Well it is over, it took 54 weeks to have 52 different pizza places. The pizzas were mostly good but there was some bad ones also. It was fun to try some new places but now I can go back to my favorite Vito and Nicks.

Final Six

#47 Total Sports- nice bar with plenty of TVs. Pizza was an individual special thin crust. It had bacon, sausage, pepperoni,onions and green peppers. Overall, a good bar pizza but nothing special. Just watch out when your waitress brings a full tray of beer.
2.5 pizza cutters

#48 Rosati Pizza. After attending Last Fling and seeing Robert Cray had a thin crust cheese pizza. Thought the crust was very good and better than the Rosati by my house. Maybe it was the beer in me that was being nice.
2.5 pizza cutters

#49 Salernos Went to see Lights Out Chicago - UFO tribute band at the Berwyn. Had a sausage pizza with a thick crust. The crust was very good, sausage was spicy and also very good. Needed more sauce but would like to try it again.
3 pizza cutters

#50 Boston Pizza Before Toby Keith's concert at the First American Midwest Amphitheatre. Nice national chain. Each had an individual pizza, Cathy a sausage with roasted peppers pizza, while I had the Venetian, pepperoni, ham, mushroom and green peppers. They would good pizzas but the crust was very basic
2.5 pizza cutters

#51 Barones Pizza
Sausage, Mushroom and Green Peppers deep dish. Typical deep dish pizza. Good crust and fresh veggies. The drawback was the sauce was too tart for my taste.
2.5 pizza cutters

#52 Beggars Pizza Had to go to a proud sponsor of the Chicago White Sox so we traveled to Plainfield. A dining room pizza joint but no BEER!. Plus TV not on White Sox game. Had Sausage, Mushroom and Green Peppers deep dish. Yes two in one week. The Pizza has a cornmeal crust which is one of mt favorite. Lots of veggies, spicy sausage and a good sauce. A very good deep dish pizza. Even better as leftovers.
3 Pizza cutters

#46 Pal Joeys

On a recommendation from our Cathy's sister and brother-in-law were went to Pal Joey in West Chicago. They even went with us so they had to be confident that it was going to be good pizza.
Started with Fried Match Stick Zucchini Strips with lemon and Onion rings. Both were very good with the highlight being the zucchini strips, they were very tender. Our pizza was a sausage, green peeper and black olives pan pizza. The crust was very light and crispy. The ends of the crust was especially crispy and had a nice flavor to it. The sauce was sweet, sausage had some spice to it and the veggies were fresh. Overall a very good pizza but I would have enjoyed more and larger pieces of sausage.

3 pizza cutters

#45 Buona Beef

Went for a quick lunch at Buona Beef. They have a good selection of gourmet thin crust pizzas. Cathy had the Verdura Misto solo pizza. How cute, solo instead of personal for the size of the pizza. See, I did say gourmet pizzas. I had the BBQ chicken solo pizza, sorry no fancy name.
We did share a slice of each pizza with each other, how sweet! The BBQ Chicken - Solo (Individual) consisted of tender pulled chicken, sweet barbecue sauce, sliced red onion, chopped tomato & cheeses. The Verdura Misto - Solo (Individual) was a mixture of roasted vegetables, black olives & cheeses. The crusts of both pizzas were a basic crust that was thin and crispy. It reminded me of the crust I buy from Traders Joe and bake at home. The other ingredients were fresh and good. Overall, a good lunch pizza if you don't want a sandwich.

2.5 pizza cutters.

#44 Ed & Joes Pizza

On a very rainy Sunday afternoon we traveled to Tinley Park To Ed & Joe's that is known for it's Thin crust pizza. Of course, we started with onion rings as our appetizer. They were crispy and very good. They came with a BBQ sauce with was a little to sweet for our taste. We had a sausage, mushroom and green pepper thin crust pizza. Overall, I thought the pizza was very good. The crust was very thin and crispy. The sauce was sweet, the sausage was spicy, veggies plentiful and big, and the cheese had a nice "burnt" top. Overall, not top 5 but was very very close, Top 10 for sure. While waiting for our pizza we watched rain delay theatre as the Cubs were being rained out and they showed a picture of my hero, Don Kessinger (see above)

3.5 pizza cutters

#43 Barraco's Pizza

A local family business with a south side of Chicago history. They have a carry out store in Lisle.

