />And just like that, today became double pizza day!Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-42084090970756408872009-03-27T09:52:00.004-04:002009-03-27T10:04:56.745-04:002 Pizzas from ScratchPizzadelphia is quite a guy! After a rough couple of weeks, I was finishing up a big project so he decided to make me some pizza. In fact, he made 2 pizzas and they were both OFF THE HOOK good.<br /><br />First up: Wowza-roni Pizza!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFxe1YzDBkMeWxe2WEIBU9fXEV2YBmTwFosPvHfTfRtbPqHCsL9Txu87oUM99Lh5RskP5KTwRgF2ARKorEExanU9G4XjNMBcCOKY_NldVekhX-z2_JLQn8HQJ6cPuUUBRv0tEjg4dONQL/s1600-h/pizza+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFxe1YzDBkMeWxe2WEIBU9fXEV2YBmTwFosPvHfTfRtbPqHCsL9Txu87oUM99Lh5RskP5KTwRgF2ARKorEExanU9G4XjNMBcCOKY_NldVekhX-z2_JLQn8HQJ6cPuUUBRv0tEjg4dONQL/s200/pizza+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317865637459118146" /></a><br /><br />On this pizza: dough from scratch, olives, pepperoni, crushed chili peppers, goat's milk mozzarella, cow's milk mozzarella, tomato base, crushed black pepper<br /><br />Verdict: gone in under 20 minutes. The goat's milk mozzarella is completely delicious - only a little different than traditional mozzarella, honestly, but yummy. And Pizzadelphia cut up the pepperoni into quarters, which is the best way to do it because then you don't have to contend with the whole piece of pepperoni coming off with a big slide of cheese... you know how that goes. <br /><br />Pizza 2: Pineytime Station Pizza<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lKiObeuoAH10IM1wiHxdzLcoEaD8eNs9TfY4FB1fK1gPC7nqEYFc8gscyqlMmDh6ZIoFxgKZIu7IRt7RP1O4zYe1geeC9etL2L5-LhEOxmaHgRmE3o1tLyM2YweKlpsteHT7M-yLmE21/s1600-h/pizza+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lKiObeuoAH10IM1wiHxdzLcoEaD8eNs9TfY4FB1fK1gPC7nqEYFc8gscyqlMmDh6ZIoFxgKZIu7IRt7RP1O4zYe1geeC9etL2L5-LhEOxmaHgRmE3o1tLyM2YweKlpsteHT7M-yLmE21/s200/pizza+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317867482580388338" /></a><br /><br />On this pizza: dough from scratch, roasted garlic, toasted pine nuts, zucchini, tomato base, cow's milk mozzarella, crushed black pepper.<br /><br />Verdict: OH GOD YES. Because we had already eaten a full other pizza, I only had half of my allotted slices of this one. This means I was able to enjoy it again during lunch on Monday. I like to eat leftover pizza cold, and I am here to tell you that cold or hot, this pizza rocked. Pizzadelphia roasted the garlic in the oven while he made, cooked, and we ate the first pizza. I love roasted garlic and it was really special to have on a pizza. He also toasted the pine nuts before putting them on the pizza. Here's a tip: put some toasted pine nuts on your next pizza. The zucchini still had a bit of texture to it, which was a nice addition. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In other pizza news, I may have found a place in Philadelphia to rival Bruno's. I tried it last night but faithful reader (and friend) PizzaMike recommended I have a second taste test before I go crazy with pizza proclamations. I'm going back tonight, so I'll have a full report on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend - eat some pizza!Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-7326735293190908472009-03-25T14:41:00.003-04:002009-03-25T15:26:00.937-04:00Field Report: Good Sicilian Pizza in New Orleans!<i>My dear friend Anthony is back with a follow-up to his lamentations about the lack of quality pizza in New Orleans. Read on...</i><br /><br /><br />My Princessly Purveyor of Pizza,<br /><br />I am writing to inform you of a change in my situation regarding my search for pizza in the illustrious City of New Orleans, in the Great State of Louisiana. If my words or thoughts seem muddled, please understand that I am positively overflowing joy and excitement!<br /><br />Before I explain my discovery, this rare jewel which I can only equate to a significant archaeological finding such as the tomb of the great pharoah Tutankhamun or the more recent Fermilab discovery of the Y(4140) particle--may the new unexpected Y state that decays to J/psi and phi bring an abundance of spectacular discoveries in the upcoming years!--I must digress to my previous electronic correspondence.<br /><br />I am still struggling with the cold and irrefutable fact that yours truly did, in fact, recommend Dominos pizza to you and your readers. I do wish that I could attribute it to libations or, perhaps, something more illicit and dubious, but the truth is that I was confused, famished and in something of a credulous state when I saw, ordered and subsequently ate the food I had so gracefully praised a fortnight ago.