The most overrated pizza?

Foodbme,

Once a place gets national attention through celebrity sitings like Pizzeria Bianco has the reputation feeds on itself, and usually the feeding is done by people who have not a clue as to what they are talking about. If someone says it is the best then someone is going to read that and use it in a quote somewhere else and it feeds on itself.

How about an overrated style of pizza?

Chicago deep dish.   I don't even really consider it pizza, rather, a frankenstein monster of various casseroles.

WarToad


How about an overrated style of pizza?

Chicago deep dish.   I don't even really consider it pizza, rather, a frankenstein monster of various casseroles.

If you are going to start that argument, I defy you to define exactly what pizza is and what it is not, to the complete agreement of everyone who reads this forum.
 
Take a gander at just this brief history lesson and then tell us what pizza is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pizza

collinf


Take a gander at just this brief history lesson and then tell us what pizza is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pizza

The interesting thing about that is the fact that anyone who wishes can change the "history lesson" to suit his or her wishes.

Michael Hoffman

collinf


Take a gander at just this brief history lesson and then tell us what pizza is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pizza

The interesting thing about that is the fact that anyone who wishes can change the "history lesson" to suit his or her wishes.

And to think I thought pizza was invented in Gary, Indiana......

CajunKing

Michael Hoffman

collinf


Take a gander at just this brief history lesson and then tell us what pizza is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pizza

The interesting thing about that is the fact that anyone who wishes can change the "history lesson" to suit his or her wishes.

And to think I thought pizza was invented in Gary, Indiana......

Right. I was thinking about fixing that history.

Living in Dallas, I'd kill to eat in ANY of the above mentioned NYC area pizza joints.

I guess one could argue that any pizza reviewed on this site is overrated, since there's always someone who had a bad experience at said pizzeria.  And I don't deem this as a necessarily bad experience, but our first visit to Salerno's in Old Forge, PA to have Old Forge-style pizza had us both scratching our heads.  It's definitely a RF place, and, as Bruce Bilmes often reminds me, sometimes RF is more about the place than the food...but the pizza was just okay.  Maybe it was a bad day, maybe we shouldn't've gone to Salerno's for our first taste of Old Forge pizza, maybe it's an acquired taste...but it was certainly not my favorite.

As for Sally's in New Haven, here's a tip for those who brave the long lines, the sometimes rude service, and the interminable wait: walk down to Libby's Italian Pastries first for a cannoli, then stand in line with friends.  For those who would rather cut to the chase: call in a take-out order!    Chris

Here in the Chicago area, I consider both Connie's and Aurelio's to be very overated. In Cincinnati, that "honor" goes to the LaRosa's chain. And I have NEVER had an edible pizza anywhere in California. BTW, I love the original Uno's and Due's; the franchised Uno's are wretched. They only use the name, not the recipe.  

Has Connie's changed over the years?  When I lived in the suburbs from '85-90 it was one of my favorites.

Brad

Hands down the most overrated Pizza in America Is Mystic Pizza!!! I stopped in a few years ago thankfully while just passing through and it was so bad my wife and I actually threw our half eaten slices away and went elsewhere for lunch!! I know it was hyped because of the movie but the place was packed and I was expecting an at least above average pizza.......not!! Ive had frozen pizza 10 times better  it was just awful!!

dannybotz


Hands down the most overrated Pizza in America Is Mystic Pizza!!! I stopped in a few years ago thankfully while just passing through and it was so bad my wife and I actually threw our half eaten slices away and went elsewhere for lunch!! I know it was hyped because of the movie but the place was packed and I was expecting an at least above average pizza.......not!! Ive had frozen pizza 10 times better  it was just awful!!

I still haven't made it to Mystic Pizza, but I have had their frozen variety.  I think their frozen pizza is better than some pizza joints.

Brad, it's not that Connie's has changed, nor do I think that it's inferior pizza. Actually, it's quite decent. I just don't think that it lives up to it's reputation. Same goes for Aurelio's. Both places have good pizza, but, IMO, not as good as their reps would have you believe. To me, there's much better thin-crust pizza to be had in the south / southwest suburbs. My three choices in the area would be Fox's in Orland Park, Simply Slices in Crestwood, and Waldo Cooney's here in Lansing.

