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Post by Pastafarian on Mar 16, 2018 9:10:40 GMT -5
Does anyone here listen to Doughboys? Podcast about chain restaruants/fast food hosted by 2 white dude actor/comedian guys (Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell), so I realize that sounds insufferable, but it's really funny, though also long-running with lots of in-jokes. Anyway they are doing a March Madness pizza tournament so this is very timely. Final 4 are Dominos, Blaze, Little Caesars, and Costco. I just added this to my podcast list a week or so ago. My first episode was the one with Jason Manzoutkas talking about the sushi place (I chose it because he often makes me laugh on HDTGM). Anyway I enjoyed it enough that I'll be going back to it, looks like my next episode will be on pizza. |
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Post by pairesta on Mar 16, 2018 9:51:04 GMT -5
While we are talking pizza (and this could likely be it's own poll) what do you all think of the extras at these places, stuff like bread sticks, cinnamon twists, etc. I've only tried Papa Johns and Dominos, oh and i guess Panago too, but no one here knows what that is. I think I like Dominos "Cinna Stix" better than the Papa John's equivalent. I don't often order the cheese bread, because that is what pizza is for, though recall Papa Johns was decent . I miss Dominos Buffalo Chicken Kickers (see my post on unpopular opinions about boneless wings). There's a Texas chain called Famous Dave's that has "pepperoni rolls": pizza dough stuffed with cheese and pepperoni, that you then dip in pizza sauce (or ranch dressing, this being Texas). And I don't know why, but it's so much better than their pizza. I usually just get those instead of pizza if we go. |
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Post by nowimnothing on Mar 16, 2018 10:46:04 GMT -5
While we are talking pizza (and this could likely be it's own poll) what do you all think of the extras at these places, stuff like bread sticks, cinnamon twists, etc. I've only tried Papa Johns and Dominos, oh and i guess Panago too, but no one here knows what that is. I think I like Dominos "Cinna Stix" better than the Papa John's equivalent. I don't often order the cheese bread, because that is what pizza is for, though recall Papa Johns was decent . I miss Dominos Buffalo Chicken Kickers (see my post on unpopular opinions about boneless wings). There's a Texas chain called Famous Dave's that has "pepperoni rolls": pizza dough stuffed with cheese and pepperoni, that you then dip in pizza sauce (or ranch dressing, this being Texas). And I don't know why, but it's so much better than their pizza. I usually just get those instead of pizza if we go. That reminds of the "stuffed breadsticks" a local joint used to have when I was in college. They essentially took a medium pizza with all the toppings you wanted and rolled it up like a burrito before cooking it. Great stomach buster for after the bar. |
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Mar 16, 2018 11:48:03 GMT -5
I agree about the the deep dish vs thin crust, they are two different things, cannot really compare them. I had Giordano's last year in Chicago and was not too impressed. My go to deep dish when I was a kid was Godfather's. I thought it had gone out of business, but I have since driven past a few, but I am kind of afraid to go back in lest I ruin my fond memories. I'd forgotten all about Godfather's! Wasn't that Herman Cain's pizza? What is it with right wing nutjobs and pizza places anyway? It's their subtle tribute to Mussolini. |
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Mar 16, 2018 11:58:48 GMT -5
This is where I boast about spending the first 17 years of my life in New York City and not having to eat at terrible franchise pizza chains, right?
That being said, while I haven't had franchise pizza since college that I can think of, I can still distinctly remember the taste of Pizza Hut's breadsticks and sauce and am suddenly debating getting an order.
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Post by Sanziana on Mar 16, 2018 13:28:40 GMT -5
I'm not fancy at all about my pizza, the more melted cheese it has, the better I like it.
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Post by Lt. Broccoli on Mar 16, 2018 13:34:05 GMT -5
I've only ever seen Pizza Delight in Newfoundland. It's really good though.