<br /><br />We shall not dwell on the past, however. What is done is done. We can only look forward and learn from our mistakes, dire as they may have been. Allow me to move on to my present announcement: I have found good pizza. <br /><br />No. "Good" is not a strong enough word. Amazing. Miraculous. Wonderful. Marvelous. There are simply not enough words in the English language to describe this pizza! I discovered many clues, scattered throughout the multitude of tubes of which The Internet is comprised. A mention of a name here, an intimation of a Sicilian pie there. I donned my bowler and took up my calabash pipe and, as if possessed by the spirit of Sherlock Holmes, put these myriad clues together and discovered the location: Cafe Nino, 1510 S. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118. I telephoned and spoke with a young man who, after I inquired over their ability to make Sicilian pies, had me speak with Roger. Our conversation was as follows:<br /><br />Me: "Good day, sir. I am calling to find out if you might be able to produce for me a Sicilian pie."<br />Roger: "Indeed, fine gentleman! As our requests for this excellent variety of pizza are few and far between I ask for your patience for the next one-hundred and twenty minutes. A pizza of this caliber requires me to make fresh dough, which must rise to perfection."<br />Me: "Sir, if you can indeed procure for me a Sicilian pie, I would be so inclined as to wait four entire hours. Perhaps even five!"<br />Roger: "Excellent! I look forward to meeting you face-to-face!"<br />Me: "Indeed, as do I!"<br />Roger: "Good day to you!"<br />Me: "No, sir, good day to you!"<br /><br />I waited, pacing anxiously as if I were awaiting the birth of a child, watching the minutes on the clock crawl by at a pace that would make a gazelle resemble a tortoise. When I arrived the pizza was nearly finished. The smells were amazing. Roger made a point of showing me the pizza before boxing it, asking if it looked up to my specifications. My mouth and vocal chords were unable to form audible words. I payed the good man for his work and hurried home.<br /><br />My dearest Meghann, there are simply no words. Poets would be found speechless. Songwriters, without a voice! The crust was crisp and chewy. The sauce was tangy but not overpowering. There was the perfect amount of mozzarella and pepperoni (a topping which would have my dear Catholic mother quoting scripture, as it was a Friday eve) and Roger was kind enough to give a good sprinkling of shredded parmesan cheese.<br /><br />Twice have I ordered this pizza. Twice have I waited two hours. Twice has it been worth every moment of waiting. The second time I maintained enough of my wits--previously overwhelmed by my elation and excitement--to photograph the occasion. Please see below:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cipolone.org/images/food/ninospizza.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 281px; height: 211px;" src="http://www.cipolone.org/images/food/ninospizza.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I am fearful of saying that I shall not write again, pronouncing the discovery of yet another pizza. If there are more restaurants such as this, then they are lying well below the radar of many capable individuals. I felt this finding was of great enough importance to share with you and your most esteemed readers. I felt, more than anything, that redemption for my previous correspondence was in order. I will attribute it to a temporary lapse of sanity, a momentary excursion from the realm of rational thought and decision making.<br /><br />I have the honor to remain your most hungry and obedient reader,<br /><br />Anthony<br /><br /><br /><br /><i>If you'd like to submit a field report, that would be awesome! Just send it along. I might not get to use every field report submitted.</i>Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-81461665151404668762009-03-20T11:55:00.001-04:002009-03-20T11:56:54.406-04:00Double Pizza DayIt's Friday. It's Lent. I'm having pizza for lunch and dinner because that's how I roll!<br /><br /><br />Lunch: cheese.<br />Dinner: the options are endless!Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-78362797226099778102009-03-19T10:25:00.003-04:002009-03-19T10:43:54.313-04:00You can't fool me, Distrito!Last night Pizzadelphia and I visited Distrito in West Philadelphia for the first time. We are fans of Jose Garces and I'd been reading reviews of the bright pink lucha libre wonderland since it opened. We opted for a tasting menu and everything was going just fine when they brought to the table Huaraches Guisados.