The worst Pizza you ever ate!!

An entertaining thread...I had forgotten about the Chef-Boy-Ardee pizza mix with parmesan cheese in a little silver can.

Oh and here's the secret to eating Ci-Ci's pizza: Take 3 slices of pizza. Remove toppings from 2 of the slices. Place each blob of toppings on the 3rd piece. Now you have a normal amount of toppings.

quote:

Originally posted by tamandmik

http://www.roundtablepizza.com/RTP/HI/

Here it is. I remember it now. I was in Arcata California a few years ago when I took a bite of this crap. Actually, that is too elevated a description. I think it was the chicken roastadoro. No tomato flavor at all, the cheese was too stringy, and the toppings overwhelmed the pie. It might just be the way I like my pizza, with a more minimalistic approach, but the main ingridients, namely cheese and tomato, were lacking. I wonder if anyone else has heard of this chain.

Oh boy, did that ring a bell.....
I'm from the Philly area, and resided in San Fran for a bit.
At the time , I was in college and all the jobs on campus and around were booked, including waiting lists...so off I went to explore.

This was one of the places I applied at. Don't ask! I think I went and took an app, but never turned it in. Thank God.

Anyway, the worst pizza I ever had is anything that doesn't involve the real damn thing. Personally, if it isn't made by Italians, preferably ones who just came over from Italy and the like, I don't want it. Chains are gross, frozens are incredibly gross.
I'll agree with the comment about anything within a certain distance from the east coast isn't too good.
When I hear cheddar cheese is a normal cheese topping(like say for a regular pizza some places put mozz and cheddar). That is so damn wrong, on so many levels. The thought makes me ill
I was so disgusted, I actually saw a menu which included white pizza. On it they mentined their white pizza had mozz and white amer cheese. I almost barfed at such a sin

Having lived in Chicago for 28 years,I was a bit spoiled! We moved to Arkansas for 2 years and I tell you,every single place we ordered from was truly horrible! It all tasted like a piece of wet leather(not that I know what that taste like)! There was one place where you would buy one and get 2 free,it was so bad they were giving it away! I live in Wisconsin now,so I am really close to Chicago,I am happy now! On a side note,I also HATE Little Caesers,always have,and now I work at one! When people call up to order I always want to say "Please order from someplace good"!

quote:

Originally posted by saltypepper

Having lived in Chicago for 28 years,I was a bit spoiled! We moved to Arkansas for 2 years and I tell you,every single place we ordered from was truly horrible! It all tasted like a piece of wet leather(not that I know what that taste like)! There was one place where you would buy one and get 2 free,it was so bad they were giving it away! I live in Wisconsin now,so I am really close to Chicago,I am happy now! On a side note,I also HATE Little Caesers,always have,and now I work at one! When people call up to order I always want to say "Please order from someplace good"!

Why do you work there if you hate the place with a passion?

Why do you work there if you hate the place with a passion?

Well,it's better then nothing!

I think I was a young adult before I ate pizza that wasn't of Chef Boyardee origin. My first genuine pizza must have been when I traveled to NYC as an 18 year old on spring break. My older brother and wife picked me up at the Newark airport. On the way there they picked up a large pie from a Jersey mom and pop pizzeria. It was still warm when we reached the car.

My brother, always encouraging me to try new things, had ordered an anchovy pie. I was initially undone, but was liking it by the second slice. Maybe being a bit hungry helps one be more accepting of something different.

The worst pizza I ever had was in Grand Rapids, Michigan many years ago. They topped their pizza with tunafish salad! They also did not cut the pie into slices but rather into tiny little squares about the size of a cracker. They did top the hot tuna with green olives, which was delicious.

Irish corn pizza

Until fairly recently, every little Parisian boulangerie sold what they called pizza--a little round of puff pastry topped with what tasts like pure tomato paste, some grated gruyère, and a couple of anchovies. Perfectly fine raw ingredients I suppose, but the end result was pretty damn nasty. Especially if you ate it cold.

quote:

Originally posted by DanaJ

quote:

Originally posted by tamandmik

http://www.roundtablepizza.com/RTP/HI/

Here it is. I remember it now. I was in Arcata California a few years ago when I took a bite of this crap. Actually, that is too elevated a description. I think it was the chicken roastadoro. No tomato flavor at all, the cheese was too stringy, and the toppings overwhelmed the pie. It might just be the way I like my pizza, with a more minimalistic approach, but the main ingridients, namely cheese and tomato, were lacking. I wonder if anyone else has heard of this chain.

Oh boy, did that ring a bell.....
I'm from the Philly area, and resided in San Fran for a bit.
At the time , I was in college and all the jobs on campus and around were booked, including waiting lists...so off I went to explore.

This was one of the places I applied at. Don't ask! I think I went and took an app, but never turned it in. Thank God.