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Post by fab on Mar 16, 2018 14:34:08 GMT -5
in theory I can get the first four around here (given that I just discovered there are Papa John's in Toronto the other weekend), but my choice has to be "other" with some variance for what qualifies as chain pizza...? if I have to restrict myself to the three that are available in a reasonable distance (there's a Pizza Hut, Little Caesar's, and Domino's in the next town over), I guess Domino's would take the crown. if I can pick local-ish franchises, Pizzaville (not sure if it's a Canada only thing?) is pretty decent and inexpensive, albeit kinda inconsistent -- but I think it's just that particular location. I've had really good cheap general pizzas from there and inconsistent kinda underbaked ones, which is prolly due to high staff turnover and what not. there's one in Toronto called uh... Pizzaiolo or something? they have a green oval sign. they're probably the best for a high quality slice as far as grab and go. not sure I'd pay the premium for a full pizza though. I still picked other b/c I'm a ridiculous person.  |
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Post by The Spice Weasel on Mar 16, 2018 15:01:49 GMT -5
While we are talking pizza (and this could likely be it's own poll) what do you all think of the extras at these places, stuff like bread sticks, cinnamon twists, etc. I've only tried Papa Johns and Dominos, oh and i guess Panago too, but no one here knows what that is. I think I like Dominos "Cinna Stix" better than the Papa John's equivalent. I don't often order the cheese bread, because that is what pizza is for, though recall Papa Johns was decent . I miss Dominos Buffalo Chicken Kickers (see my post on unpopular opinions about boneless wings). Jet's Bread might be better than Jet's pizza. |
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Post by Pastafarian on Mar 16, 2018 15:23:40 GMT -5
I've only ever seen Pizza Delight in Newfoundland. It's really good though. For a while there was a Pizza Delight in Calgary that has sadly since closed. I seem to remember thinking it was awesome, but wonder if it being no longer here makes it seem better in my memories than it was. |
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Post by Powerthirteen on Mar 16, 2018 15:26:47 GMT -5
I've only ever seen Pizza Delight in Newfoundland. It's really good though. For a while there was a Pizza Delight in Calgary that has sadly since closed. I seem to remember thinking it was awesome, but wonder if it being no longer here makes it seem better in my memories than it was. If "being good" was enough to make a restaurant survive it would be a very different world... |
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Post by The Spice Weasel on Mar 16, 2018 16:25:47 GMT -5
For a while there was a Pizza Delight in Calgary that has sadly since closed. I seem to remember thinking it was awesome, but wonder if it being no longer here makes it seem better in my memories than it was. If "being good" was enough to make a restaurant survive it would be a very different world... That's why I really make an effort to frequent my favorites. If it closes, it ain't on me. |
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Post by MyNameIsNoneOfYourGoddamnBusin on Mar 17, 2018 5:43:29 GMT -5
I agree about the the deep dish vs thin crust, they are two different things, cannot really compare them. I had Giordano's last year in Chicago and was not too impressed. My go to deep dish when I was a kid was Godfather's. I thought it had gone out of business, but I have since driven past a few, but I am kind of afraid to go back in lest I ruin my fond memories. I'd forgotten all about Godfather's! Wasn't that Herman Cain's pizza? What is it with right wing nutjobs and pizza places anyway? "Why are the people who run successful businesses supportive of pro-business politics?" Although to challenge that, the family that runs Little Caesar's has a few offshoots holding minor offices as Democrats (but did use a very nice concert theatre they own host a major Republican primary debate in 2015). |
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Post by Lt. Broccoli on Mar 17, 2018 7:53:38 GMT -5
For non-franchise pizza, I like the little place down the street, Smiley's. Everyone says it's a dirty shitty little hole in the wall, especially those snobs at the hair salon next door. But it's actually great.
In Toronto there is a little place just off campus on Spadina, Cora. One time it had a yellow health rating from the city inspectors, but I still ate there, and it was still awesome.
