Pizza, Pizza, Pizza!

The reason I married my wife was because she was the only girl I ever dated that could eat her half of the pizza. She would fight me over the last piece. And given that I considered pizza to be one of the major food groups, it didn’t take me long to conclude she was the girl for me.

How often do you eat pizza? I have it for dinner at least once each week, and probably at least once each week for lunch, not to mention a slice here and there for snack. I eat less now than I did 10 years ago, but then again my stomach is 10 years older so I have to watch now. It likes pizza a lot less than I do. Nonetheless, on a Friday night when we are just too pooped to pop, pizza is the answer, stomach be damned.

I eat my pizza with pepperoni. My wife doesn’t like pepperoni, so from time to time I have to surrender to toppings of sausage and black olives. My wife likes Brier Hill pizza…tomatoes, peppers, olive oil and parsley with lots of black pepper….that is way too healthy to be considered pizza. It’s good though. She also likes white pizza. That’s not pizza either. It’s only pizza if it has tomatoes or tomato sauce. Otherwise, it’s something else. I have been told by those in the know that what we consider to be pizza here in the United States is not pizza in Italy. Too bad! They can keep theirs, I like ours.

And let's not even go to the thin crust, deep dish, Chicago vs. New York pizza. I like a medium crust, crispy. My wife likes a more chewy crust. Youngstown Pizza doesn't seem to fit any of the molds...and that's a good thing.

Then there are the gourmet pizzas. The Food Channel did a show on pizza the other night, and demonstrated a Margarita Pizza. Bravo Cucina features a Margarita Pizza. It has tomatoes and basil. I couldn’t figure out how it got its name. I was looking for the lost shaker of salt. Come to find out it wasn’t named after the tequila drink. Queen Margarita of Italy took a fancy to the concoction because it looked the Italian flag…hence the name. I like it, but it won’t do on Friday night. I want American pizza.

The best pizza I ever had was back in the 1970’s at a place on High Street in Columbus called C & G Pizza. It’s long gone, but it was the gold standard. The pizza was brimming with tomato sauce, then the pepperoni. Then the mozzarella cheese was stacked on top of the pepperoni so when it baked the cheese formed a hard, golden crust. It took an hour for the thing to cool off. I spent half of my life at Ohio State with pizza palate. It is where my wife spent most of our dating life.

Number two on my list was a local Mom and Pop place called Margie’s Pizza, also defunct, owned by cousin’s wife’s mother and father. It was located down on Indianola Avenue about two blocks west of the now demolished St. Matthias Church, or for the local oldies…down from Woodside. We went there for years after we moved back to town for carryout. Rocco ran the shoe repair shop next door during the day, and then he and Margie made pizzas at night. My cousin still has the recipe. Maybe he will bequeath it to me in his will.

Today, the kind of pizza I like depends on my mood. Bellaria Pizzaria is THE perennial, local standby, and has great pizza anytime, but I especially like it for lunch. It's also great Friday night pizza. Most people like Wedgewood Pizza. I fail to see the attraction, but that’s just me. Inner Circle Pizza is plain, unadorned, and good. Great crust!! Cornersburg Pizza has been a longtime family favorite. If my memory serves me, there was a dispute between the franchisee and franchisor when the Boardman franchisee changed the recipe just a tad. I could detect a slight difference…and the accompanying drama came free of charge!! Uptown Pizza is good, but it depends on who is making the pizza. Elmton Pizza, with its multi cheese (including swiss) topping is in a class by itself. You either like it or you don’t. Lots of grease!! Finally, my buddy Vic runs University Pizza by YSU on Lincoln. It is another of my favorite pizzas, reminiscent of a Margarita Pizza with lots of basil, but served American style. Too bad it is located so far from where I live.

The unholy trinity is Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Papa John’s. I don’t like ‘em. But it does go to show what marketing can do to move a mediocre product. Did you ever hide an unfinished Domino’s Pizza under a hotel bed?? You didn’t?? Never mind.

One thing I know for sure, you miss what you are used to...and when you visit other areas, the pizza just isn't the same. To paraphrase one of my favorite movies: Pizza, like art, is in the eye of the beholder. You like what you choose, and I’ll like what I know.