Anyway, the worst pizza I ever had is anything that doesn't involve the real damn thing. Personally, if it isn't made by Italians, preferably ones who just came over from Italy and the like, I don't want it. Chains are gross, frozens are incredibly gross.
I'll agree with the comment about anything within a certain distance from the east coast isn't too good.
When I hear cheddar cheese is a normal cheese topping(like say for a regular pizza some places put mozz and cheddar). That is so damn wrong, on so many levels. The thought makes me ill
I was so disgusted, I actually saw a menu which included white pizza. On it they mentined their white pizza had mozz and white amer cheese. I almost barfed at such a sin

I agree about the best pizzas being made by experienced Italians, having had the best ever pizzas from small independent shops in Italy during my backpacking days.

However, I might venture to observe that pizza can be seen as one of the most flexible foods around, lending itself to innovation and experimentation. It doesn't make an excuse for bad pizza but it does leave room for culinary imagination and genius. Therefore I argue that it's not what's on the pizza but:

a) the quality of the ingredients
b) the mixture of toppings

that make all the difference.

Having said that, your diatribe does make you sound like one of those snooty gourmets who wouldn't touch anything less than classical cooking in any cuisine. It's a wonder you'd eat any roadfood as there are so many geographical and regional variations, all good in their own way.

quote:

Originally posted by LizzieR

The worst pizza I ever had was in Grand Rapids, Michigan many years ago. They topped their pizza with tunafish salad! They also did not cut the pie into slices but rather into tiny little squares about the size of a cracker. They did top the hot tuna with green olives, which was delicious.

Well LizzieR, I live in Grand Rapids... Atleast you had some exciting crap pizza! Rest of the stuff here is just plain boring crap. There was a good place once upon a time, but the owners retired and now it's like the rest. There's also a local chain around here called Vitales.. They used to make pizza to die for, but today I wouldnt give them a nickle of my hard earned money... Especially their store in Ada!

Jellybeans, my opinion on pizza is one that doesn't cross over, so to speak.
I've had tons of wonderful food, from many different regions and preparations. However, with pizza, I'm firm on my belief. It's one of the very few foods I don't accept anything other than the best in forms of what I believe is superior.

quote:

Originally posted by DanaJ

Jellybeans, my opinion on pizza is one that doesn't cross over, so to speak.
I've had tons of wonderful food, from many different regions and preparations. However, with pizza, I'm firm on my belief. It's one of the very few foods I don't accept anything other than the best in forms of what I believe is superior.

May I recommend Peter Reinhart's American Pie. It's a fascinating read, with recipes for different types of dough that will make your present pizza baking even better.

quote:

Originally posted by Grampy

quote:

Originally posted by DanaJ

Jellybeans, my opinion on pizza is one that doesn't cross over, so to speak.
I've had tons of wonderful food, from many different regions and preparations. However, with pizza, I'm firm on my belief. It's one of the very few foods I don't accept anything other than the best in forms of what I believe is superior.

May I recommend Peter Reinhart's American Pie. It's a fascinating read, with recipes for different types of dough that will make your present pizza baking even better.

Sure, I'm always up for a good read. If I can find it, I'll check it out.
I don't make my own pizza, but sounds like an interesting read:)

quote:

Originally posted by DanaJ

quote:

Originally posted by Grampy

quote:

Originally posted by DanaJ

Jellybeans, my opinion on pizza is one that doesn't cross over, so to speak.
I've had tons of wonderful food, from many different regions and preparations. However, with pizza, I'm firm on my belief. It's one of the very few foods I don't accept anything other than the best in forms of what I believe is superior.

May I recommend Peter Reinhart's American Pie. It's a fascinating read, with recipes for different types of dough that will make your present pizza baking even better.

Sure, I'm always up for a good read. If I can find it, I'll check it out.
I don't make my own pizza, but sounds like an interesting read:)

It just came out last month, and it really is something of the quest for the Holy Grail.

Thanks for the info Grampy, sounds interesting nontheless.

You can always count on really terrible pizza at the slopeside restaurant of the Midwestern "ski" resort of your choice.

This is a tough one. There is so much bad pizza out there. I think I'll have to go with Papa John's (you know it's bad pizza when they include some kind of garlic laced chemical dipping sauce as a way to choke down the remaining two inches of plain crust when the slice is gone) with Sbarro deep dish being a close second. I'd take a frozen Tombstone over either one of those any day.

The Chef Boy-ar-dee comments remind me of a frined of mine who used to make those with cheddar cheese and the meatballs he fished out of a can of spaghetti-oh's as added toppings. I never tried one, but I'm guessing it was pretty bad.

Hey Mr. Hoffman, when you tried Massey's in Columbus what kind did you get? I had a couple pieces of a peperoni pie from there once and I didn't think it was too bad.

I've had some of the worst pizza in my life at various amusement parks over the years. Thankfully, the memory of which was the absolute worst has faded.

For national franchise pizza, I have to say that Pizza Hut is one I detest. Always greasy and nothing like the good pizza available from the local private shops. Unfortunately, we end up having to order it for my younger son and a few of his friends.

Lately, when we have several friends over and order pizza, we order Pizza Hut for the kids, then get a great pie from Pizzaria America (formerly known as John's Pizza - not to be confused with Poppa John's) on Long Pond Rd. My favorite is to get the basic cheese pizza, and add choped tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese. Our friends all love this pie.

quote:

Originally posted by berndog

My favorite is to get the basic cheese pizza, and add choped tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese. Our friends all love this pie.