Ordered a deep dish special (the norm - sausage, mushrooms, green pepper and onions). Being a Friday night and planning on having a pizza and watch a baseball game, we needed beer. Guess what! Right next door to the pizza joint is a liquor store! So pay for pizza, run next door and get beer, come back and be handed a piping hot pizza and off home we head. Let's get right to the pizza, it was good but not top 5. Done. Well I guess I should go in more detail. The crust was crispy, light and was very tasty. The rest of the ingredients were also good but nothing special. the sausage was bland and not spicy. I would recommend more spices to be added to the sauce.

2.5 pizza cutters

#42 Ledo

I am afraid I am seeing a trend in the restaurant business, no wait service. We went to Ledos in Countryside and the hostess stand simply said "seat yourself". No wait staff in sight. Oh No! this is one of those places! I have go to the counter and order and bring my own beer back to the table. I do not enjoy this trend, when I go out I want someone to bring me my beer. I need someone to bring me my beer. Well I will to get off my soapbox and get to the review of their pizza. Their menu shows the prices for thin crust but they do offer a thicker crust so we went with a thick (would be considered a meduim crust at most places) crust with sausage, mushrooms and green peppers. Of course, we had to go and retrieve the pizza from the counter when our number was called (they dont even use your name). The pizza was very good with a nice crispy crust. the sausage was not spicy but was still tasty. The veggies and cheese were fresh. However, the best part was the the sauce as it was sweet but not overpowering the pizza.
Overall, the pizza was very good, not top 5 but probably top 6. Of what I would I would consider "neighborhood pizza places", not the deep dish or famous chains, this would be #1. If I lived nearby I would have this pizza again.

3.5 pizza cutters

#41 Ricobene's

For part two of our lunch we went to Ricobene's for a slice of pizza. Now I must say that they are known for a breaded steak sandwich, so went in not expect a great slice of pizza. Decided on a slice of a deep dish sausage pizza. It had a cornmeal crust covered with chunky tomatoes, cheese and sausage. The chunky tomatoes were a little too tart for my taste. However, the pizza was ok but seem to remind me of another pizza. It was as if I was eating a copy of a Gino's East. So I will have too deduct a half of a pizza cutter for copying. A good pizza but needed to be hotter and a more mild tomato sauce.

2.5 pizza cutters.

#40 BACCI Pizza

Time for lunch so we decided to go to BACCI pizza for a slice of pizza. They have a huge sign that says "Home of the huge slice and a free pop." We the intention of hitting another pizza place for lunch we agreed to share the huge slice. It was a huge slice and a small cup for the pop, all for $5.00. Went with a slice of sausage. To review the pizza I can be quick and to the point. A typical thin crust with a little oregano, tomato sauce, sausage and a good amount of cheese. It was a good value, would be a good quick lunch but just an OK pizza.

2 pizza cutters.

#39 Nonnies

Nonnies is on 75Th st with their parking in the rear. It always appears that no one is there so we decide to go on a Friday Night. We were surprised that it was packed! Hopefully a good sign as a lot of pizzas were being ordered. Ordered a thin sausage pizza. The pizza was good with the crust being crispy, maybe a little too crispy. The sauce was a basic tomato base with a a hint of basil and oregano. I believe the spice was a little too much. The cheese was good but not enough of it. Overall, a good pizza but too crispy need more cheese and less oregano. However, I did learn something, I should have included a rating of how the pizza tastes the next day as this pizza's taste improved the next day.

2.5 pizza cutters

Nancy's Pizza

Picked up a large sausage stuffed pizza. First I must say I am not a fan of the stuffed pizza. There is always soooo much cheese, I can feel an artery closing as I eat. So I am now down to 2 arteries. The pizza is crust,cheese,sausage,cheese,cheese and tomato sauce and topped with more cheese. The crust was very good but everything else was good, The sasuage was mils and crumbled style, but not spicy enough for me. I need that kick. Overall, for a stuffed crust pizza it is a good pizza just not top 5 for me. I do have to give them extra brownie points for having the best box. That has to be worth at least a half a pizza cutters.

3. pizza cutters,

Pizza Fusion

Decided to go to Pizza Fusion on a Sat. afternoon. It is in a strip mall next to Meat heads, a good fast food burger place, so we expected a fast food pizza joint. We were surprised that it is a sit down restaurant. Of course we sat a the bar so we could watch the Cubs game(they lost). Our next surprise, no Miller Lite! as it is NOT organic. What the hell is organic? Is a rabbi involved? Or does it have something do letting the wheat grow in the natural sunshine. Is there fake sunshine?
So I had to have organic beer, micro brew or should I say 3. The pizza is served as individual pizzas. They have two types of crusts, white and whole wheat. We decided to try 2 different kinds of pizza to get a good overview of the pizzas. Cathy had a sausage with tri-colored peppers on whole wheat, while I had the BBQ chicken on the white crust. In our true tradition, Cathy enjoyed the whole wheat crust while I enjoyed the white crust better. The crust is thin and crispy. Overall the pizzas are very good with nice fresh ingredients, or should I say organic. The pizza menu reminds me of California Pizza Kitchen, but better. The place is not cheap so should fit in well in Naperville. So expecting a fast food joint and end up spending $50.00.