<br /><br />This dish, was a flat, crispy dough with short rib, oxtail, 3 chile barbeque, cheese, poblano, crema, and radish (according to the menu, which I am looking at right now). It looked gorgeous - crema striped over the entirety of the dish. It was roughly the size of a large postcard or handbill, and rectangular in shape and cut into four strips.<br /><br />Pizzadelphia and I took one bite, looked at each other in glee, and pronounced it pizza. YOU CANNOT FOOL US, JOSE GARCES. Crispy flat dough topped with multiple kinds of cheese, braised beef and other toppings? <b>That is pizza.</b> And it was totally delicious.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>Distrito</b><br />3945 Chestnut St<br />Philadelphia, PA 19104<br />www.distritorestaurant.comMs. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-37362297422596192782009-03-18T11:14:00.003-04:002009-03-18T11:19:45.969-04:00The Pizza BanditThere is a Pizza Bandit in South Philadelphia. So far, the Bandit has held up four pizzarias this month. According to <a href= "http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29730891/">this article</a> (that I accessed through Philebrity.com), he orders food and then pulls a gun and demands money. He has been all over South Philly - even to my home delivery of choice, Two Street Pizza. Here's the description:<br /><br />- 35-40-year-old male<br />- 6'2" – 6'3" tall<br />- Medium build<br />- Light completion with freckles<br />- Light brown eyes<br />- Sandy brown to reddish eyebrows<br />- Wearing a blue hoodie<br /><br />I'm not saying we need to start a mob of people looking for this guy but stealing from pizza parlors is <b>wrong</b>. Pizza Bandit, you need to learn: pizza is beautiful and we do not hurt the people who make the pizza!Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-73884124429426930402009-03-16T14:39:00.004-04:002009-03-16T14:52:34.700-04:00This is probably the only thing I have in common with Kim Jong-ilApparently, Kim Jong-il is obsessed with pizza. <a href= "http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/16/north-korea-pizza">North Korea just got its first pizza parlor!</a> <br /><br /><blockquote><i>For millions of undernourished North Koreans, the notion of eating at a restaurant belongs strictly to the world of fantasy. And so there is only the grimmest humour in the news that, for the country's ruling elite, Pyongyang's dining options just got a little more impressive: the country now has its first-ever pizzeria.</blockquote></i><br /><br />The Guardian story has so many wonderful quotes. Let me share a few favorites.<br /><br /><blockquote><i>One of the officers [Italian chef] Furlanis was training asked him to specify the precise distance at which olives should be spaced on a pizza, he recalled.</blockquote></i><br /><br /><blockquote><i> According to Choson Sinbo, subsequent efforts to reproduce Italian pizza in North Korea were a process of "repeated trial and error", and last year the dictator sent chefs to Naples and Rome to learn more.</blockquote></i><br /><br /><blockquote><i>Quoting North Korean defectors, the South Korean news website Daily NK said Kim "does not eat much, but enjoys picking at various kinds of food, as if just to taste".</blockquote></i><br /><br /><br />Well I guess, congratulations go to North Korea for getting pizza for their upper class. Maybe someday pizza will be for the people!Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-58707783874219144642009-03-13T15:31:00.002-04:002009-03-13T15:32:21.640-04:00Right now...I am dreaming of a mushroom and onion pizza from Bruno's. With garlic. And extra sauce.Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-49277600992218358872009-03-12T14:49:00.001-04:002009-03-12T14:51:52.451-04:00Free, good pizzaHuzzah! We just had a bridal shower at work and there was free Gianfranco's pizza! I had two pieces and I'm hoping there are leftovers in the fridge.Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-9630336189629794402009-03-11T13:53:00.002-04:002009-03-11T14:01:41.467-04:00Pizza at home: now with goat's milk cheese!I am not a big fan of goat's milk cheese, so I was a bit wary when Pizzadelphia brought home a block of goat mozzarella. No longer, though, because it is delicious.<br /><br />Pizzadelphia made for me last night pizza from scratch, using garlic oil instead of olive oil in the dough. We didn't notice much difference, but just knowing it was in there was helpful for my soul. Crushed tomatoes were the sauce, topped with goat mozzarella, bacon (high five for bacon!), whole cherry tomtatoes, and just a couple of oil-cured olives. I'm pretty sure there were a few grates of parmigiana reggiano on top too. Everything came together beautifully and we continue to enjoy the crispness of crust the pizza stone provides.