The Daily Journal

Pizza

Posted 4/18/2008, 10:55AM, by TAhrens

I have never met anyone who doesn’t like pizza. I know people who only like cheese pizza or people who will only eat pepperoni pizza, but I have never met anyone who says “no, thanks” to pizza.

I am of the mind that the more toppings, the better. Pile it on, thick. I love all of the meats (except anchovies) but you can fill it up with some green peppers and mushrooms. I am not a fan of onions or olives, but I am not a picker; if they are there, I will eat them.

I prefer restaurant pizza to frozen pizza, obviously, but I can live with a good Tombstone. For the money, Jack’s is also OK. On oddity with me is that I don’t like frozen pizza in a box. I know, I am weird.

In the Kankakee area, I do have my favorite pizza places.

Aurelio’s is the best overall, but Nancy’s stuffed is sent from heaven. I won free pizza for a year from Nancy’s last year, which amounted to 12 free pizzas. Nice!

Dale’s Pizza is my wildcard pick. It is really tasty with a cold Budweiser product.

The typical delivery joints — Domino’s, Papa John’s — will due in a pinch. When I was in college in Champaign, Pizza World was the place for cheap delivery. That bested Domino’s by light years. I don’t think it exists anymore, probably because I graduated and their sales dropped.

Talk to me, readers. What do you like on your pizza? What are your favorite brands and pizza restaurants? Do you like Hawaiian pizza (pineapple and bacon)?

Comments

A favorite family outing as a kid was a trip to Chicago Dough. Dale’s, Aurelio’s and Monical’s were also hits. I’m fairly picky about my pizza toppings and don’t wander far from cheese, sausage, and pepperoni. I think the all time best breadsticks are crazy bread from Little Ceasar’s. It just doesn’t seem that there are any Little Caesar’s anymore.

Posted by Jill on 4/18/2008, at 11:52 am

Pizza is an absolute weakness. Aurelio’s plain cheese is somehow outstanding. The Aurelio’s lunch buffet is like standing at the gates of heaven!
Nancy’s stuffed and thin are both also very good.
Nana’s special (spinach and mushroom) is great in the stuffed, and pepperoni and tomato slices is great in the thin. Even Cheesers will do for a cheap and quick pizza fix.
Tim Ahrens says — I haven’t had Cheesers in a bizillion years. Isn’t it similiar to Little Caesar’s?

Posted by Mike on 4/18/2008, at 4:39 pm

My all time favorite pizza is a Monicals Family Pleaser. Ya gotta have the salad and red salad dressing with it. I am one of the many who was there the first night it opened in town and have to have it whenever I get up that way. My sons call it cardboard pizza, but the last time Darren was up there he came around after the third day of Monicals for lunch or dinner. LOL

Here to get good pizza we go over to a place by UCF in Orlando. We basically have just the chains here in town,
Surprisingly Disney parks and Sea World actually pretty good pizza.

My favorite is pepperoni, green pepper,onions, lots of mushrooms and black olives.
Tim Ahrens says — My draw to Monicals is the salad and the dressings, red and white for me and the breadsticks. The pizza is hit or miss, although for some reason the Watseka restaurant seems to be better than the Kankakee area ones.

Posted by Aunt Anita on 4/18/2008, at 7:40 pm

Aurellio’s is my favorite, but my beloved adores that Nancy’s stuffed pizza. My choice for toppings are cheese,sausage,mushrooms and black olives. Thin crust over deep dish….tho I have been known to devour Uno’s pizza in Chicago. Also, being from Joliet, born and raised, I have to say thet “The Keg”
in downtown Joliet makes THE BEST pizza. I miss that alot, being a transplant now.

Posted by Kathie on 4/18/2008, at 8:22 pm

My favorite in town is Sammy’s Pizza…. sausage, mushroom and Extra Cheese……. it is like Dales USED to be years ago.
Runner’s up are Dales and Monicals…….. once in a while I will get Pizza Hut, but I try not to very often.
Frozen? Tombtone is my favorite, I cannot stand Freschetta or Diorgono at all.
Best Crust over all??? Believe it or not… Stouffers french bread and for regular crust Totino’s !!!

Posted by kim on 4/19/2008, at 7:44 pm

At first I thought Hawaiian pizza sounded kinda weird/gross…but then I tried it and was totally hooked, so good! I have a place back in Ohio with the best veggie pizza, but here I love Nancy’s (I’m a huge deep dish fan)! I also love Chicago Dough dessert pizza (dessert + pizza = 2 favorite things ever). In Chicago yesterday I took out-of-town friends to Gino’s (such great deep dish!), and they all loved it of course. Oh and we need a Cici’s here - great pizza and super low price for a buffet…mmm yum. Although it’s not deep dish, best frozen pizza: California Pizza Kitchen, so good.
Tim Ahrens says — Pizza buffets are very dangerous. Chicago Dough’s is very good, factoring in the garlic bread and salad bar. Right on with the pizzert (?) - OUTSTANDING!