3 pizza cutters

Main St Pizza

Went to the downers grove Heritage Fest to see a grate band 7Th Heaven and a hair band named Night Ranger. Beautiful night, music, beer and a slice of pizza. In between the two bands was able to find a downtown Downers Grove pizza place selling on the sidewalk. Along with the cheeseburger and fries from Roundheads, we spilt a slice of a thin crust sausage pizza. The pizza was a basic thin crust pizza. Doughy crust, tomato sauce, mild sausage and cheese. Nothing special but good. Would I go back? If in the neighborhood but every neighborhood has that pizza.
7Th Heaven is a very good band that plays a great variety of music.

2.5 Pizza Cutters

#35 Old Tavern Pizza

Needing to stay on schedule we ordered a pizza from a carryout pizzeria in Lisle. Had a sausage and mushroom thin crust. Things looked promising as when I got home, as it was hot, a well constructed with a nice rolled crust and overall, looked very appetizing. Boy could looks be more misleading. The crust was thin ,crispy, and bland. Did I mention crispy? because it was too crispy. The sauce, cheese, sausage and mushrooms are hard to review as there just was not enough of it to build an opinion. All you could taste was the bland extra crispy crust. That's not good.

Even the dogs were not happy with the box as there was no taste to it

2 pizza cutters

#34 Phillies Pizza

The last time we were at Phillie's Pizza in Willowbrook was 21.5 yrs ago at our wedding rehearsal dinner. I said I would be back and we were, man of my word. Sat in bar, watched White Sox, had pizza and beer. Our typical outing! The bar is small, dark and everyone was over 40 and regulars. Service was OK to poor. Started with breaded mushrooms, which were OK. Then came the Phillie's Special, double decker with sausage, mushroom, onion and green peppers. The best part of the pizza were the vegtables which were fresh and large cut. However, the sausage and cheese tasted the same that can be found at millions (give or take a million) of small pizzerias. The crust also was a typical double decker crust found throughout Chicago. So in conclusion, an OK pizza but nothing special, no WOW, and the service was slowwww!

2.5 pizza cutters.

#33 Grumpy Bulldog

On a Sat night we decided to head to downtown Naperville to have a few beers and watch the White Sox. We Had Matt drop us off and headed to the Grumpy Bulldog. A small bar that has over 80 different kinds of beers. We sat at the bar, drank beer and watched the White Sox beat the lowly Royals. The people at the Grumpy bulldog were very nice and friendly. We had Gravy Fries and a medium crust sausage pizza that said the crust was homemade. First the gravy fries are exactly as it says, fries covered with cheese and a lot of gravy. Healthy? No! Good? Of course! Anything covered in gravy is good, think of the possibilities. Second, the pizza was a basic pizza with cheese and sausage and had a nice crust. The crust was not crispy, but still was good. The other topping were good but nothing special. Overall a good pizza for a bar, but not worthy of a top 10. I believe I had over 5 different types of beers (yes, I did have more than 5 beers) and a great time. A fun little bar in downtown Naperville. To cap the night off, we walk outside an a cab was waiting, so home James! or was it more like home, Ahmed!

2.5 pizza cutters.

#32 Suparossa

Happy Memorial day!. Order a thin crust sausage pizza from Suparossa in Woodridge. Pure and simple the pizza was good, not bad and not great. The crust was firm and crispy, the cheese was good, sausage ok and the sauce was just OK. Overall, the taste was similar to a slice of pizza I would get at a mall. I expected more! So like the pizza this entry will be ok and bland. That reminds me I need to go to the mall. Bye.

