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  • Apr. 22nd, 2008 at 9:42 AM
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There's a chain of pizza restaurants here in town called Bellagio's. They're not full-on gourmet pizza, but they're definitely a step above places like Papa John's and Pizza Hut.

It was great to eat there again last night.

ETA:

Everyone here should know that I make pizza at home mostly. When we make pizza at home, the type varies. I've never tried a full-on Chicago deep-dish pizza, but I've done other stuff. I suppose we have the cast iron pan now, so I could give it a whirl. And, for the record, I'd much rather make pizza at home than blow my hard-earned cash at Papa Murphy's. I don't care for Papa Murphy's at all.

I tend to go for NY-style pizza. There's another local chain that I enjoy, Hot Lips Pizza, where we always used to go during finals week.That said, there's a place near where I work that serves more what I would call "Chicago Style" (thicker crust, tons of toppings, etc.) that I love to get pizza from.

The pizza we make at home is mostly like the super thin-crust stuff you get in California or Italy. Light sauce, light toppings, light cheese. It's about the experience, the flavors, not the size.

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[info]sm00bs wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 04:59 pm (UTC)
CPK is probably one of my all time favorites but they're too damn pricey. I highly recommend Boston's or Eduardo's for higher end pizza that won't break the bank or Jet's for an excellent traditional pizza. Papa Murphey's is the best for take-n-bake.

Of course, Eduardo's is a Chicago chain, I believe, and Jet's is mostly Michigan (although we DO have one in Texas). Boston's is Canadian but they're all over the states now.

Man, I could seriously go for pizza right now....

What did you have on your pizza? Are you a New York style, Chicago style, or other style type of pizza lover?
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[info]winter_in_asia wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:04 pm (UTC)
When we make pizza at home, it varies. And, for the record, I'd much rather make pizza at home than blow my hard-earned cash at Papa Murphy's. I don't care for Papa Murphy's at all.

I tend to go for NY-style pizza. There's another local chain that I enjoy, Hot Lips Pizza, where we always used to go during finals week.That said, there's a place near where I work that serves more what I would call "Chicago Style" (thicker crust, tons of toppings, etc.) that I love to get pizza from.

The pizza we make at home is more like the super thin-crust stuff you get in California or Italy. Light sauce, light toppings, light cheese. It's about the experience, the flavors, not the size.
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[info]sm00bs wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:24 pm (UTC)
I rarely have success when making pizza at home. I gave up on it years ago. I should try it again, especially since I've heard *grilled* pizza is out of this world! How do you guys make your pizza?

I like thin crust but B can't stand it. I'm not sure why. We both are pizza swingers otherwise. New York or Chicago, either is fine.

You know... I could totally go for a Mexican pizza right about now, which isn't really even pizza at all, but closer to nachos with more toppings. I might get the fixings for that and make it tomorrow night. Yum!
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[info]winter_in_asia wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:26 pm (UTC)
We've done grilled once, but it takes a lot of work and you really have to be careful.

The secret to good home-made pizza is the right equipment. A proper pan or pizza stone is best.
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[info]sm00bs wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:30 pm (UTC)
I do have a pizza stone which gets a lot of use... just not for pizza. ;)

I think my problem is whenever making pizza, I'm always making it with someone who goes crazy with toppings. I think simpler is better, and tend to prefer only a few toppings on mine. I'm also not a fan of lots of red sauce (or red sauce at all, honestly). Maybe we should make pizza some night with Sophie. I bet she'd have fun with that.
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[info]winter_in_asia wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:32 pm (UTC)
Some people actually like to cook the crust a little before putting everything in.

What temperature are you cooking your crust at? We have been known to go pretty wild with toppings and still not have a problem.
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[info]sm00bs wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:48 pm (UTC)
It's been too long to remember. The last time I made pizza was in college and we used Bobli (sp) just because I was tired of dealing with undercooked dough. I never thought to bake the crust a bit prior to topping it.

Do you have a recipe you like for pizza dough? I've been tempted to try to mimic the honey whole wheat dough that CPK has (excellent with Hawaiian pizza)...
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[info]onelargecat wrote:
Apr. 23rd, 2008 05:08 pm (UTC)
Make the dough in a bread machine! It's so easy, and SO much better than store-bought crusts.
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[info]sm00bs wrote:
Apr. 23rd, 2008 05:21 pm (UTC)
No bread machine here. ;)

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[info]onelargecat wrote:
Apr. 23rd, 2008 05:23 pm (UTC)
A good enough reason to buy one. ;)
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[info]alalei wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:44 pm (UTC)
Any specific suggestions on proper equipment?

