Pizza Wars

It's time for the ultimate food fight!

Who has the better pizza?

Chicago with their deep dish saucy stuff

or

New York with their large thin crusted delight?

Had Chicago pizza, hated it.

I'm terribly sorry, guys, but......

ROME HAS THE BEST PIZZA IN THE WORLD!!!!!!

Yes, but the poll is between the two U.S. cities.

I've always heard about Chicago's famous 'deep dish' pizza, but the one time I had it it really wasn't such a big deal. Good, but nothing to write home about.

So my vote is cast for NY.

Apple

I've never been to Chicago, so I had to vote for NY.

New York, they do everything right

Now where is my friend Don Sicilia. We've had several debates about New York Pizza vs. Chicago Pizza .

:p

But all joking aside, I have to say that IMO they are two totally different styles of Pizza that realy cannot be compared. While I love my New York pizza, I have to say that when I was in Chicago, I enjoyed the Chicago style pizza. Both are good in their own way. Two different styles of pizza that, IMO, really cannot be compared.


Don Cardi

New York

I wasn't looking for comparison, I just wanted to see which was preferred. Usually those asked can come up with an answer between the two. Sometimes on occasion, you can like both. I guess the answer I was looking for was, if you're in a pizzeria and you had a choice between the two different styles, which would you order?

Yes, excellent point.

Sort of like Pacino & DeNiro.

Apple

New York's pizza is sooo good.

Isn't a pizza a pizza? Aren't there any 'deep saucy' pizzas in NY?

I can hardly look at a deep dish pizza without getting agita. I tried it once and got about halfway through the slice before I couldn't handle any more. Even that was a stretch for me, since I don't even like regular crust, I always prefer thin crust.

i dont like to much sauce on the pizza. a new york pizza is huge not to much sauce or cheese and you can fold it over unlike those saucy slices

gotta go wit New York has the best pizza in the world

Get out.

Now.

Leave.

Orrrrrrrrrr....

I could explain the difference to you in song-and-dance!

I vote for this.

Not sure I've been exposed to either kind in its authentic style, but considering my vast experience with a variety of frozen pizzas, I'd guess I would probably like NY more.

Sorry can't vote. Haven't had either.

Never been in Italia, huh?

iv had the imported chicago pizza,ohhhhhhh boy its lovely :p

If I had to choose with both in front of me, there's no question that I would go with a New York Style Pizza.

Let me add that in New York one has a choice of two different styled pizzas ; A Sicilian pie ( square ) or a Napoleaton Pie (round).

A Sicilian Pie :


The place that makes this Sicilian Pie is IMO, one of the, if not the best places in NYC fgor sicilian style pizza



Look familiar SC?


Don Cardi

Its no contest. Chicago style pizza cannot hold a candle to NY pizza. Instead the pizza wars should be over what kind of NY pizza is the best...Square Sicilian Style, Round Neapolitan style (Johns in the Village is still the best) fire oven thin crust or coal oven thin crust -- all NY varieties and each in its own right far better than that deep dish Chicago slop.

BTW DC or DS or any other New Yorkers out there....Where is the real ORIGINAL RAY'S PIZZA?

It's like asking where the original NY Starbucks is.

Damn, that makes my mouth water just looking at it!

That pizza looks delicious!!! I'm sure I have had Chicago pizza, but probably not since I was a kid.

I'm going to go with NY pizza. I had once piece, and it was wonderful. I still think about it to this day when I think of the best pizza I've ever eaten. Not only pizza either. I think NYC has the very best Italian food (next to mom's of course :p ) that I've ever had.


TIS

Thanks alot DC, I just gained 20 LBS. just looking at that pizza

I wish I would have had some Italian when I went to NY last year!! I want to go back, but even more, I want to go back and take a trip through Little Italy. I went with my concert band, and we didn't even stop there. We went by Broadway, Times Square, lower Manhattan, Staten Island. I really want to go back!

Which one? There like a couple dozen "Original" Ray's...

Links are screwing up, but try these...

http://www.google.com/maps?num=60&q=ray%27s+pizza&near=New+York,+NY

Here's an interesting history of Ray's:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray\'s_Pizza

Reminds me of The Blarney Stone -- kinda confusing which one you're supposed to meet at when you're in downtown Manhattan. But not as bad as Ray's...

I remember on a Food Network program they did a whole segment on the 'real' Original Ray's Pizza. There are quite a few of them and it can get real confusing!

Anyway...could be the lighting, but the Sicilian pie pictured courtesy of Don Cardi appears to have very little cheese just alot of sauce.

Not very appetizing in my opinion.