Different tastes for different reasons. Here is a news article about Grimaldi's in Houston. Very interesting in how people perceive how a pizza should be.

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2009/02/all_grimaldis_pizzas_are_not_c.php

===As for Sally's in New Haven, here's a tip for those who brave the long lines,..  ... walk down to Libby's Italian Pastries first for a cannoli, then stand in line with friends.  For those who would rather cut to the chase: call in a take-out order!===

It isn't that Sally's is over rated, it's just that You will be just as happy at Modern. That is where you will find the locals...  However,  if I am at  Wooster St. place, I usually save room for a lemon ice at Libby's.

mark

Doggydaddy - Thanks for this article.  Very interesting.

So, is your favorite of the "Big 3" Modern?  You did not mention Pepe's 

Baah Ben


Doggydaddy - Thanks for this article.  Very interesting.

So, is your favorite of the "Big 3" Modern?  You did not mention Pepe's 

I like Modern as I feel that it was one of my first attempts at culinary investigation, based on asking the locals. It rates as number one in the weekly paper's 'Best of' poll.  These polls are based on what readers suggest and vote on. Modern and Pepe's are # one and two respectively. Then it is The Spot or Bru/Bar. Oddly Sally's doesn't place in the top three.
That is how I place them, and I do not differentiate between The Spot and Pepe's, both are joined at the hip. The best thing about Modern and those two is that there is parking for the customers, as opposed to trying to find a space on the street.

My brothers and I grew up on east coast pizza. I have taken one brother to all of these places, including the Fairfield Pepe's. He is of the same opinion that Modern is the tops. The bonus is that they also have Foxon Park birch beer and other flavors. This is important.
For those that care, Modern may be the only place where you can also get a seriously good grinder.

mark

dannybotz


Hands down the most overrated Pizza in America Is Mystic Pizza!!!

I agree.

nocarolina-is perhaps the frozen Connies pizza I can get at the grocery from the restaurant( Like Home Run In pizza)?

doggydaddy

Baah Ben


Doggydaddy - Thanks for this article.  Very interesting.

So, is your favorite of the "Big 3" Modern?  You did not mention Pepe's 

I like Modern as I feel that it was one of my first attempts at culinary investigation, based on asking the locals. It rates as number one in the weekly paper's 'Best of' poll.  These polls are based on what readers suggest and vote on. Modern and Pepe's are # one and two respectively. Then it is The Spot or Bru/Bar. Oddly Sally's doesn't place in the top three.
That is how I place them, and I do not differentiate between The Spot and Pepe's, both are joined at the hip. The best thing about Modern and those two is that there is parking for the customers, as opposed to trying to find a space on the street.

My brothers and I grew up on east coast pizza. I have taken one brother to all of these places, including the Fairfield Pepe's. He is of the same opinion that Modern is the tops. The bonus is that they also have Foxon Park birch beer and other flavors. This is important.
For those that care, Modern may be the only place where you can also get a seriously good grinder.

mark

We used to go to The Spot often -- and it was not owned then by Pepe's. As much as I liked Pepe's and Sally's, I preferred The Spot. One of the neat things about the place was the fact that the tables and chairs (there were no booths) didn't match, and there was never a table that didn't need a coaster or a match book under at least one leg to keep it from wobbling.

Two of the most overrated pizza are Lou Malnati's in Chicago and Matchbox Pizza in DC.

Lou Malnati's was soooo plain jane when I ate it.  Nothing special about it.  I should have went to Uno's/Due...which is wayyy better than Lou's in my opinion.

Matchbox in DC...I wanted to and everyone else in the DC area loves them...I don't get it.
Ledo's in DC area is overrated too.  Sometimes the sweet sauce starts to get on my nerves and makes me wanna

I have come to think that Upper Crust, a Boston area thin crust chain, is overrated and overpriced.  For what you pay (15 or 16 bucks for a large Margherita), it oughta be great, but Upper Crust is frequently soggy or overdone.  Maybe they overexpanded, but we have just stopped going at all.  Back to the neighborhood Greek pizza joints for us out here in the 'burbs.