2 pizza cutters

#31 Hone run Inn

Had a taste for a pizza that I knew was good and had not had for awhile, so off we went to Home Run Inn. We have a tendency to want to sit in the bar area, I wonder why. Unfortunately, the last time we went to Home Run Inn and sat in the bar we ended up walking out. It was late on Friday (9 pm) and the bartender did not want to come over to our table and take our order so after about 10 min of him talking to the wait staff, we left. Of course, I mentioned something to the girl at the host stand and I expected them to fire him. Well, they didnt as he was still there and of course he was our server. We had the Cheesy garlic bread and it was HUGE! It was very good, lots of garlic and butter. We had a couple of slices and was full! For the pizza we had a basic sausage pizza. The pizza was what we were expected, very good. The sausage was spicy, cheese a high quality but the best part is the crust. It is very unique and tasty. The only problem is that the sauce is bland and there seems to not be a lot of it on the pizza. Unfortunately, the sauce keeps this pizza from the top 5. Now the bartender was ok, even though he did come by and see our beer glasses empty and did not ask if we wanted another, until I stopped him.

3 pizza cutters

#30 Fox's Restaurant and Pub

Decided it was time for a little road trip for some pizza, OK not too far. Traveled to a place in Orland Park that was not too far in miles but seems to be years back in time. First, it must of been kids night as there was 2 million of them that were getting their face painted or a balloon hat made. Note, Cathy would not allow me to get a balloon poodle. Maybe I see my next career!

We sat in a room with chairs that I swear were on the Brady Bunch. I believe the room and majoring of the patrons have been hear since the 1950's. There was even a one man band playing, Kris Benson. How many times do you hear a performer play Billy Joel's Piano Man on the guitar only?

We started with an appetizer of bruschetta, which was very good! Expectations are getting very high for a good pizza. It was a thin crust pizza with sausage, mushroom, onion and green pepper. After one bite, we were disappointed. The crust was bland and a little too crispy. However, the worst part was the sauce, as it was weak and seem to be a watered down tomato sauce with a ton of oregano, and I do mean a ton, literally. The other ingredients were good but could not save the pizza. I even had a piece of it as I wrote this (morning after) and it was not good. Maybe it was a bad night for them as a lot tables were having pizza, but you only get one shot to impress Gar and sorry, I was not impress. Cathy did not even feel good on the way home.

2 Pizza Cutters

#29 Aurelios Pizza

Brought home a pizza from Aurelio's Pizza in Woodridge. Now I must admit that I have always enjoyed Aurelio's pizza from some of their other locations. We had a thin crust sausage pizza.

The new location did not disappoint. The crust was crispy, sausage spicy, a nice tomato sauce and plenty of cheese. Cathy even thought it was very good. Enough said, now where do I put it in the top 5?

Bye! Bye! Connie's! My choice is number 4.

4 Pizza cutters

#28 Tilted Kilt

New sports pub with an Irish theme and good looking young women in kilts to service you, opens in Woodridge. We went to watch the Blackhawks playoff game and they won so the night is already good. To be fair to you women, I must mention that there are a couple of young, muscular, dark hair men behind the bar, but who notices.

Luckily, they have pizza! Cathy ordered the KAMANA-WANA-LEI-U pizza. It is a Hawaiian pizza with pineapples, jalapenos (Hawaiian?) and mozzarella cheese with medium crust. Being a sport pub it was good, however, I would have like the crust to be a little more crispy. Cathy thought the pizza was very good.

Sorry no pictures of the pizza, as I was afraid if I attempting to take any pictures, I would have be diverted and I would have been arrested.

3 pizza cutters.

# 27 Al's Pizzeria

Let me start with that this small pizzeria was a nice surprise. On a cold Sat night decided to bring a pizza home. First, I must admit I even used a coupon, I felt so dirty! When I went to pickup the pizza I was about to leave when the girl asked what type of pop do you want. Now being a guy, we always believe this was code for "Hey good looking, about something special only for you!" Shocked, I simply said Diet Coke, not sure how to respond next, as she was only about 16 years old and could not possibly know about the code. She handled me my free liter of pop and I returned to my car with a little bit of a swagger. Unfortunately, once in my car, I saw on the menu attached to the pizza box that EVERYONE gets a free liter of pop. Well, at last we both had that moment and I have a FREE liter of Diet Coke.

Now the second surprise, the pizza. We ordered a deep dish sausage pizza. It was a very thick pizza, about 4 inches tall. (note, I am demonstrating the size by holding my hands about 12 inches, I mean 4 inches apart.) Overall, the pizza was very good. The crust was nice and crispy, sausage had a nice bit of spice to it and the sauce was good, not too sweet and not overpowering. However, the best part was the cheese, there was a lot of it, not too much but not too little, it was just right. (Note to self, maybe call the girl at the counter, Goldilocks in future telling of this story)

Can this pizza make it into the top 5? It was very good, but unfortunately, stuffed pizza is not one of my favorites, sorry Al's. The pizza was worthy but falls just short of the top 5.