Have you ever made a whole wheat or nearly whole wheat recipe you like?
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[info]winter_in_asia wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:45 pm (UTC)
I have a really specific dough recipe that I've refined over time with help from Em. I've never tried doing it with whole wheat flour.
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[info]heptarch wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:04 pm (UTC)
Ever eat at "the Pie" down here?
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[info]winter_in_asia wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:05 pm (UTC)
Never. How is it?
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[info]heptarch wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:08 pm (UTC)
The best. Their toppings don't go the full range of some gourmet joints (like Wasatch Pizza) but they seem to get the best results. Every pizza-lover I know worships the Pie. They started as a little, hole in the wall not too far away from the University, and expanded from there.

I just wish their delivery area wasn't limited to a block or so away from their restaurants!

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[info]winter_in_asia wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:10 pm (UTC)
Forgive me if I don't think of anything in Utah as "gourmet." Still, this place sounds good.

One of the best pizzas I ever had was from a hole-in-the-wall brick oven place in Baltimore, MD. It was awesome. First time I ever had artichoke hearts on my pizza. I haven't looked back since.
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[info]sm00bs wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:25 pm (UTC)
Yum! Artichoke hearts on pizza - one of my favorite toppings!
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[info]heptarch wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:35 pm (UTC)
Prejudice!.

gour·met - involving or purporting to involve high-quality or exotic ingredients and skilled preparation.


We still have Gastronomy restaurants here. We have Japanese, Indian/Pakistani, Russian, Italian and various other types of cuisine. Remember, Utah has a respectable immigrant contingent. We're not all bumpkins out here, by simple fact of geography.
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[info]winter_in_asia wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:38 pm (UTC)
Oh, this isn't prejudice. This is experience. :) I think there's some very good ethnic food, a large portion of it authentic. But I haven't seen anything I'd consider gourmet.

Then again, I also come from a city with a national reputation for its restaurants.
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[info]heptarch wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 05:44 pm (UTC)
I think I get what you're saying. I came from San Francisco to Deseret.

But the offerings have improved dramatically in just the last decade. One might say Utah is maturing.
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[info]heptarch wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 11:50 pm (UTC)
The Pie - Going to order the "Xtreme Veggie" plus chicken, for tonight. Pipes and the girls haven't yet had the pleasure.
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[info]megatronbomb wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 06:30 pm (UTC)
I always found Bellagio's to be hit or miss.

Nona Emilia's in Aloha has the best pizza around... as long as it's fully cooked, which was only ever a problem once. It's the really thick type with a ton of toppings though, so you might not like it all that much.

With the exception of a couple of veganized Papa Johns pizzas, I've made my own when the desire strikes. I like Trader Joe's dough.
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[info]winter_in_asia wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 06:33 pm (UTC)
TJ's and New Seasons have good dough for purchase.

What problems have you had with Bellagio's?
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[info]megatronbomb wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 06:38 pm (UTC)
Sometimes the bottom of the crust was almost burnt. I like a well-done pizza, but it was too dried out and crispy. I've only ever gotten Bellagio's from the one in Goose Hollow and the one out on Cornell in Alohabeaverboro.
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[info]sareah wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 09:15 pm (UTC)
Bellagio's is good. For lunch you can get a slice of pizza, a salad and a drink. Love their cesar salad. Yum!

My fave pizza is Juliano's in Vancouver. It is sooo good. You and Em should check it out!
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[info]ajlordnikon wrote:
Apr. 22nd, 2008 09:34 pm (UTC)
Pizza is now a Weight Watcher's No-No :(
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[info]yrsuchariot wrote:
Apr. 23rd, 2008 03:30 am (UTC)
We have a pizza chain in Canada called Panago (used to be Panagopolous). They have some amazing pizzas and it's not all disgusting and greasy like Pizza Hut. They even have a multi-grain crust that is very good. My favorite is called Primo Shrimp and it has "tropical sauce", green pepper, red onion, pineapple, shrimp (duh!), and mozzarella.
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