<br /><br />I love whole cherry or grape tomatoes on a pizza. They get roasted and when you bite into them have a very satisfying pop and just explode with flavor. The danger, of course, is that they want to roll off your slice while you're holding it.Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-73822345329700099732009-03-10T10:01:00.004-04:002009-03-10T10:09:23.701-04:00Regarding Lorenzo's on South StreetIf you're a Philadelphian, there are a few things you are expected to love. Ben Franklin, cheesesteaks, Yuengling Lager, Tastykakes, Eagles football/Phillies baseball...the list goes on. Somewhere on that list is Lorenzo's Pizza on South Street. Well I'm here to tell you the truth, my friends.<br /><br />I hate Lorenzo's Pizza.<br /><br />First of all, they sell only cheese pizza by the slice. They have large signs telling you NO TOPPINGS. They also have large signs telling you that you cannot get a box for your absurdly gigantic slice of pizza. You know what Lorenzo's is full of? Jerks. <br /><br />But the real reason I hate Lorenzo's is the sauce. It's just too sweet. I do not like a sweet sauce and because of that I scrunch my face up at the mere thought of Lorenzo's. And yet the line stretches out the door and down the street every day. I don't get it. Can somebody explain to me why so many people love sweet sauce pizza made by jerks?<br /><br /><br /><b>Lorenzo and Son</b><br />305 South Street<br />Philadelphia, PAMs. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-3130805615935843792009-03-09T10:00:00.002-04:002009-03-09T10:05:13.466-04:00Free samples!I was in Whole Foods on Saturday evening, hoping (as I always am) that they would be giving out cheese samples. Well something even better happened: I was given a free sample of PIZZA. Whole Foods now makes pizza and you know, it's not bad! You can find it at the prepared food counter. They have options like whole wheat crust, veggie lovers, giant pepperoni, etc. Not sure how much it costs for a slice, but you know, it's Whole Foods so I would expect it to cost a little bit more than you expect.Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-67074349578544760912009-03-06T15:59:00.005-05:002009-03-06T16:05:39.721-05:00Lickety SplitLast night I grabbed a slice from <b>Lickety Split</b> at 4th and South. I was rushing around and I pretty much scarfed it down, so I sadly can't remember too many details but here're the general notes:<br /><br />* Originally, I asked for two slices, but when I saw the size of them, I opted for one instead. One slice at Lickety Split is the equivalent of 2 human-sized slices.<br /><br />* I don't know if it had been sitting out for a long time or didn't have enough time in the oven on the reheat, but that thing was too soft and floppy. I had to fold my slice in half to get it to stay and I hate to fold my slices in half!<br /><br />* Lot of oil. It ran down my arm, actually.<br /><br />* I think Lickety Split wants to be a club/pizza place, instead of a pizza place.<br /><br />* It wasn't terrible. It was food and that was good enough for me.<br /><br /><br /><b>Lickety Split</b><br />401 South St<br />Philadelphia, PA 19147<br />(215) 413-3434Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-67985200252216013072009-03-05T14:02:00.003-05:002009-03-05T14:15:49.146-05:00The greatest pizza sauce in a can of all time<a href="http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o239/meghannbakerloo/?action=view¤t=dp.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o239/meghannbakerloo/dp.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I just found out that I've been calling this product by the wrong name for my entire life. Just now. While searching for this picture. I thought it was <b>Dom</b> Pepino, whereas it is actually <b>Do<i>n</i></b> Pepino. That is so Jersey of me. Then again, I am out and proud about being from The Jerz so what do you expect?<br /><br />There's not a lot to say about Don Pepino pizza sauce except that it is the greatest commercially available pizza sauce ever made. It is delicious, zesty, and most importantly, made with actual tomatoes instead of paste or tomato byproducts. Beyond being delicious on pizza, we use it as a base for pasta sauce, or on fake chicken patties to make microwave "chk'n parm," and I especially like to put it on pierogies. I'll level with you: I've been known to eat it by itself. It's <i>delicious</i>. The website (see below) lists a few different products but I would just stick to the rippled yellow can and enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.donpepino.com/">Don Pepino</a> on the web.Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-35910912503943064672009-03-04T11:11:00.002-05:002009-03-04T11:18:50.721-05:00From the mailbag - Pizza at the gym!My darling sister, Stupidcleese, sent me this email the other day and I wanted to share it with the pizzaverse.<br /><br /><br /><i><blockquote>Your blog also just reminded me that I missed Pizza Monday at the gym this month. Damn. It will never cease to amuse me that my gym gives everyone who is sweating out their weekend sins pizza (to, of course, replace these newly sweated-out sins and guarantee our return to "work off" the pizza we shamefully shoved into our mouths because, well, it's pizza. and even better? it's free!) the first Monday of the month. The pizza isn't very good. [...] It's a regular pie disguised as a sicilian---square pieces does NOT equate sicilian--often overly soggy and sitting too hot in a closed box for too long. But it's free. And when I'm running on the treadmill I often think of pizza. Pizza Monday at the gym is like the universe reading my mind.</i></blockquote><br /><br />To me, this is one of the most brilliant schemes I've ever heard. A vicious cycle of pizza and treadmill, guaranteed to bring you back for more of both. If they gave out pizza at my gym I would go every day.Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-68945452474383595862009-03-03T11:08:00.003-05:002009-03-03T11:21:24.947-05:00Gusto PizzaI co-founded a theatre company here in Philadelphia called Flashpoint. We are based in the Rittenhouse area of the city and thankfully there are many decent pizza offerings near the theatre. We were in the midst of strike on Sunday when the pizza cravings hit. Strike means taking apart the set after a production is closed. For Flashpoint, strike also means breaking large pieces of luan into smaller, trash-bag-able sized pieces by karate kicking them against a wall. It's a hard job and can make a person very hungry for pizza.<br /><br />We decided to go in on a couple of pies from Gusto, a very small pizza shop just a few blocks from the theatre. We were dealing with a lot of different dietary needs, so we opted to order two cheese pies. And they were fantastic. This was not my first time with Gusto, and it won't be my last. The sauce is savory and loaded with herbs. The cheese is flavorful and distributed in a way to highlight the sauce. The crust is of medium thickness and has a nice doughiness to it.<br /><br />After finishing my third slice and looking at the second empty box, I wished we had thought to buy another pie. When five people attack two pies and wish for a third, something good is happening in that oven.<br /><br /><br /><b>Gusto</b><br />240 S 22nd St<br />Philadelphia, PA 19103<br />phone: (215) 546-7200<br /><a href="http://gusto.thekalon.com/">http://gusto.thekalon.com</a><br /><i>omg! they have coupons on their website!</i>Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-19967625565334663362009-02-27T11:47:00.004-05:002009-02-27T13:56:20.096-05:00It's that time of year againI am Catholic.<br /><br />That sentence means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To me it means that during Lent I do my best not to eat meat on Fridays. You maybe see this one coming: today is the first Friday of Lent.<br /><br />Growing up in a Catholic household, no meat Fridays mean one of three things could be for dinner: fish, spaghetti, or pizza. Maybe it was because Tuesday was more often the spaghetti night, or because fish wasn't tops on mine or my sister's lists. Whatever the reason, when I was very young Lent was one of my favorite times of year because it usually signified double pizza day. <br /><br />At my Catholic grade school, Fridays were always pizza day. You brought in your pizza money at the beginning of the week and then on Friday mornings the teacher doled out the smooth, wooden buttons that served as pizza tickets. I always got two slices of pizza. This was in the blissful time of life <i>before</i> most of lunch hour was spent with mean girls taking stock of who brought Diet Coke for lunch, and complaining that their barely pubescent bodies were "too fat," a ridiculous assertation as none of us had anything more than baby fat on our bones. <br /><br />I remember walking down to the cafeteria in a line, excitedly clutching my two wooden buttons. Some kids claimed that they liked recess best, or gym. But I was nerdy and spent most recess periods reading, and completely afraid of being hit when we played kickball during gym. Friday lunchtime was the best time of the week for me. As aforementioned, my mom was a Pizza Mom so I would say hi to her and get my two delicious slices of heaven and hope hope hope that we would also have pizza for dinner. Which we usually did. SCORE.