3.5 pizza cutters.

#26 Pete and Johnny's

Today's lesson, always have a backup plan. We headed to Barone's pizza in Lisle for this week's pick. Well, it was closed as it is being converted into a new restaurant. Now what? Time for a quick decision and I am one who is not good at making decision, yet quick ones. Forced to I suggested Pete and Johnny's in Lisle. I knew they had a taco pizza on the menu. So off we went!
Luckily the taco pizza was still on the menu, so I saved the day! Yea!

Sat in the bar area as the Blackhawks were on. They won! Yea! Nice restaurant which used to be Jake's Pizza, how ironic!

The pizza's crust was simple and probably store bought., however it was good. The rest of the topping were just like a taco, thus the name taco pizza. The toppings, cheese, lettuce, jalapenos, tomatoes were fresh and overall very good.

Overall, a good pizza that is a little different. Anything special? No. but did I mention the Hawks won!

2 Pizza cutters

#25 Dan's Pizza

On a cold rainy night, we ordered a pizza, watched a movie and a had a bottle of wine. Nice!
The movie was Role Models, was good, but very predictable but had some funny scenes.
We had a Dan's Pizza double decker special (sausage,mushrooms,green pepper and onions). Have to admit that it was unique. Basically a thin crust pizza on top of a thin crust pizza. The first layer was nice crust with a mild tomato sauce and sausage. Then the second crust is placed on top and once again covered with sauce and sausage but now the cheese and veggies are added. The pizza was not overpowered by the cheese and the veggies were nice and fresh. Overall a good pizza but I was not wowed! Cathy enjoyed much more than I did.

3 Pizza cutters

#24 Roundheads Pizza

Went to Roundhead's pizza in Downers Grove with some friends. Wanted to try something different so we had the veggie ranch pizza. The pizza was made up of crust, ranch dressing, cheese, broccoli and cauliflower. Yes, that's right, broccoli and cauliflower! Plus we requested that they use fat free ranch on the pizza to make it even healthier. We have to assume they did use the fat free ranch, we may never know. The crust is thin and crispy but a very basis crust. Nothing special. The rest of the ingredients made a nice combination. It was definitively different. Overall, a good pizza but I could see getting tired of it after ordering it a few times.

2.5 Pizza cutters.

#23 At’s A Nice Pizza Romeoville, IL

Friday night (3/06/2009) Cathy and I went to a nice small restaurant in Romeoville.
The place had the look of being a family business, with a lot of pictures at the entrance of the owner with a good variety of sports stars. Appears to be a Bear, Bulls and a WHITE SOX fan (worth a 1/2 pizza cutter)! So it starts off with a great impression. The restaurant has a HUGE plasma screen right in the middle of the room, however, they had a story of Siegfried and Roy on rather than the Bull's game (lost a 1/2 pizza cutter).
The pizza was a "Medium Thickness with a Hand Braided Edge" with Cheese, Sausage, Mushrooms, Onions, Pepperoni and Green Peppers. The crust was very typical pizza crust, crispy with a Hand Braided Edge. It looked pretty and was good but nothing memorable. I want my crust to be memorable, dammit! However, to be fair, Cathy thought the crust was very good! For the rest, the sauce was a very good marinara sauce with a nice hint of fresh herbs. The meats and veggies were very good, with the veggies being huge and freshly cut.
Overall, a very good pizza but I felt the crust did not If I live nearby I would go there again but maybe try one of the other crusts.

3 pizza cutters

Uncle Pete's

Brought Uncle Pete's from naperville home for dinner. A small little carryout pizza joint next to closed BlockBuster. Was not expecting much. Ordered a double crust sausage, mushroom and green pepper. The crust was nice, doughy and coveered with very good marinara sauce. The cheese was not shredded but full slice, mushrooms were also slices Overall, the pizza was a nice surprise and very good. Cathy gives it 4 pizza cutters, however, I believe the sausage was only average and held the pizza down. Did I mention that I got a Uncle Petes magnetic ad for my fridge.

3.5 pizza cutters.

