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Pizza in Dayton.......
I was writing to some friends back home in Buffalo about the pizza in this town. I thought I'd share it with the people I know in LJ land.
Pizza in Dayton, Ohio (or "What's up with these square pieces of pizza?"
[Update: When I first moved here 15 years ago, adjusting to the local style of pizza was a bit of culture shock. The pizzas are still round, but they're cut into squares. Here are some of the local or regional chains, along with some stand-alone places.]
- Marion's: The town favorite, or so they say. It's not bad, but I wish they wouldn't cut it into 2" square pieces. Their Super Cheese is my favorite. (Typical deluxe toppings -- cheese, pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, onion, and extra cheese.) This would be a good place for a gathering -- lots of dining space (and a section for large groups like softball teams, LJ users, filkers, etc.).
- Cassano's: I heard it was good when the founder (Vic Cassasno, aka the Pizza King) was still alive, but has gone downhill since then. They too cut their pizza into 2" square pieces. (I also heard they use provolone cheese instead of mozzarella.)
- Donato's: A Columbus-based chain that moved into the area several years ago. Their thin crust is what they're famous for. They too cut their pizza into squares, but they're 2" x 4" squares (app. 18 to a pie; 4 of which are tiny corners). The wife's favorite.
- LaRosa's: A Cincinnati-based chain that opened its first stores in Dayton about 1-2 years ago. Supposedly the Cincinnati favorite. I think they use a little too much sugar in the sauce. But their Li'l Italy, if let to sit out for a day, tastes like decent Italian-style pizza that I remember from my childhood.
- Giovanni's: A regional chain that opened a store here last year, and recently closed it. Granted, it was hampered by a poor location (a busy street on which it's impossible to turn left on when exiting), but the pizza was bland; it didn't have a lot of character. (No relation to the Giovanni's in Fairborn, which is infinitely better.)
- Sarpino's: Another new chain. Not too bad. Did not pass the quality control test when the wife found a piece of onion on the pizza, when we didn't order any. Problem has since been corrected as verified by a return visit.
- Flying Pizza: A local shop, and my favorite. They do New York-style pizza right, from flipping the dough in the air, to the ovens, to the sauce. The pizza is cut into huge slices -- 6 to a pie.
- Papa Murphy's: Raw pizza -- what a concept. They make it, you bake it.
- Cici's Pizza: A pizza buffet place that's relatively new to Dayton. Good cheap eats. All the pizza and pop you care to eat for under $6.
- The national pizza chains -- Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa John's, and Pizzeria Uno -- are also represented here. Somehow the Pizza Hut pizzas don't taste as good here as I remember them tasting back home. And Papa John's has a nice big dough ring that can be used as dipping sticks with the marinara or garlic sauce. We still don't do Domino's for personal reasons.
I've yet to see a sheet pizza in this town. That was a staple in Buffalo. A large 24" x 36" monster cut in to 4" square pieces (24 of 'em). Big enough to serve the gang. [Update: Pizza Hut tried it with their "Bigfoot" pizza years ago. But I don't think they sell i anymore.]
As for chicken wings, the two best places I've found for wings are Applebee's and Elsa's (a local Mexican restaurant; home of the "Bad Juan" margarita). We have BW-3's (now called Buffalo Wild Wings; presumably because they no longer serve weck), but their wings were tiny. There's a place in town called Fricker's that serves their wings breaded, and they leave the wingtips on! Sacrilege! Another favorite of mine in Buffalo Wings & Rings in Cincinnati, if I'm down that way. If I had a deep fryer, I would cook my own more often. The wok makes a mediocre substitute; I can only do a few at a time.
I did ask a local about the square-cut pizza. He told me it's because Daytonians don't like to fold their pizza slices over.
Oh yeah -- there are no 3-liter pop bottles here either.
Pizza in Dayton, Ohio (or "What's up with these square pieces of pizza?"
[Update: When I first moved here 15 years ago, adjusting to the local style of pizza was a bit of culture shock. The pizzas are still round, but they're cut into squares. Here are some of the local or regional chains, along with some stand-alone places.]
- Marion's: The town favorite, or so they say. It's not bad, but I wish they wouldn't cut it into 2" square pieces. Their Super Cheese is my favorite. (Typical deluxe toppings -- cheese, pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, onion, and extra cheese.) This would be a good place for a gathering -- lots of dining space (and a section for large groups like softball teams, LJ users, filkers, etc.).
- Cassano's: I heard it was good when the founder (Vic Cassasno, aka the Pizza King) was still alive, but has gone downhill since then. They too cut their pizza into 2" square pieces. (I also heard they use provolone cheese instead of mozzarella.)
- Donato's: A Columbus-based chain that moved into the area several years ago. Their thin crust is what they're famous for. They too cut their pizza into squares, but they're 2" x 4" squares (app. 18 to a pie; 4 of which are tiny corners). The wife's favorite.
- LaRosa's: A Cincinnati-based chain that opened its first stores in Dayton about 1-2 years ago. Supposedly the Cincinnati favorite. I think they use a little too much sugar in the sauce. But their Li'l Italy, if let to sit out for a day, tastes like decent Italian-style pizza that I remember from my childhood.
- Giovanni's: A regional chain that opened a store here last year, and recently closed it. Granted, it was hampered by a poor location (a busy street on which it's impossible to turn left on when exiting), but the pizza was bland; it didn't have a lot of character. (No relation to the Giovanni's in Fairborn, which is infinitely better.)
- Sarpino's: Another new chain. Not too bad. Did not pass the quality control test when the wife found a piece of onion on the pizza, when we didn't order any. Problem has since been corrected as verified by a return visit.
- Flying Pizza: A local shop, and my favorite. They do New York-style pizza right, from flipping the dough in the air, to the ovens, to the sauce. The pizza is cut into huge slices -- 6 to a pie.
- Papa Murphy's: Raw pizza -- what a concept. They make it, you bake it.
- Cici's Pizza: A pizza buffet place that's relatively new to Dayton. Good cheap eats. All the pizza and pop you care to eat for under $6.
- The national pizza chains -- Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa John's, and Pizzeria Uno -- are also represented here. Somehow the Pizza Hut pizzas don't taste as good here as I remember them tasting back home. And Papa John's has a nice big dough ring that can be used as dipping sticks with the marinara or garlic sauce. We still don't do Domino's for personal reasons.
I've yet to see a sheet pizza in this town. That was a staple in Buffalo. A large 24" x 36" monster cut in to 4" square pieces (24 of 'em). Big enough to serve the gang. [Update: Pizza Hut tried it with their "Bigfoot" pizza years ago. But I don't think they sell i anymore.]
As for chicken wings, the two best places I've found for wings are Applebee's and Elsa's (a local Mexican restaurant; home of the "Bad Juan" margarita). We have BW-3's (now called Buffalo Wild Wings; presumably because they no longer serve weck), but their wings were tiny. There's a place in town called Fricker's that serves their wings breaded, and they leave the wingtips on! Sacrilege! Another favorite of mine in Buffalo Wings & Rings in Cincinnati, if I'm down that way. If I had a deep fryer, I would cook my own more often. The wok makes a mediocre substitute; I can only do a few at a time.
I did ask a local about the square-cut pizza. He told me it's because Daytonians don't like to fold their pizza slices over.
Oh yeah -- there are no 3-liter pop bottles here either.