<br /><br />I think because of this Friday pizza day turning into Friday pizza night I have been conditioned to want, nay, EXPECT pizza on Fridays. This is especially the case during Lent. I just had two slices for lunch and I must say, I feel a little bit holier than I did this morning.<br /><br />Thank you, God, for pizza.Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-59916980156614235412009-02-27T10:03:00.002-05:002009-02-27T10:13:29.531-05:00From the pizza mailbag<i>I received the following email yesterday and with the writer's permission, I am reprinting it here today. I should probably give full disclosure that this letter comes from one of my oldest and dearest friends.</i><br /><br /><b>Subject: Something of a serious nature.</b><br /><br />Dearest Meghann,<br /><br />I cannot believe that I am going to divulge this bit of information to you. I am at the same time happy and full to the brim with shame. It's concerning something very serious and, as I know it to be, very dear to you.<br /><br />It's about pizza.<br /><br />I love pizza. Perhaps not as much as some, but I do love it. For the past 8 years I've been in a city devoid of good pizza. We have our chains, like Italian Pie and Reginelli's, which both make decent "specialty" pizzas. Nothing, however, that compares with the good kind of pizza you would find in the northeast. And then there are ... the other chains. Dominos. Pizza Hut. The "sellouts" of the pizza industry. Commercial. Mass produced.<br /><br />But I have to confess to you, my dear friend, and I hope you understand and do not judge me too harshly. Please know that Dominos is the only pizza place that will deliver to my home, sadly located in one of the more crime ridden neighborhoods of New Orleans. After a night of indulging in the Mardi Gras celebrations, I found myself craving the delicious combination of dough and cheese. I caved. <br /><br />However, if I was going to order one of these pizzas it would be something different. Something unique. A commercial came on showing the Cali Chicken Bacon Ranch from the American Legends line of pizzas. I chose the "ultimate deep dish" cheesy crust.<br /><br />Meghann, I would be lying if I were to say this was not one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten in this city. Perhaps my palette has been tainted by substandard pies, but this combination of chicken, bacon, what I imagine was ranch dressing, and a surprisingly perfectly cooked crust was delectible. My mouth: it waters right now at the thought, although my mind recoils in terror.<br /><br />The pizza situation in New Orleans is very bad, Meghann. Surrounded by Sicilians who do not make Sicilian pies. Oh, how I long to hold a slice needing two hands to be properly folded just so. The straw has broken the back of this proverbial camel: a good-natured and solid-minded individual from the northeast found comfort and solace in a pizza from Dominos. Weeping and mourning are not strong enough to properly react to this horror.<br /><br />I am surrounded by madness, my friend. Absolute madness. <br /><br />So please, keep on blogging of your pizza adventures. We poor souls who find ourselves in these locations devoid of the pies of which we longingly reminisce rely on your words as a message of hope. Perhaps one day others like me will not have to travel over a thousand miles for good pizza. But until that day comes, I'll enjoy each and every one of your posts.<br /><br />I have the honor to remain your most hungry and obedient reader,<br />Anthony<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><i>Check out Anthony's blogs, <a href= "http://themuseumproject.blogspot.com/">The Museum Project</a> and <a href= "http://dailycomposer.blogspot.com/">The Daily Composer</a>. When he's not longing for good pizza, Ant spends his time being an incredible musician, writer, and friend.</i>Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-69901106715620948402009-02-25T10:07:00.002-05:002009-02-25T10:21:30.060-05:00Old City PizzaMy friend and I found ourselves looking for a place to have lunch that was equidistant to our respective offices. Old City Pizza was the answer, a corner pizza/sandwich restaurant that does booming business on weekday lunches and tourist weekends. OCP is located half a block from the Betsy Ross House in the historic section of Philly. (I should say one of the historic sections of Philly - we are chock full o' history here.)<br /><br />We opted to share a small pepperoni and an order of fries. OCP offers a wide variety of specialty pizzas, but sometimes you just need to go simple. Old City Pizza is not my favorite local option, but it's not bad. The sauce is fantastic - lots of herbs mixed in so it's more savory than most of the local favorites (we'll get into my hatred of Lorenzo's famous slices in a later post). The cheese is fine, a little uneven in spots. The crust is where we run into trouble. It's not quite a deep dish crust, but it isn't thin, either. It's crispy but oily. It's fine, but it makes for a more filling pizza. I like to be able to ingest as much pizza as possible, so thicker crusts are harder for me to love because they make it hard to get through more than 2 pieces.