The BEST Sicilian pie in my neck of the woods is made by a place called 'Donna's' in Palisades Park, NJ. They do not deliver...which matters not to people who are willing come from surrounding towns and double-park near that tiny street-corner for Donna's takeout.

Apple

KRAMER: I miss home, and I don't even know how to get there.
JERRY: What's around you?
KRAMER: I'm lookin' at Ray's Pizza. You know where that is?
JERRY: Is it Famous Ray's?
KRAMER: No. It's Original Ray's.
JERRY: Famous Original Ray's?
KRAMER: It's just Original, Jerry!

That was on the site JG linked. So classic.

Martio's in Nanuet, NY has the best pizza EVER. Not only is the Sicilian excellent, but they make a delicious thin crust "round" pie. It is out of this world!! He also has a brick oven for smaller, personal pies, although they're a bit well-done for some tastes. Then there's Parmigiano's in Old Tappan, NJ that has great Italian food and makes excellent pizza. Goodness, I'm getting hungry.

I have been to Italy, and thought that the pizza in Sicily was great. They are not like our Sicilian pies at all, but rather are personal, round pies. And they make one with artichokes that is out of this world. Sorry, Lavi, I've had pizza in Rome a few times and was not that thrilled.

I saw that episode on Food network about the best pizza. Molto Mario happened to be the judge for the particular pizza that I pictured above. Before he tried it, he said EXACTLY what you said about the small amount of cheese and how in his opinion the pizza would not be good. Well guess what? Like you, he opened his mouth before even giving it a chance. And when he was done, he couldn't stop talking about how fantastic it was and he voted it the best Sicilian pizza out of all the others that he's tried. :p


Don Cardi

Well, unlike Mario I will not have the opportunity to taste the pie in question. So I will have to stand by the opinion that it looks unappetizing.

of course, the quality of sauce is as important to a good pie as is the cheese...so I'm sure the one pictured had that.

But still, the cheese is what MAKES it a pizza. Without it, you just have bread & sauce.

Apple

I have to agree with Apple on this one. Without all that luscious, drippy cheese, it isn't really a pizza is it? And it's got to be GOOD cheese that is freshly grated. Of course, the Half Moon in the Belmont section of the Bronx makes a damn good pie, too. OK, I surrender!! I MUST have pizza tonight!! And some Italian ices, too! Hmmmm, lemon or cherry? Maybe chocolate!!

Yada yada yada. :p

The mozzarella is under the sauce, but your observation is correct, there is not a lot of it. The ironic thing is that their round pizza is full of mozzarella, more than your usual round pie.

Their sicilian is simply delicious!


Don Cardi

The mozzarella is finely grated on that pie. Anyway, what do you and Apple know about real Brooklyn pizza? :p

Now, talking about Italian Ices, THIS is the place that you want to go for the best italian ices :

http://www.ralphsices.com/welcome.html


Don Cardi

Brooklyn?? Puh-leeze!! :rolleyes: Not to turn this into a turf war, but everyone knows that the best pizza in NY was always found in the Bronx...

Edited to Add: Ralphie's? Well, they almost had me until they mentioned that they have a location in North Carolina! What do they know from Italian ices in North Carolina?

There's a place named 'Brooklyn Pizza' in a shopping center near me. They use only fresh mozzarella on their pies and it's sliced, not grated.

Yummy crust, too...very light & fluffy.

Apple

IMO these are some of the best Pizza places that I've eaten pizza from in New York :

Lombardi's Pizza near little Italy. A brick oven style pizza with fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, etc.


Totonno's in Coney Island. People line up almopst everyday and they only make a certain amount of pies and once they are sold out, the owner closes the place. And if you are waiting on line outside and he reached his quota of pies made for that day, tuff luck. Excellent pizza though.

World-Famous Original Ray's Pizza which originally was opened by two brothers from Italy. The original place was opened on 6th Avenue and 11th St in Manhatten.

Deninno's in Staten Island. Simply one of the best "bar" pies in the five boroughs.

L&B Spumoni Gardens is the place that makes the pizza that I posted the picture of above.


Don Cardi

The original Ralph's is on Staten Island, directly across from Deninno's Tavern, one of the Pizza places that I posted about in my last post. They open from April until September and during July and August, people come from as far as south Jersey to eat their ices and the lines are unbelievable.

The other places are basically franchises of the original Ralphs.

A perfect friday summer night is Pizza at Deninno's Tavern and then a walk across the street for fresh homemade italian ices at Ralphs.


Don Cardi

Well, it's pretty easy to see where this 'Pizza War' has gone.

I don't notice any riveting conversation about great Chicago pizzerias!!!

