Pizza

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by rotten42

Little Caesars does not sell pizza. They may call it pizza..but it isn't.

For their traditional pizzas, no argument. But in spite of myself, I actually don't mind the pretzel crust and deep dish offerings, taking the price into account.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by me_dennis

has anyone tried Bensonhurst Pizza on 17th Ave? They have Chicago, New York, Californian, and Neopolitan style pizzas.

That sounds like a recipe for a whole lot of mediocre. They should pick a lane and excel in it.

[Arsenal14]

Originally Posted by me_dennis

has anyone tried Bensonhurst Pizza on 17th Ave? They have Chicago, New York, Californian, and Neopolitan style pizzas.

I've had the Chicago style. Heck, I think I was their first paying customer the day they opened. It's a very authentic Chicago style pizza, similar to what you'd get at Giordano's in Chicago, nothing like the garbage that most pizza places in Calgary sell as Chicago style. It was a tasty pie, not particularly cheap and obviously takes a long time but I'd recommend it if you're looking for that type of pizza.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by rotten42

Little Caesars does not sell pizza. They may call it pizza..but it isn't.

Their deep dishes are actually pretty decent. And the pretzel crust isn't bad either.

The $5 hot and ready pizzas are terrible though.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by Komskies

Sorry for the delay. Barely been home the last couple of days. Let me know if it isn't legible.

http://imgur.com/a/QWI2y#0

Just prepared this recipe tonight and will be making some pizzas on the weekend.

Now I just need a decent sauce recipe.

[browna]

Without going through the whole thread, some good deep dish (non Little Caesars) in the Southcentre-area? Take out or delivery.

Last time was Chicago Deep Dish. I know it's low end but not adverse to that, though it's been a while.

Also long long time ago had some from Romantika that I recall as good.

[SportsJunky]

Romantika used to be my favourite pizza in the city. When the original owners sold it things were never the same. It just tasted different after they left. Like they didn't share the secret ingredient or something.

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Just prepared this recipe tonight and will be making some pizzas on the weekend.

Now I just need a decent sauce recipe.

I always keep it simple with my sauce. Canned whole tomatoes (San Marzano if you can get them), drained, then just blend them up with some good olive oil, some chili flakes, a pinch of dried basil and oregano, and sea salt. I like my sauce uncooked as the heat of cooking the pizza cooks the sauce enough. Draining some liquid is important though otherwise the sauce is too watery.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by Komskies

I always keep it simple with my sauce. Canned whole tomatoes (San Marzano if you can get them), drained, then just blend them up with some good olive oil, some chili flakes, a pinch of dried basil and oregano, and sea salt. I like my sauce uncooked as the heat of cooking the pizza cooks the sauce enough. Draining some liquid is important though otherwise the sauce is too watery.

You don't mind the seeds or does the blending taking care of it?

[Kiran403]

Does anyone know thin crust places that deliver/takeout in the deep southwest (woodbine, cedarbrae,evergreen, somerset, shawnessy etc? I love any kind of pizza but my 3 yr old really likes thin crust and actually eats a large serving which is always great. The only thin crust I can find is Domino's.

[CMPunk]

Originally Posted by Kiran403

Does anyone know thin crust places that deliver/takeout in the deep southwest (woodbine, cedarbrae,evergreen, somerset, shawnessy etc? I love any kind of pizza but my 3 yr old really likes thin crust and actually eats a large serving which is always great. The only thin crust I can find is Domino's.

Toms House of Pizza?

[Russic]

I find Tom's House of Pizza to be a bit overpriced, but I do enjoy it. Possibly the most confusing menu I've ever seen though. There's one on the backside of somerset on James McKevitt.

[me_dennis]

I went to Bensonhurst Pizza this weekend for my birthday.

I went with a group of 8, so we were able to try out the different kinds of pizzas.

NY Style, we ordered the Bensonhurst Classic ($28 for a 18"). This my favorite of the evening. The pizza is huge at 18". Slices were cut nice and big like an authentic NY pizza. The crust was nice and thin, with a little chew. It was a little too crisp for my liking, as you cannot fold the pizza in half without it snapping, but very good otherwise. The pizza we chose had pepperoni, mozzarella, sausage, and some ricotta cheese, which added a nice touch. They also sprinkle on some oregano which gave it a nice flavor as well.

We also ordered the Old Chicago 13" pizza ($32). This pizza was HEAVY! It comes in a 3-in deep pan, bu the actual pizza was about 1.5 to 3-in thick. I've never had authentic Chicago deep dish pizza, so I can't comment on the authenticity, but this pizza was pretty good. This pizza is a bit different than the usual pizza, with the cheese on the bottom, toppings in the middle and sauce on top. The crust wasn't as light as I thought it would be. It actually tasted like Crazy Bread. All in all, a decent pizza, but a bit too heavy for my liking, so I likely would not order again, unless sharing in a big group.