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Post by Pastafarian on Mar 17, 2018 9:48:24 GMT -5
For non-franchise pizza, I like the little place down the street, Smiley's. Everyone says it's a dirty shitty little hole in the wall, especially those snobs at the hair salon next door. But it's actually great. In Toronto there is a little place just off campus on Spadina, Cora. One time it had a yellow health rating from the city inspectors, but I still ate there, and it was still awesome. HEY! Take that shit to the non-franchise thread. |
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Post by Pastafarian on Mar 17, 2018 9:51:36 GMT -5
I'd forgotten all about Godfather's! Wasn't that Herman Cain's pizza? What is it with right wing nutjobs and pizza places anyway? "Why are the people who run successful businesses supportive of pro-business politics?" Yeah, I get that, but there are successful business people who also lean left. Or at least centrist. It just seems like the pizza industry is more concentrated than others I can think of. Or maybe they are just more "out there" about it. Anyway I was going more for a laugh than a breakdown of socio-economic factors driving political affiliations in the business community. You've been Terrible Jokered! |
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Mar 17, 2018 16:11:04 GMT -5
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Mar 19, 2018 19:46:52 GMT -5
Purely due to the influence of this thread and me being a sucker for peer pressure, I went to Pizza Hut for the first time since college. It was... well, it was still terrible. Even in a place where I'm not that impressed with the nearby pizza choices, it was still bad. However, it was bad in exactly the same way as it was 20 years ago, so I will give them points for consistency.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Mar 19, 2018 20:22:52 GMT -5
Purely due to the influence of this thread and me being a sucker for peer pressure, I went to Pizza Hut for the first time since college. It was... well, it was still terrible. Even in a place where I'm not that impressed with the nearby pizza choices, it was still bad. However, it was bad in exactly the same way as it was 20 years ago, so I will give them points for consistency. I haven’t had Pizza Hut in like.... 20ish years and I can still conjure up the taste of it. |
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Mar 19, 2018 21:09:32 GMT -5
Oddly enough, the one thing that Pizza Hut had that I absolutely loved was their 1000 island salad dressing. I tried a couple of times to buy some, or at least find out if it was available, with no luck. I haven't eaten in a Pizza Hut for a long time now, and I think maybe the last time I did, the 1000 island was different. That might be why I finally gave it up for good. They have a $4.99 lunch buffet, so maybe sometime I'll give them another try. Their pizza generally sucks, but that was some good salad dressing.
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Post by Pastafarian on Mar 20, 2018 8:06:54 GMT -5
Purely due to the influence of this thread and me being a sucker for peer pressure, I went to Pizza Hut for the first time since college. It was... well, it was still terrible. Even in a place where I'm not that impressed with the nearby pizza choices, it was still bad. However, it was bad in exactly the same way as it was 20 years ago, so I will give them points for consistency. I haven't eaten there in maybe 15 years. What was bad about it? What did you order? (If you say just the tiramisu I'm going to have to ask you to leave.) |
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Mar 20, 2018 11:34:48 GMT -5
Purely due to the influence of this thread and me being a sucker for peer pressure, I went to Pizza Hut for the first time since college. It was... well, it was still terrible. Even in a place where I'm not that impressed with the nearby pizza choices, it was still bad. However, it was bad in exactly the same way as it was 20 years ago, so I will give them points for consistency. I haven't eaten there in maybe 15 years. What was bad about it? What did you order? (If you say just the tiramisu I'm going to have to ask you to leave.) I got a personal pan pepperoni pizza, an order of breadsticks, and some boneless 'wings' because why not. The pizza was greasy and disappointing, the sauce was overly sweet; it just doesn't fit my admittedly conservative definition of "good pizza". (The nuggets boneless 'wings' weren't bad, but this is a pizza place, and there's a better wing place a couple blocks away anyway.) |
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Post by nowimnothing on Mar 20, 2018 12:42:08 GMT -5
I never used to mind Pizza Hut until one time we had about 3 full pizzas left over from a party. I was home alone working on renovating my house for a week afterwards and that was all I ate. For me it is the overly greasy, almost deep fried crust. It just makes my stomach turn thinking about it.
I will still eat it over Little Caesars or Chuck E Cheese though. Those are true affronts to pizza.