:p

Apple

Ah, c'mon DC!! I was just squeezing your shoes! Everyone knows that the best pizza is at Martio's! And they make their own ices and gelati every day, too!

I got a good idea!!!! How about we find a good pizza joint in Philly for Friday nights dinner? Anybody?
I realize that any pizza place there won't be as good as the ones in NY.

Uhh,... Philly is for cheesesteaks, not pizza. Come to think of it - there's a pizza place by me that makes a killer cheesesteak pizza!

I don't have a stake in Friday's gathering...but I agree with JGeoff that Philly is probably not the place to go looking for a pizza dinner.

Unless of course, you go to La Veranda on Friday, share a few pies there, and then find something else for Saturday!!



Apple

I'll bet most pizza from the East would be a treat (well, at least for me). Not that CA doesn't have good pizza, but let's face it, back East is known for having the best. Although Geoff's got a point, how can we be in Philly and not try a cheese steak???


TIS

Yes, you do.

Because if you guys can start concentrating on Friday, then maybe the tattered pieces of Saturday will simply fall into place by the time I stumble onto the scene.

By GAD...we've gone & hijacked the pizza wars thread!!!

Apple

That's because it seems like everybody here is from the NY region. But it's foolish to say that there are no great Chicago pizzerias. I've been to at least one and it was damn good.

Frozen desserts.... Shoe squeezing.... any other fetishes you wanna talk about?

Having gone to college in Illinois I was introduced to the deep dish style shortly after I learned I love beer. They go great together!!

I've eaten pizza all over the country and I prefer the New York style. Its only fair to say, though, that some New York pizza sucks (like the aforementioned Ray's .... its way too doughy and the sauce isn't anything special). I had one GREAT pizzeria in the old neighborhood that combined a thin crust with a good tasting sauce, fresh cheese and just the right amount of olive oil that combined for a slice of pure heaven (I wax poetic, don't I?).

The square (Sicilian style) pizza that Don Cardi pictured is simply the best pizza I've EVER had. Its so good its almost a sin.

I've had plenty of Chitown deep dish that I loved, and I've had some very thin (crispy) crust pizza from downstate Illinois that I used to enjoy.

I guess its what you get used to.

Wait a second. Let me understand this. You live in Chicago and you've only been to ONE Chicago pizzeria? Am I reading your post correctly?


Don Cardi

Speaking of pizza, I can't understand how pizza with pineapple and/or ham go together??? I like both, but not on pizza. Then again, I like anchovies on my pizza, but am use to not having them, since most people don't like anchovies. Pepporoni, black olives are good toppings though, and of course extra cheese.


TIS

Saturday has already been decided.

As for Friday, I've already made reservations at The Babylon Club.


Don Cardi

Frozen desserts.... Shoe squeezing.... any other fetishes you wanna talk about? [/b][/quote]Not in public, but as Mae West said, Come up and see me some time....

Let's set the meeting. Get our informers to find out where it's gonna be held. Now, we insist it's a public place -- a bar, a restaurant -- some place where there's people so I feel safe. They're gonna search me when I first meet them, right, so I can't have any cheesecakes on me then.

But if SC can figure a way -- to have a couple of cheesecakes planted there for me -- then I'll freeze 'em both.


Don Cardi

It has

Yeah, sure, I do. It's perfect for us. LAVeranda's a family place, good food. Everyone minds his

business. It's perfect. SC they got an old-fashion' toilet -- you know, the box, and and and ah the chain-thing. Put the frozen cheesecakes in a Tupperware cake pan We might be able to duct tape the cake pan behind it.


All right. Don Cardi: you go to the restaurant, you eat, you talk for a while, you relax. You make them relax. Then you get up and you go take a leak. No better still you ask for permission to go. Then when you come back, you come out throwin those frozen cheesecakes and don't take any chances two shots in the head apiece.

It has [/b][/quote]Thank you, Mig...my thoughts exactly!

I was beginning to wonder if I had missed a post or something.

Apple

It has [/b][/quote]Thank you, Mig...my thoughts exactly!

I was beginning to wonder if I had missed a post or something.

Apple [/b][/quote]It has??/ Where?? When?

It has [/b][/quote]Thank you, Mig...my thoughts exactly!

I was beginning to wonder if I had missed a post or something.

Apple [/b][/quote]The both of you have to be kidding me!

No, not kidding.

I do believe La Veranda was finally decided upon, but then there was all that stuff about prefix vs. ala carte, dividing equally vs. paying for what you ordered, etc. etc...lots of voting going on but much still left up in the air.

So I suppose the prounouncement of Saturday night being 'decided' took a few of us by surprise.