Oh boy, does that sound incredibly good

Back in the early sixties -- when I had never had real pizza, my grade school made "pizza" by taking a hamburger bun, covering it with catsup and putting a slice of American cheese on it. It was very popular with the little kids. Of course, the alternative was generally the tuna noodle casserole.

quote:

Originally posted by DanaJ

quote:

Originally posted by berndog

My favorite is to get the basic cheese pizza, and add choped tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese. Our friends all love this pie.

Oh boy, does that sound incredibly good

Feta isn't Italian...

quote:

Originally posted by Jellybeans

quote:

Originally posted by DanaJ

quote:

Originally posted by berndog

My favorite is to get the basic cheese pizza, and add choped tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese. Our friends all love this pie.

Oh boy, does that sound incredibly good

Feta isn't Italian...

Never said it was *rolls eyes*

Do us all a favor and get off your ego trip already.

quote:

Originally posted by DanaJ

quote:

Originally posted by Jellybeans

quote:

Originally posted by DanaJ

quote:

Originally posted by berndog

My favorite is to get the basic cheese pizza, and add choped tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese. Our friends all love this pie.

Oh boy, does that sound incredibly good

Feta isn't Italian...

Never said it was *rolls eyes*

Do us all a favor and get off your ego trip already.

mmmmmm... non italian cheese on a pie made in america...
Guess Im bad cause I use Mozzarella made in Wisconson! ha ha...

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic

quote:

Originally posted by DanaJ

quote:

Originally posted by Jellybeans

quote:

Originally posted by DanaJ

quote:

Originally posted by berndog

My favorite is to get the basic cheese pizza, and add choped tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese. Our friends all love this pie.

Oh boy, does that sound incredibly good

Feta isn't Italian...

Never said it was *rolls eyes*

Do us all a favor and get off your ego trip already.

mmmmmm... non italian cheese on a pie made in america...
Guess Im bad cause I use Mozzarella made in Wisconson! ha ha...

Thanks for lightening things up and giving us a giggle, Uncle Vic

And DanaJ honey: I was just pointing out that feta isn't Italian because you had stipulated before that you wouldn't touch anything but the best and in your opinion, most authentic, i.e. made by someone Italian or has an Italian surname). As you said in an earlier post:

"Anyway, the worst pizza I ever had is anything that doesn't involve the real damn thing. Personally, if it isn't made by Italians, preferably ones who just came over from Italy and the like, I don't want it. Chains are gross, frozens are incredibly gross."

So I was surprised that you would countenance something like feta and spinach which is a crossover combination when you said that your "opinion on pizza is one that doesn't cross over, so to speak." Hence me remarking that feta isn't Italian. Based on your opinions on pizza thus far, it seems a logical conclusion: the surprise that you'd like something that didn't involve "the real damn thing" when strictly speaking, "the real damn thing" would be classic Italian topping combinations made by Italians or Italian American establishments.

So you don't have to be rude, DanaJ.

It has to be the first Domino’s Pizza I ever ate – rather ordered. I think I know how they applied the cheese. They took about a half a cup of shredded Mozzarella, tossed it high into the air, and whatever cheese landed on the pizza was all you got. I swear you could have counted each individual shred of cheese! I wouldn’t eat it.

That was back in 1985, and I didn’t order another Domino’s Pizza until just last month. It wasn’t bad, but then it wasn’t good, either.

Grotto Pizza, in Rehobeth Beach and Lewes and Dewey Beach and surrounding (in Deleware). It's one of those pizza places where the garlic powder and oregano shaker jars have more flavor than the pizza. And it's right on the Atlantic -- an exception to the west of the East Coast rule.

quote:

Originally posted by danimal15

You can always count on really terrible pizza at the slopeside restaurant of the Midwestern "ski" resort of your choice.

That is sooooooo true! However, such isn't restricted to one region but MOST U.S. ski slopes. I'm taking the family today through Wednesday skiing in West Virginia and will likely only reconfirm as much. Conversely, even the worst reheated french fries can taste like the nectar of the Gods after being on the slopes for four hours.

CHEF BOYARDEE PIZZA is really not all that bad. If you follow the directions and allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes, you get a very decent crust- MUCH better than ANY frozen pizza or pre-made crust like "Boboli". The sauce mix that comes with the box set is very nicely flavored- it is different from the CHEF BOYARDEE sauce sold separately in the can. Forget about "Appian Way" pizza box mix or "Jiffy" pizza crust mix- they are terrible. If you haven't given good, old CHEF BOY-AR-DEE a try in a while, I challenge you to give it another chance. If you like making pizza at home, it'll do when you don't have the time to allow for a proper crust rise. (I'm in California and can't find CHEF BOYARDEE in my local stores and have to order it over the internet)

Dearfolk,
Once when I was really, really drunk (I was a younger man then), someone pulled a prank on me. They pulled out the round cardboard thing in the bottom of the pizza box, spread tomato sauce on it, added some pepperoni for topping, baked it for a minute, cut it into slices, and mentioned to me that "Pizza's on."
I was halfway through the third slice when I realized