Old World Pizza, Elmwood Park

Cathy brought home a big sausage deep dish pizza from Old World Pizza.
FYI, did you know that if you put a cardboard box in the oven, you could burn down the house. Not that I did that. The pizza was huge and a lot of cheese! It reminded me of one of my favorite, Gino's East. Constructed in the true Chicago style, crust, cheese, meat and topped with the sauce. Let’s dissect the pizza layer by layer. First layer, the crust was excellent and firm. Layer two, the cheese was a good quality mozzarella and a lot of it. Layer three, the sausage was also a good quality and a little spicy. Final layer, the sauce was just OK. (I realize I must be very very careful with my review but don’t worry I will hire a neighborhood kid to start my car for awhile.) It was a little too sweet for my taste as I like more of a tomato taste.

Another sign of a good Chicago pizza, it came with one of the little Barbie patio table. Makes me want to go buy Barbie doll and play. Of course, I would have to get her a friend.

To summarized, it was a very good pizza but the sauce keeps it off of my top 5 list. Would it make a top 10 list? Drum roll please! Wait for it! Wait for it! Yes.

3.5 Pizza cutters.

After the pizza, we watched, Burn after Reading, so a quick movie review. It starts out very slow but picks up speed and is funny. Outstanding? No, but worth a watch.

It has been awhile since my last post and from a pizza-eating standpoint, very busy. That is a good thing. Our goal is 26 pizza places by the weekend of March 13, 2009, as that will be the halfway point of this journey. Currently are about 2 weeks behind our goal, but that should be easy to overcome. Especially considering we recently had 4 pizzas places in 5 days.

Let me recap the past five pizza joints, starting from the most recent and working back in time.

Pazzo’s

Friday night at Pazzo’s, or as it is now known as Ewiva Bar and Eatery, Lisle Illinois.
It is a nice one room bar and restaurant with plenty of sports on the TVs. It seems to becoming a bar that serves very good food. Plus they make the wait staff dress up as if they are going out for a night on the town (as my dad would say). Beer was cheap and the pizza was very good. We had our “usual” but they called it “Tony’s Special” No matter what nationality you may be, saying “Tony’s special” always seems to come out in an Italian accent. It had sausage, mushroom, green pepper and onions. The crust was medium, crispy and cooked just right. The cheese was thick and also very good. Overall, a very good pizza and was just as tasty the next morning for breakfast. Of course that is the true test of a pizza’s quality.
3 Pizza cutters.

Giordano’s

Next is Giordano’s pizza at my sister-in-law’s house for my nephew’s birthday. This was the fourth pizza in five days, so I was a little concern about my fairness in reviewing it. However, it was also very good.
It was a thick sausage pizza that was probably 70% cheese. The pizza was made up of mostly cheese (a good thing) and had a crust that was nice and flaky.
Did I mention it was free?
3.5 Pizza cutters.

A good day in Naperville

Next is Lou Malnati’s in downtown Naperville. First I must be completely honest and mention that this visit was right after spending the afternoon at the Grumpy Bulldog tavern, a nice small bar nearby. We spent the afternoon there with my sister and brother-in laws, Karen and Dave. They always seem to have a way to get me into trouble. At the Grumpy Bulldog, we consume 18 Miller Lites and an order or Gravy Fries. Yes, they are exactly like their name says and are very good. At Lou’s (my attempt to be hip) we had the pan pizza with the sausage patty. It was excellent as usual. I enjoy the chunky tomato topping with the sausage patty. (Is Sausage Patty the brother of Peppermint Patty? Makes you wonder). We had the butter crust and I give it my highest recommendation.
Lou’s pizza is in my top three so far.
4 Pizza cutters.

Movie and a Pizza

We went to a movie at the Hollywood Boulevard in Woodridge and saw Paul Blatt Mall Cop with our friends Hal and LoChin. First my movie review, it was good and funny. How can you not like Kevin James, I now realize how he gets the hot girl in King of Queens. His brother and my good friend, Gary Valentine was also in the movie. Did I mention I am thinking of changing my name to a holiday? How does Gary Pulaski sound?
Of course, I made Cathy have the pizza and it was ok. The crust was thin and similar to one that I buy from Trader’s Joe and make at home. The sauce, I don’t remember it, which is not a good thing. The sausage and vegetables were simply thrown on and nothing special. I can and have made this pizza at home.
1.5 Pizza cutters.