We also ordered 2 Forno pizzas (~$20 for a 12"), which is more like a Californian style pizza. With so many Neopolitan style pizzerias in Calgary, I would rank Bensonhurst after Una and Without Papers, but better than Cibo and Double Zero. The dough was thin, but not crispy. It was more chewy than WOP and Una. I'd probably skip these the next time I dine at Bensonhurst.

They also have some Brooklyn hot sandwiches, pastas, appetizers, which we didn't try. The caprese salad was excellent though. Very refreshing, and the portion size was big enough to share between 4 people.

The ambiance of the restaurant was okay. The decor and look of the restaurant reminds me of New York, but the music and TV going on in the background made it seem more like a pub/sports bar rather than a restaurant. Not a huge deal though, as the food was pretty good in my opinion. The service was pretty good. The owner stopped by at the end because we were celebrating a birthday, and he made sure that we enjoyed our experience. We had a birthday cake and they were very accommodating as well. I didn't mind the mandatory 18% tip, and the waitress was nice enough to split the bill into 4 couples.

The drinks menu was pretty decent. They have quite a few beers on tap from Village Brewery, Fat tire, Peroni, among others. I tried the Village Brunette, which was a German Style Dunkel beer. It was excellent. There was also a special on Saturday nights, Schooners for $10 (equivalent of 2 pints) served in a fishbowl.

In conclusion, unless you are in a big group, I'd stick to the NY style pizzas. As for pricing, it was actually pretty decent. We dined in a group of 4 couples, and the bill came to less than $50 per couple, including food, drinks, tax and tip (mandatory 18% tip for groups of 8 or more). I'd say that's fairly decent for a night out in Calgary.

Overall rating: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Pricing: 8/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Service: 8/10

Photos:
Old Chicago - 13" Chicago deep dish pizza


Bensonhurst Classic - 18" NY style pizza

[Flabbibulin]

I'm pretty confident in saying that Boston Pizza is just about the worst pizza out there now. Pretty odd given that they are also one of the most expensive.

Finally got around to trying Double Zero. Fairly good, and I loved the decent selection of beers for $5/pint from 3-6.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

I'm pretty confident in saying that Boston Pizza is just about the worst pizza out there now. Pretty odd given that they are also one of the most expensive.

Finally got around to trying Double Zero. Fairly good, and I loved the decent selection of beers for $5/pint from 3-6.

I agree with you about BP's with one exception, the Spicy Perogy Pizza.......oh god yes yes yes.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

I'm pretty confident in saying that Boston Pizza is just about the worst pizza out there now. Pretty odd given that they are also one of the most expensive.

Boston Pizza is pretty much the worst food around. I just can't eat there. Last year we purchased those $10 food for kids donation cards which offered 5 free kids meals. It seemed like a pretty good deal but we only ended up going to BPs once to use the card because the food was so terrible. We got the hot dog roll things from the kids menu and they arrived barely warm and the crescent roll was raw dough inside. My burger appeared to be cardboard. They have really dropped off the cliff in terms of quality.

[calgarywinning]

Boston Pizza reminds me of Back to the Future II where the pizza is freeze dried and re-invigorated instantly in the oven.

All their food is pre-packaged/made and then re-invigorated upon purchase. A box of KD made fresh can taste better. It's unfortunate, because their brand wasn't built that way and it used to be so much better.

As far as pricing goes they have become the priciest for some of the worst in the market place. I can't imagine it will go well for that franchise.

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by calgarywinning

Boston Pizza reminds me of Back to the Future II where the pizza is freeze dried and re-invigorated instantly in the oven.

All their food is pre-packaged/made and then re-invigorated upon purchase. A box of KD made fresh can taste better. It's unfortunate, because their brand wasn't built that way and it used to be so much better.

As far as pricing goes they have become the priciest for some of the worst in the market place. I can't imagine it will go well for that franchise.

Their prices are absurd. We got 2 large pizzas and 3 pints of beer there on Saturday and it was over $75.

[Burke Salad]

Plus most of all the other items on Boston Pizza's menu, rely on the bland pizza toppings. If I have to go there, I just get the steak sandwich, it is 50/50 hit or miss.

[me_dennis]

For people who work in downtown, the Marcello's in Suncor Energy Centre has pretty decent pizzas. Regular price is $7.99 for a 9" pizza, but on Wednesdays it's $5.99. 7 different pizzas to choose from. Crispy, thin crust and good quality toppings.