Posted by Melissa G on 4/20/2008, at 1:42 pm

I agree with you on the Hawaiian Pizza Melissa, It is definitely better than it sounds…..Does anyone remember the Taco pizzas? They were good for once in awhile.
Tim Ahrens says — Taco Pizza sounds good to me. Jack’s has a good Mexican pizza, frozen, of course.

Posted by kim on 4/21/2008, at 4:59 am

Do you folks have Hungry Howie’s out your way? Home of the free flavored crust? Mmmmmm.
If I have my way, I love pineapple on my pizza (hold the bacon please). The hubby puts jalapenos on his half (I get very sad when one lingers over on my half). But plain cheese is my general standby.
Luigi’s is the place to go in my parts. We went in February and had to wait in a line out the door for a half hour. In February! In Ohio! In the summer, you best grab a chair. Their specialty is actually green pepper pizza. I don’t know what they do to the green peppers, but it’s to die for. And the only pizza I have found that tastes better the next day.
Tim Ahrens says — No Hungry Howie’s or Luigi’s in our parts. Second-day pizza is the mark of all great pizza. Do you reheat or just eat it cold?

Posted by Dana on 4/21/2008, at 8:01 am

Pizza’s actually my favorite food. Does that make me a third-grade girl?

Chicago Dough is my favorite pizza joints in town with Monical’s and Sammy’s coming in second. You like Nancy’s? I ordered it once, and it was TERRIBLE. The meat was fatty, and pizza meat CANNOT be fatty. I like Giordanno’s. Absolutely the food of the gods. As for frozen, have you had the Tombstone’s garlic crust yet? Try it. It’s really good. Gino’s East frozen is really good, too. The closest to real-thing I’ve ever had in a frozen pizza. Lou Manotti’s in Chicago is also ridonkulously good.

Toppings? Anything but green or red peppers. I’m even fine with anchovies, as long as they’re not piled on. Olives and pepperoni is probably my favorite. Hawaiian pizza rocks.

Posted by Jaclyn on 4/21/2008, at 10:26 am

Personally, I find pizzas with more sauce work cold, but pizzas that are light on sauce get too dry and need the reheat. My laziness is the ultimate factor in whether or not I reheat that slice of za.

Posted by Dana on 4/21/2008, at 1:07 pm

Laziness is also why i eat mine cold or nuked…. although, if you reheat it in a skillet on low, the crust will remain crispier!

Posted by kim on 4/21/2008, at 4:55 pm

Mr. Giggles in Manteno has a most delightful pizza you specialize with a garlic crust and their guido sauce and it is outstanding! I’d put it against any of the other area pizza joints.

Posted by Anonymous on 4/21/2008, at 5:00 pm

Hungry Howies? We have them here in Florida, but not very good…..but they are cheaper than a lot of places. For cheap pizzas we like Little Ceasars the best of the chains.

Left over pizza—-I like it cold.

Ok here’s a question…..

How many of you have left the leftovers in the box and not refrigerated it and then ate it the next morning for breakfast cold? We used to do that all the time when I was in college? I now think back and wonder how come no one got sick? Today it probably would kill us.

Posted by Aunt Anita on 4/21/2008, at 11:40 pm

What a testament to the Apriles that Sammy’s Pizza (which they sold over 10 years ago) is still so highly rated. Especially since the recipe has somewhat drifted over the years. If I remember right, Sammy (Sr.) put Candlelight and Dale’s in business by selling them pizza places and sharing the recipe. Young Sam really perfected the pizza but, sadly, sold in ‘96. But I know for a fact that he still makes THE ORIGINAL at home.

Posted by Anonymous on 4/25/2008, at 9:05 am

I used to do that, Aunt Anita! Except it wasn’t college — it was junior high. Any good junior high sleepover offered cold pizza left out overnight for breakfast. And flat pop. And I remember this being soooo good.

Posted by Jaclyn on 4/25/2008, at 4:23 pm

Any pizza. Any time. Nature’s perfect food. My FAVORITE place is Numero Uno (not many of those left here in So. Cal.) with their yummy thick crust. The more toppings the better! (But like you, Tim, no anchovies.) Hawaiian toppings OK too.

Posted by Lorraine on 4/29/2008, at 11:12 am

My all time favorite is Lou Malnatti’s…Yummm…And Gino’s and Giordano’s come in at a close second…And luckily I live in Chicago so they are all with in walking distance from me!
I have tried Hungry Howies and it was absolutely terrible! I dont know where the person is from that said it is tasty but they obviously arent from chicago and don’t know what real pizza tastes like!

Posted by Melissa on 4/29/2008, at 2:20 pm

Yum

Posted by Anonymous on 3/19/2009, at 9:14 am

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