Falco’s Pizza in Burr Ridge

Had this pizza many times back in high school (they have moved to a newer building). Our daughter, Jenny, joined us, which was nice. We had a thin crust sausage pizza. The crust was thin and crispy and cooked to perfection. Also very good was the sausage, which had a nice spicy after taste. Completing the pizza was a nice sweet sauce with plenty of cheese, overall a very good pizza. The restaurant was bright, roomy and lots of sports memorabilia on the walls. My only compliant is that there is no wait staff. You place your order for food and drinks at the counter. When I go out, I always want someone to bring me my food and beer to me. Otherwise, I should just stay at home and wait for someone to walk near the fridge and I can yell at him or her to bring me a beer.
3 Pizza cutters

Salerno-Pincente Ristorante, Hodgkins Thin

Hidden 500 yards from La Grange Road in the commercial town of Hodgkins is a nice Italian restaurant (or should I say ristorante! Maybe I should change my name to Mario Warneri)
Guys, there is an OTB in the same building! For the non-gamblers, OTB stands for Off-track betting. For you stupid non gamblers, a place where you can place a legal money wager on a horse or horses
that are racing around an oval track. Unfortunately, I believe the minimum age to enter is 82 years old and you have a deep scratchy voice and a cigarette handing out of you mouth. Unlike Vegas, they do not need to pump in extra oxygen as everyone brings their own in those portable oxygen tanks.

The restaurant is nice, fairly large with several separate rooms for groups and the conversation level is good so Cathy could hear my meaningless babble.
My favorite feature of the place was the fancy entry doors, part door and part window, where you can see movement but not really see in. They reminded me of my favorite television show, The Sopranos, so it must be an Italian thing.

Of course, started with our appetizer of choice, onion rings and loaf of very good bread, yes a loaf. (not to mention names but Cathy had most of it) The onion rings were hot, thin crispy and good but not memorable.
The pizza was a thin crust (waitress’ choice) with sausage and ½ sausage, green pepper and mushrooms. Overall the pizza was good but not memorable. The crust was crispy but seems to lack flavor and texture. The sauce and cheese were very good. The others items, sausage, green pepper and mushrooms were at the party but seems to be shy to join into the fun. Overall, very nice restaurant, reasonably priced and good selection of Italian dishes, but the pizza was not top 5 material.

Need I say, everything was accompanied with our beverage of choice, Miller Lite.

I simply was not WOWED and if you know me, I like to be WOWED! The bowls of pasta looked very good and seemed to be very popular, so a revisit may be needed.

The pizza was good but not memorable.
2 pizza cutters

Snowy Night and a new pizza joint

Papa Passero’s Pizzeria, Westmont, Medium

We were invited by Cathy’s good friend, Jill, her daughter Julie and Julie’s friend Katie for pizza.

Papa Passero’s is a great place to bring to bring your family, as it has something for everyone. For the men; beer, pizza and a lot of sports on TV to watch. For the women; beer, pizza and a lot of sports on TV to keep their men. For the kids; a playroom filled with video games. My fondest memories of Papa Passero’s is bring my kids there, handling them each $10 and not seeing them for the next two hours. Except, every 5 minutes hearing someone say, “Can you hold this”, I still find those little bouncing balls.

If Katie’s mom is reading this, a suggestion, buy your daughter a huge bag of Flintstone hard candy next Christmas and you will not see her for days. Katie, you are the best!!

On every pizza box, Papa Passero’s is proud to let you know that they have been in business since 1977. No need to take your shoes off, (for counting purposes), that is 32 years in the same location. Well, it’s sad to realize that 32 years ago I was only a sophomore in high school, yes, high school. So 32 years ago I was being
rejected by girls (not women, girls), as they all wanted “older” men, juniors, and being picked on by soccer players. For you
youngsters, in 1977 soccer players were not as athletic or tough as they are today. On the toughness scale, soccer players were only
one notch above the guys in drama club.

Of course, we had started with onion rings and a pitcher of Blue Moon beer. Note to self, future blogs, onions rings and beer. The onion rings were very good, thin and crispy. As I have said many times, put beer in front of me, no matter what kind, I will drink it. And I did. It is a good change of pace, just that very manly to have beer with an orange in it in front of me. Maybe it shows my sensitive side, yup, that my story and I am sticking to it.

Now to the reason we are here, the pizza. We had a sausage and mushroom pizza with a medium crust. Our server said the medium crust was about 1 centimeter in thickness, well as the thin crust was half a centimeter. I guess they last measure their crust 32 years ago when the metric system meant something. Let’s review the pizza as it was constructed, from the bottom up. First, the crust which I thought was very good, 1 centimeter in thickness, well cooked, with a little blackness on the bottom. Next is the sauce which I thought was the best part of the pizza. It was not too sweet or too overpowering, to quote goldilocks, “it was just right”. Perhaps the best sauce I have had so far. If I would stop now it would make my top 5 pizza, but that would not fair to you. I will group the rest of the pizza, (sausage, mushroom and cheese) together as none of them stood out on its own. The sausage and cheese were good but nothing special. And the mushrooms were unnoticeable and did not add much flavor.