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Post by Pastafarian on Mar 20, 2018 16:14:00 GMT -5
I never used to mind Pizza Hut until one time we had about 3 full pizzas left over from a party. I was home alone working on renovating my house for a week afterwards and that was all I ate. For me it is the overly greasy, almost deep fried crust. It just makes my stomach turn thinking about it. I will still eat it over Little Caesars or Chuck E Cheese though. Those are true affronts to pizza. The thing I remember about it was feeling like they'd heavily oiled the crust before even putting on the toppings. |
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Post by fab on Mar 21, 2018 6:35:41 GMT -5
I never used to mind Pizza Hut until one time we had about 3 full pizzas left over from a party. I was home alone working on renovating my house for a week afterwards and that was all I ate. For me it is the overly greasy, almost deep fried crust. It just makes my stomach turn thinking about it. I will still eat it over Little Caesars or Chuck E Cheese though. Those are true affronts to pizza. The thing I remember about it was feeling like they'd heavily oiled the crust before even putting on the toppings. I've only had Pizza Hut a handful of times, mostly because there's only one location in the nearby town, and while they do of course do delivery, my family was never really one to order delivery anyhow. I have a distinct memory of going there around 10 - 12 years old and watching an acquaintance pick up a slice of pizza and holding it over his plate for a minute or two while the grease continued to drip off it. Granted, it wasn't pouring off after about the first 15 seconds or so, but even with my ability to suck down absurd amounts of calories then with a fairly iron stomach, I still found that a bit disconcerting. went there for probably the first time in 10 - 15 years maybe last fall and had whatever cheap dinner combo personal pizza deal they had. it didn't make an impression. still better than most stuff at Pizza Pizza (where I swear the best item on the menu is the fucking funnel cake fries! WHY DO THEY EVEN HAVE THAT) |
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Post by Jimmy James on Mar 26, 2018 9:59:17 GMT -5
There's a Texas chain called Famous Dave's that has "pepperoni rolls": pizza dough stuffed with cheese and pepperoni, that you then dip in pizza sauce (or ranch dressing, this being Texas). And I don't know why, but it's so much better than their pizza. I usually just get those instead of pizza if we go. This seems to be a really popular thing around Pittsburgh as well, which evidently has origins of the Italian equivalent of pasties for miners. I tried one from Mancini's out of curiosity, but it didn't win me over as a pizza replacement. |
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Post by LazBro on Mar 26, 2018 10:13:13 GMT -5
I voted for Pizza Hut. I prefer it to Domino's, which is the only other mega-franchise around here I would consider ordering from. I order Pizza Hut probably once a month - I really do like it well enough to do so - but there are also local places here that I also like. There's a "corner Italian" joint in downtown Wylie that does an awesome white pie with ricotta base instead of alfredo, and that with some pepperoni top is the best pizza in town. But to make a dinner of it, even carryout, is $20+ where I can feed the whole family with leftovers from Pizza Hut for around $13.
Here's my #protip on ordering mega-franchise pizza: never get the default crust. Whatever your chain considers default - I believe both Pizza Hut and Domino's call it hand-tossed - do not get that. The default crust is always the worst one. Go thin crust or deep dish and you will eat better.
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Post by LazBro on Mar 26, 2018 10:28:30 GMT -5
I haven’t had Pizza Hut in like.... 20ish years and I can still conjure up the taste of it. The reason I love Jet's so much is that it tastes the way I remember Pizza Hut tasting when I was a kid, the way it doesn't actually taste anymore. Jet's is friggin' awesome. I don't have one around me to order from, but we'd get it sometimes back at the office. That was great, because they'd always get some salads on the side, and I could dip my slice into their fantastic Italian dressing. #whyamisofat |
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Post by dＬᵒ on Apr 3, 2018 23:45:25 GMT -5
Oddly enough, the one thing that Pizza Hut had that I absolutely loved was their 1000 island salad dressing. I tried a couple of times to buy some, or at least find out if it was available, with no luck. I haven't eaten in a Pizza Hut for a long time now, and I think maybe the last time I did, the 1000 island was different. That might be why I finally gave it up for good. They have a $4.99 lunch buffet, so maybe sometime I'll give them another try. Their pizza generally sucks, but that was some good salad dressing. Have you tried Ken's Foods version? We use that for the business and people rave about it. |
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Post by Floyd D Barber on Apr 3, 2018 23:57:51 GMT -5
Oddly enough, the one thing that Pizza Hut had that I absolutely loved was their 1000 island salad dressing. I tried a couple of times to buy some, or at least find out if it was available, with no luck. I haven't eaten in a Pizza Hut for a long time now, and I think maybe the last time I did, the 1000 island was different. That might be why I finally gave it up for good. They have a $4.99 lunch buffet, so maybe sometime I'll give them another try. Their pizza generally sucks, but that was some good salad dressing. Have you tried Ken's Foods version? We use that for the business and people rave about it. I love the Ken's Steakhouse thousand Island dressing, if that's the one you mean. I just bought 3 bottles of it the other day, since not very many places around here carry it. I noticed the second ingredient listed is "chili sauce". Maybe that's what makes it so good. |
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