NonnaT
Well-Known Member
Lol! HUGE difference between "cakelike" pizza in Chicago, and thin, almost "cracker" crust in NYC!!!
Soooo, which do you prefer?
(Personally, I'm from CT, home of Pepe's pizza, voted #1 pizza in USA -very thin crust!)
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The One thing wdw can not get right.
- Thread starter jwutony16
- Start date
Soooo, which do you prefer?
(Personally, I'm from CT, home of Pepe's pizza, voted #1 pizza in USA -very thin crust!)
disney4life2008
Well-Known Member
Chicago giordanos for the win. Nyc is ok but the use of goat cheese was nasty.
Imagineerwannabe
Active Member
I live in the uk and we have had a large number of American chains here for quite some time (dominos, Pizza Hut, papa johns etc.) and these are hugely popular albeit the style of pizza is probably very different to that found at most US locations of the same chain as it needs to suit British palettes.
We also have a large variety of Italian chain restaurants here which are very European and more genuine Italian influenced. Most Italian restaurants in the USA are very different to European style and dishes tend to be heavily cheese or cream sauce based, whereas In European cities the star of the dish would be the pasta itself rather than the sauces
One of our largest chain locations in the uk is called "pizza express" and makes authentic Italian style pizza, with a style and flavours of cheeses and of dough and crust very different to NY or Chicago style.
Via Napoli and its sister location In DTD at DL are the closest we have found to a pizza which matches that of the European style pizzas.
We also have a large variety of Italian chain restaurants here which are very European and more genuine Italian influenced. Most Italian restaurants in the USA are very different to European style and dishes tend to be heavily cheese or cream sauce based, whereas In European cities the star of the dish would be the pasta itself rather than the sauces
One of our largest chain locations in the uk is called "pizza express" and makes authentic Italian style pizza, with a style and flavours of cheeses and of dough and crust very different to NY or Chicago style.
Via Napoli and its sister location In DTD at DL are the closest we have found to a pizza which matches that of the European style pizzas.
surfsupdon
Well-Known Member
Disney flatbreads at the Deluxe Resorts are great (and at Pinocchio Haus) but pizza at the Values and food courts are the absolute worst.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
As in the case with many foods, simple is harder. PIzza dough, made from scratch, is very simple, Flour, water, yeast and a bit of salt and olive oil. Use a different flour, different water, or different strain of yeast and it comes out very differently. Same goes for how you mix it, how much you knead it (how much long chain gluten develops), how long you let it rest, the temp and humidity of the kitchen, how you toss it, what sort of fuel you fire your ovens with (natural gas creates water vapor when it burns - coal and wood do not) and a whole bunch of ofher things.
Disney has to crank out thousands of pies, with a rotating kitchen staff, that may have different skill sets - hence mass produced frozen product - it may not be great, but it is consistent.
Via Napoli makes pies from scratch, with specific flour and specific water chemistry (much the same as a brewery does), plus they have supposed "trained pizza makers" whatever that means.
Me, I like Via Napoli. Much like pasta should not be drowning in sauce, neither should pizza dough be drowing in toppings. The dough is part of the pizza, not a vehicle to transfer the toppings to your face, just like pasta is part of the dish. (Of course that is my opinino). I am from just outside of NYC, and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a NYC style pizze place around here. I happen to prefer wood fired pizza (or coal fired ovens - those places are a little harder to find - I have two wood fired pizza places within 3 miles of my house, although one is a little too "trendy" for my tastes) so maybe that is why I like Via Napoli, with it's slightly charred crust (with a high gluten content)
-dave
Disney has to crank out thousands of pies, with a rotating kitchen staff, that may have different skill sets - hence mass produced frozen product - it may not be great, but it is consistent.
Via Napoli makes pies from scratch, with specific flour and specific water chemistry (much the same as a brewery does), plus they have supposed "trained pizza makers" whatever that means.
Me, I like Via Napoli. Much like pasta should not be drowning in sauce, neither should pizza dough be drowing in toppings. The dough is part of the pizza, not a vehicle to transfer the toppings to your face, just like pasta is part of the dish. (Of course that is my opinino). I am from just outside of NYC, and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a NYC style pizze place around here. I happen to prefer wood fired pizza (or coal fired ovens - those places are a little harder to find - I have two wood fired pizza places within 3 miles of my house, although one is a little too "trendy" for my tastes) so maybe that is why I like Via Napoli, with it's slightly charred crust (with a high gluten content)
-dave
JennSmith
Well-Known Member
Yesssssah! I am also from Chicago...I hate when people call our pizza cake or even worse lasagna. I do agree with @networkpro though...it really depends on where you're from and what you are used to/what your preferences are. My "cake and lasagna" is never going to please some one who is used to and prefers thin crust, vice versa and so on and so on
EvilQueen-T
Well-Known Member
The only pizza I've had on property that I thought was better than average was at Trattoria al Forno. We shared one as an appetizer that had three cheeses and truffle cream. Super yummy. Otherwise, I like Via Napoli ok but nothing spectacular but I don't like what I've had at the food courts at all.
So many people have so many differing opinions about what makes a decent pizza, it almost seems like a "no win" for a place like WDW to offer it. Perhaps they should just take pizza off most menus, or perhaps they should outsource it to a chain (like with Starbucks). At least with outsourcing to a chain, many people might not care for the particular chain, but people would better know what to expect.
Mr Anderson
Well-Known Member
Two years ago I'd have agreed with you. We really enjoyed the Caprese Flatbread from Contempo Cafe, and frequently grabbed one on the way to our room at the end of a long day/night. We tried one on our trip in December, and didn't want a second one. The quality wasn't close to the same. I don't know if they changed ingredients, or the kitchen was having an off night. It was soggy, the flavors didn't work individually or together. It was just bad.
P_Radden
Well-Known Member
Giordano's is our favorite WDW area pizza! We absolutely have to order one every trip!
Disnee4Me
Well-Known Member
Then you must love Pepe's ... although my boss who lives in New Haven prefers Modern and Sally's. The best pizza I ever had was John's of Bleaker Street in Greenwich Village. And I found the pizza in Italy to be good, but tasted different at every single place I tried. We liked Via Napoli (just there in December), but I wouldn't say it was any more exceptional than some other places here in CT or NY.
righttrack
Well-Known Member
Good point, though Florida is not known for it's pizza. I live in the pizza capital of North America, the area between Northern NJ and New Haven CT. Pizza looks like this here:
Chicago pizza is like a cross between a lasagna and a bundt cake
JennSmith
Well-Known Member
False.Chicago pizza is like a cross between a lasagna and a bundt cake
jaklgreen
Well-Known Member
We had a new pizza restaurant open where I live and I decided to try it out. It had this faint taste of motor oil. Turns out it was a coal oven pizza. It was kind of gross. I don't think you should cook with coal. I could definitely taste that off petroleum taste.
While I don't agree on Via or trendy pizza, this is an excellent write up on the subject
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
Thanks !
Do you like or not like trendy pizza? In regards to the place by me, it's the overall vibe of the place, not just the food. Don't me wrong, sometimes I want a "new" kind of dish, but somtimes I want the old standby. I looked at their menu and it seems that they have added a margarita, and some other more traditional pies (and other dishes). Perhaps they are listening to customer feedback. It may warrant a second visit (I do like the Bader Sting pie). http://woodstacknj.com/
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