Overall, a nice place, good onion rings, beer, sports and a good but average pizza.
2 pizza cutters.

Vito and Nick's Onion Rings

Vito and Nick's Pizza

Yummy!

What do the pizza cutters mean?

Here is a review of my review system:

4 Pizza cutters: Excellent, need to have once in your lifetime!
3 Pizza cutters: Very Good, worth a road trip.
2 Pizza cutters: Average, Hungry? well this is food.
1 Pizza cutters: Bad, if you go here, you are an idiot!
0 Pizza cutters: Sent Gar to the emergency room.

New Year, New Pizza!!

New year day 2009.
Well, we did it! Get your mind out of the gutter! I mean we used one of our emergency pizza joints. The wife (aka cathy) was busy drinking beer and playing poker all day, so she decided we needed food. Of course, Pizza is always there for you when you need it, just like your favorite dog. So we had Tortorice's Pizza in Downers Grove. I must mention that I have had it many times so I will be a little bias as it always been good. Now to the details, we had a sausage pan pizza. The crust is good, doughy (is that a word or just bad spelling!) with alot of chesse. However, the best part is the sausage. It has a fabulous taste and is a little spicy! Wow, that is a sentence I never expected to write. So overall it was a great day (except for the Blackhawks losing!), hockey, beer, chili, (Nice job, Bill), poker, and pizza. I even won money at poker!
I should be offended as my wife would not ask me for any poker advice, she asked the LOOOSSSEEEERRSS! I must admit even I wouldn't ask me for poker advice.

I will provide a status of where we are at in the project soon.

Rating 3 out of 4 pizza cutters.

Met a girl named January – Dec 20, 2008
On a snowy Saturday after doing some Christmas shopping, made a stop at Braconi’s Pizzeria in Naperville. See a pattern?
The restaurant was fairly empty except for two large parties. We then met our waitress, January, yes, a girl named January.
Before we could ask our next question, she commented that she was born in August and her parents did not do drugs. Questions I am sure she has been asked more times than you would like.

Now to the pizza, January recommended the Braconi’s Signature Pizza, a sausage and fresh basil on a whole-wheat crust.
She mentioned it was originally made by mistake but once they tried it, they loved it.
I guess some of the best things in life are often developed from a mistake. Who doesn’t enjoy the 3M post-it notes?

Unfortunately, the signature pizza is only available in a thin crust version. However, it was good. The crust was crispy but not over cooked.
The sausage was flavorful but nothing that special. The basil was fresh and gave the pizza an unique flavor.
Pizza was good the next day.

So drop into Braconi’s and meet a girl named January, but please do not call her Jan.

Rating 3 out of 4 pizza cutters.


Half-price Pizza and a bucket of beer, Life is GOOD! – Dec 13, 2008

On a snowy Saturday after doing some Christmas shopping, made a stop at Cross-town Pub in Naperville.
Very slow at the pub as the dining room was empty so we decided to sit in the bar area. All other patrons were sitting at the square bar
and were playing the bar poker game. They do enjoy their poker at the Cross-town Pub!
We decide to try the pizza, DA!, so we went with our standard; sausage, mushroom, and green pepper. Their pizza is thin crust with the sausage and veggies cooked on top of the cheese.
Overall, the pizza was good. I enjoyed the crust, as it was crispy the way I like it. Cathy like the way the veggies were cooked above the cheese.

Rating 3 out of 4 pizza cutters.

Connie’s Pizza – 11/30/2008

Pizza 2 days in a ROW! Connie’s pizza is a Chicago classic so not much can be said that has not already been said. Celebrating the in-laws birthdays.
The pizza of choice was the classic deep dish with sausage, onion, mushroom, and green pepper. Everything about this pizza is outstanding, however, in my opinion the crust is the
The crust is crispy and flaky and strong enough to hold all the cheese and veggies. A classic deep dish pizza that does Chicago proud.

Rating: 4 out of 4 pizza cutters.

Cornerstone (Darien) – 11/29/2008

Went to the Cornerstone restaurant to see a local band, Messy Marvin. The band was very good and played a good variety of music.
The pizza on the other hand was OK. We had a sausage and pepperoni thin crust pizza. The tomato sauce was very strong and provides most of the taste. I preferred a more subtle taste for my sauce
I could make this pizza at home.

Rating: 2 out of 4 pizza cutters.