<br /><br />All in all, Old City Pizza is a fine idea for lunch or an improvised meal plan, but I don't know that I would seek it out as a destination. If you're planning a trip to the Betsy Ross House soon, let me know and I'll direct you to some much better pizza, just a few blocks away.<br /><br /><b>Old City Pizza</b><br />100 N 3rd St<br />Philadelphia, PA 19106<br />(215) 574-9494Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-64803771134905350502009-02-23T16:09:00.003-05:002009-02-23T16:14:28.880-05:00Slumdog Pizzanaire!And the winner is...<br /><br /><a href="http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o239/meghannbakerloo/?action=view¤t=pizzanaire.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o239/meghannbakerloo/pizzanaire.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Slumdog Pizzanaire! <br /><br />Pizzadelphia concocted this amazing pie for us during the Oscars last night. He made dough by Mark Bittman's recipe in the essential tome, <i>How to Cook Everything</i>. The korma sauce went on the dough. Pizzadelphia then pan cooked some chicken that had been dipped in flour so that it would have a little crispness on the pizza. That went on top of the korma, along with some peas. The entire beautiful thing went onto a hot pizza stone and WHAMO! Fantastic pizza!<br /><br />The pizza stone made a huge difference. The crust was crisp on the outside and soft inside. The middle of the pizza crust wasn't wimpy or sagging. The combination of flavors was wonderful, especially the peas. The korma sauce had an unexpected spiciness to it, which the peas balanced perfectly.<br /><br />A winner, for sure!Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5807684361237356927.post-23716674006441124542009-02-20T12:08:00.004-05:002009-02-20T14:05:49.132-05:00OSCAR PizzaI'm very excited for the Oscars this Sunday. The glitz, the glamour, the...pizza? Hell yes!<br /><br />Pizzadelphia challenged me to think up 5 pizzas, each representing the nominees for Best Picture. We'll make the one that looks best to consume during the show. (It's a shame <i>The Wrestler</i> isn't up for Best Picture because I could have made one hell of a heroically sad Jersey pizza.) The nominees are...<br /><br /><b>The Curious Case of Pizzamin Button</b><br />In honor of New Orleans, my take on a muffaletta! <br /><br />Thick dough with <i>aged</i> provolone (see what I did there?), genoa salami, cappicola ham, and olive salad. Of course because Pizzamin Button has to be backwards, the toppings will be directly on the crust, with cheese on top, ultimately topped with sauce. Hopefully the sauce can be made of <i>baby</i> tomatoes. (see what I did there? again?)<br /><br /><b>Frost/Pizzon</b><br />This one was the hardest to concoct. NO WAY was I going to suggest a pizza topped with Nixon's famous favorite food - cottage cheese and ketchup. That would be an abomination of pizza. So, we'll take a line from the movie (which I have not seen), and go with the end when Nixon asks Frost what they talked about over the phone. Frost replies, "Cheeseburgers."<br /><br />Cheeseburger pizza - thin crust, tomato sauce, a mix of American cheese and Red Leicester cheese, ground beef. Optional: sliced tomato, raw onion, and a layer of shame and deceit.<br /><br /><b>The Pizzer</b><br />I thought about making <i>The Reader</i>'s pizza simply a tribute to Kate Winslet, but decided instead to go with the overall book theme and German/Jewish thing. <br /><br />Thin crust latke pizza, with bratwurst...shaped like a book! The potato skins can be arranged like lines of writing on a page and the bratwurst can serve as page numbers. Sexy page numbers.<br /><br /><b>Slumdog Pizzanaire</b><br />Easiest and most delicious suggestion!<br /><br />Naan crust, korma sauce, ground lamb. I want to eat this immediately.<br /><br /><b>mPIlkZZA</b><br />Pride Pizza!<br /><br />Thin crust, traditional tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Toppings, arranged in bars, according to color:<br />Radishes<br />Orange Peppers<br />Yellow Banana Peppers<br />Broccoli<br />Blue Potatoes<br />Eggplant (skin on)<br /><br /><br />I'm interested to hear other ideas! Especially if you've seen these movies, since I haven't seen any of them.Ms. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16993212676947074793noreply@blogger.com5