Pizza, Pizza!

I know it’s somewhat antithetical but I do love a good pizza.  I just prefer the ones with thinner crust, though I’ll eat pretty much anything.  The Chicago style pizza with two crusts is just overkill, though.  I mean, seriously?!  I still remember a friend in college that was the perfect pizza partner for me – she would eat the crust & I would eat the toppings!  Doesn’t get better than that. 

Here are my favorites (in no special order):

Godfather’s Pizza – I love the original crust – not too thin, not too thick but nice & chewy – with Canadian bacon (sometimes called ham) and onions.  I don’t know why, but I love the onions they have at Godfather’s.  Nowhere else.  Jake loves the combo, as it’s a classic. 

Pagliai’s Pizza – This is a hometown favorite.  (Well, close to my home town and people from my hometown go there.)  Believe it or not, I love their breadsticks!  They are soft & chewy with a really yummy meat marinara dipping sauce.  It’s the sauce that does it.  And I like their original crust, since it’s thin & crispy.  Perfect!

Dewey’s Pizza – I love the chicken BBQ pizza at this Cincinnati fave.  Dewey’s is known for a bit edgier toppings and pizzas and was one of my crew’s hangouts in the Nati.  Several of us love the chicken BBQ pizza, but I remember we all got it slightly different.  Some left off the black bean corn salsa, some the cheddar cheese (bet you can guess who if you know Jake!).  Their salads were always interesting and yummy too.  I tried a fig for the first time (not in Fig Newton form, that is) in a salad and loved it so much I tried to go home and duplicate it.  And this was one place you could see them tossing the dough for the crust.  The extra amount of crust leftover can be dipped in their homemade ranch dressing for a nice “breadstick” finish.

Donato’s Pizza – Jake would murder me if I left this Cincinnati stop off the list.  It’s interesting to note that this pizza is Jake’s favorite, but it’s some of the thinnest crust around, which is not usually his pick.  And they only use provolone, but Jake discovered that it’s still mild enough to suit him and they don’t use a lot.  They originated the “to the edge” topping motto.  And they had some unusual toppings as well.  I love their Hawaiian: ham, pineapple, almond slices, cinnamon.  I was thrown by the cinnamon, but forget to ask for it without once and I’m better for it.  I think Donato’s is still a reason Jake would like to move back to Ohio.  Our friends there used to have a tradition on Sunday nights of ordering a large pepperoni pizza from Donato’s and renting a movie.  And I remember Jake coveting that tradition!

LaCasa – This is an Omaha tradition.  I’m not sure how long it’s been around, but just by the looks of the place, you can tell it’s been awhile.  They use two different kinds of cheese, though Jake’s obviously discovered that you can ask for just mozzarella.  Sometimes the crust can look a little burnt, but it’s always tasty to me.  And the onion rings are homemade and to die for!

Lansky’s – They have two locations in Omaha, but I frequent the Bellevue one most.  They have great lunch specials and I love their Lorenzo’s favorite pizza with hamburger, onions and mushrooms.  (I’ve recently found after moving back to Omaha that I like hamburger on pizza a lot, but only at mom & pop places that use real hamburger.)  They also have pasta and cheesesteaks, which I’ve heard are very good, but I get pizza every time.

LaRosa – I couldn’t leave off this Cincinnati chain.  I think I learned to like it simply from overexposure:  every Admissions event, lunch every other week with the office gang, church events, etc.  This pizza has a much sweeter sauce than normal.  And it’s the same sauce they use on their spaghetti, which I like even more than their pizza, probably.  A special treat is their chicken alfredo pizza or pasta.  High calorie, high fat, but incredibly delicious every once in awhile.

Mama’s Pizza – Jake’s mom loves this place.  I’d say it tastes pretty close to homemade.  There are two locations in Omaha, but everyone seems to agree that the original location on Saddlecreek is somehow much better than the other.  I still remember the marathon thrifting day I spent with Sheila (Jake’s mom) and the late lunch we had at Mama’s.  It tasted incredible!  We downed that pizza. 

I recently heard about a take-out only place in downtown Omaha – Orsi’s – that is supposed to be the best pizza in town, with an interesting variety.  So I’m excited to check that out soon.  Also, we’ve tried Mangia’s pizza a couple times, with good success.  It just didn’t make the cut yet, though.