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.