Apple

Hmmmm......I guess that I misunderstood this post then :

Am I missing something here?


Don Cardi

Yes, but there was no indication that this was the final decision. IMO, it was still left up in the air, but now that it appears 'official'...it's fine with me.

Got all that Mig? Dontomasso?

Apple

Got it. :p

Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

I'm with the group that says, "It has?"

This is getting ridiculous.....very funny, but still ridiculous. :p


TIS

.........And a woman in my position can't afford to be made to look ridiculous! Now you get the hell outta here! And if that gumbah tries any rough stuff, you tell him I ain't no band leader! Yeah, I heard that story....




Don Cardi

Ah, sorry, DC. I don't live IN Chicago, I live in "Little Chicago". Little Chicago is more commonly referred to as Ottumwa, IA. Only two big names come to mind who are from Ottumwa. First off, Tom Arnold, big whoop-te-do, and secondly, the character 'Radar O'Reilly' from MASH. (we're not all farmers, I hate rural life!!)

"Little Chicago" derived from the mafia. During Al Capone's days, mafiosi often came down to Ottumwa for a few years to cool down after pulling off a big crime. Liquor was also stored and smuggled down here (I have a friend who lives near a "Whiskey Ridge Rd", and the name of that road also derived from the Prohibition era). Rumor has it, that there are tunnels under our downtown area where Capone used to run business. From what I've heard, some of the entrances are possibly from the high school (my school; OHS) and others are in the basement of the Hotel Ottumwa (been there on several occasions, but never in the basement, I want to explore).

Anyway, there's a history lesson for you. Now back to pizza:

I like pizza. I have only had Chicago-styled pizza, and my family loves it. Unfortunately we've never had the opportunity to enjoy New York pizza, but after all this talk, I really want to give it a try. I'm hoping one of these days my family will take a trip out east. If they don't, then I will go solo.

We've been to Chicago twice. Caught a Cubs came (the stars were alligned just right, they won both games I attended, which goes against the odds) went up the Sears Tower, etc. I remember the most recent time we went there (which was several years ago), we ate at this place called "Luigi's". My parents insisted that we must get some pizza before we left town, so we did, and we enjoyed it.

Wanna get married?

There will be an episode of Emeril Live coming up that will be about different styles of pizza from different regions.

A Pizzeria, right here on Staten Island, named Joe and Pats, has been picked to represent New York's finest pizza. I've eaten there many times over the years and there is no question that they make one of the best thin crust pizzas here on Staten Island. However, I don't know if I agree about it being the best in New York.


Joe and Pat's pie takes the cake
'Emeril' search for best in the city's leads to Victory Blvd. pizzeria
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
By TEVAH PLATT
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE


STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Food Network pointed its cameras yesterday at "summada best pie" in all Pizza City. Gathering footage coast to coast for an episode featuring various regional pizza styles, "Emeril Live" producers chose Staten Island's Joe and Pat's Pizzeria as the purveyor of New York's finest slices.

A local favorite, Joe and Pat's of Castleton Corners out-cheesed, out-crusted and out-sauced some 2,069 other pizza joints in all five boroughs, based on a recent restaurant count issued by the foodie Web site Urbanspoon.

Someone recommended it, I tried it, and I thought it was the best in New York City," producer Alan Madison said of the rather informal selection process.

So the crew came out and filmed a vignette featuring thin crust and subtly sweet sauce, to air early next year.

The show also will plumb the deep-dish territory of Chicago and exhibit some arty innovations out of Los Angeles before host Emeril Lagasse "kicks it up" with his own recipe, Madison said.

The producer was not surprised to find pizza Eden on Staten Island:

"You get a lot of Italians together, they're going to figure out how to make great pizza," he said.

With contenders like Denino's, Goodfellas and the winner of the recent AWE readers' poll, Brother's Pizza, it isn't easy to pin the blue ribbon on a single shop.

While honored to be representing New York, Pat Pappalardo -- the restaurant's namesake, along with his brother, Joe -- placed the pizza's roots squarely in Italy.

The recipe arose out of necessity during the second World War, Pappalardo said, when his family started making pies from leftover bread dough.

Six baby-faced dough-throwers turned out an array of pizzas for the show, from traditional red and white pies to a doughy, heart-shaped Sicilian.

Biting into a crispy offering topped with arugula, Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinaigrette, the Food Network's culinary producer, Charissa Chabot, said off-camera: "This is the best I've had so far."

"So far in your life?" the Advance asked, for clarification.

"Mmm. Could be."

Depends on what I'm in the mood for. A thin crust is good for a snack, but for a meal you get a deep dish.