I was sitting in a Pie Five restaurant in Carrollton (although my GPS said it was in Plano, TX). I was there to do a taste test for Pie Five. I’m a member of their Circle of Crust club. Somehow I guess this got me on the invite email list to try/compare a new cheese they were considering.
During the time I had selected there were only a few other people there. As I looked at the other people, I couldn’t help but think how less qualified everyone else was compared to me.
It isn’t that I think I’m some kind of great taste evaluator or texture genius. I just know that I love pizza. The more I think about it, I haven’t ran into too many pizzas I didn’t like. So I may not be the best person for the taste test. But I do definitely have preferences.
Anyway, while I was sitting there thinking about how good I was going to do on the taste test, that’s when I thought I should start writing a pizza blog. I love to eat pizza. Love to try different and new pizzas. Love to make pizza. I guess I have to say that pizza is my favorite food. I like steak, tex-mex, bbq, Chinese, and so on. But when it comes down to it, pizza is my favorite. When my wife and kids are out of town and I’m eating out by myself, I’m not looking for a steak house. I’m looking for a new pizza joint.
I remember when I was a kid. We had two pizza restaurants in town (small town Arkansas). We had a Pizza Hut and a Ken’s Pizza. If I remember correctly, the Pizza Hut had a big round fireplace in the middle of the restaurant. It was considered pretty high-end dining. A very early memory I have was going out to eat at Pizza Hut with my mom, dad, aunt and uncle. I’m not sure how old I was, but I was pretty small. I remember my dad thought I wouldn't like pizza, so they had ran by Mcdonald’s and gotten me a hamburger. When the pizza got to the table, my dad pulled out the burger and gave it to me. My uncle Raymond looked at me and said “boy what is wrong with you, pizza is awesome”. So I tried it. I've been hooked ever since.
Pizza for me, ended up being something that was a treat or a birthday meal. It was the place we would go Sunday night or Wednesday night after church. I remember on Friday or Saturday nights, my friend Matthew and I would go to Pizza Hut and split a medium pepperoni (deep dish) and get two drinks (probably Dr. Pepper) and have to put in around $5 each. Unfortunately, I’m sure we never really had much to tip.
After high school, I ended up working for the other pizza place in town (Ken’s). I was a cook. I loved it. Once I started college, I still worked weekends and during the summer. I had plenty of time to play with new creations and topping combinations. When I was there during the summer, I open up and work until around dinner time. Opening was cool. I got to make the dough (thin and pan). I even made the whole-grain pizza dough (for the few months it was around). I mixed the sauce. I just wish I would have paid more attention to how everything was made. I do remember it was just a bunch of mixes. So it’s not like I ever got to see the recipes, but I just wish I could remember the details of making everything. I do remember that the big Hobart mixer scared me to death. My manager had told me stories about people getting limbs ripped off by those things.
When I was in college at Louisiana Tech, I got exposed to a few more pizza places. A local north Louisiana favorite is Johnny’s Pizza. It was started in Monroe. But had locations in Ruston, Shreveport, Bossier and other places. They recently tried to open one in Addison, TX. I loved it, but there just never seemed to be enough business there. I loved their pizza. They had one called Sweep the Kitchen, which was their everything pizza. One that was called Sweep the Swamp which had crawfish, shrimp… They cut their pizza a little different too. One long cut across the middle, then a bunch of perpendicular cuts so you ended up with small strip slices. These were perfect to dip into their cheese/jalapeno dip. For me the dip just made the pizza. Now when the Johnny’s opened in Addision, I took many people I work with for the lunch buffet. Unless they had lived in north Louisiana, they didn’t really care much for it. I guess it is just the local thing. Whatever you grew up with is what you like… The Johnny's Pizza in Addison closed some time ago. I think I read that they are opening one in the Houston area. Hope it works out for them.
The other place I was exposed to was Pizza Inn. We didn’t have one where I was from. I loved their deep dish pizza. It’s been 20 years since I’ve had one so I can’t articulate what made it so special. I have had them lately at a Pizza Inn, but it is nothing like the ones 20 years ago. I’m sure Pizza Inn got caught up in the Dominoe’s Pizza curse. When they came out with quick/cheap pizza, it almost ruined pizza for ever. To be honest pizza has just recently made a comeback.
The last place I was exposed to in Ruston was Pizza Tech or Tech Pizza (don’t rememeber). It was the generic pizza place ran by the school. It was in the food court and using students as cooks and order takers. The pizza was good, but the best part was I could use my meal card to get pizza. This is also where I learned that I would eat pizza from most places and still enjoy it. The best thing ever was to get a pizza late Friday night and then have leftover cold pizza the next morning. I loved cold pizza.
Anyway, just a brief history of my pizza loving history. I'll post more and more as time goes on. Just a place to put my pizza trials (both at restaurants and in the kitchen).
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