Archive for the ‘pizza’ Category

Quickbyte: Be it Pi or Meister’s Bar, this Pizza is Pleasing

Posted by CMH Gourmand on January 30, 2013

Pizza has been on my mind for a couple of decades now but deeply calling to my senses for the last year. I have thought long on this. My favorite pizza is……Adriaticos. I can say there may be others that are the result of better ingredients, finer craftmanship or better pedigree, but Adriatico’s is the pizza that I crave. Pizza is the penultimate comfort food and to me that means that factoring out all other elements – a serving will deliver unto you….peace of mind and satisfy your desire without compromise.

There are several other pizzas I place highly as well: Bono, Rossi, Harvest, Hounddogs…..but the pie pictured above has been tempting me to name it as my alternate favorite comfort food pizza. The place, is under the radar. It might even be off the grid. Buried in the back of a bar, that is tucked into a corner of town that does not really have an identity there is a small kitchen the size of tool shed that crafts pizza that is unlike any other in Columbus.

Some may refer to the pizza as Chicago Style…. In the spirit of Windy City Pie – I say Aye. To the letter of the definition and practice of the style I would say….closer to nay. We could debate this to the end of time but I would choose not to because it would limit my time to eat this pizza.

I have been stalking this place for almost year and have yet to experience anything that would lead me to find fault with this creation. It is both simple and complex at the same time. It pleases the eye and the palette. The aroma is alluring. Options include pizza, deep dish pizza, cheese breads and subs. Simple menu, complex flavors. I have sampled the deep dish most often. The addictive qualities it triggers in me should be monitored by food scientists and people more learned than I. If there is a pizza Rehab I won’t go, go, go.

The deep dish approach works in reverse order to the typical laying of pizza. Bread – followed by cheese, then toppings, then sauce. Lots of sauce – usually a half-inch or so. This sweet and spicy tomato mash is infused with strong dumpings, not dashes, of herbs and spices. The crust end, or butt, or ring, whatever you might call it is crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and about three inches high. The crust at the base is shy of an inch. I struggle to complete three slices. I said…I STRUGGLE TO COMPLETE THREE SLICES. Has anyone ever seen me fail to consume pizza with reckless abandon? Never. This is not such a bad thing, because the great hidden quality of this pie is that it ages well. Three hours from serving, it is even better. The next day, even better than that. The cheese and sauce solidify and the crust holds it’s own against the metamorphosis. Any good pie, in my eyes, should be good the next day. This pizza is better. That is a rare.

If I was to engage in optimal strategy I would order two pizzas and a small side of extra sauce. I would choose one pizza for instant gratification. I would eat a slice or two at Meister’s Bar while it cooled. Then I would drive them home, to eat a slice or two more in the comfort and safety of my home. I might share some with my trusted inner circle or like Gollum, I might guard my precious pie, watching for someone who might……. (sorry, a bit of a decompensation there). I would dip some of the crust rings in the extra sauce until I passed out. The next morning, I would consume what was left with renewed vigor.

The advantage of day two is that the pizza had congealed so that is can be eaten by the slice by hand instead of having to cut it with fork and knife while it is still hot. Gratification is instant instead of delayed by civilized use of dining utensils.

Where can you find my this ~~precious~~….pizza pie? It is located at a place that some call Pi, in the back of Meister’s Bar. The bar is a suitable place for dining, if it comes to that. The beer selection is good and the patrons are quite accustomed to people staring longingly at their pizzas.

Pi
Meister’s Bar
1168 Chambers Rd
(Near Kenny Road, Near the 5XNW, Near Bono Pizza, Near Sparano’s Pizza, Near perfect)
614.427.3141

Posted in bar, pizza | 2 Comments »

Points for Pies & Pints

Posted by CMH Gourmand on November 29, 2012

There is no shortage of pizza joints here in the capital city. Long ago, I read a report which indicated there were more pizza restaurants per capita in Columbus than any city in the nation. Go Figure. I have never heard anyone in Columbus say “Dude, we have way too many great pizza places.”

We also have a fair number of places that pair pizza pies with beer – Mellow Mushroom, Yellow Brick Pizza and Dewey’s are three places that come to mind in less than .05 seconds. I have never heard anyone say “Dude, we have way too many great places that serve beer and pizza.” Our craft beer culture is growing in Columbus and true beer nerds will tell you that we only have a select number of places that really do well in their scrutiny of beer selection. Places that come in mind in over 5 seconds are……Bodega.

So considering the above, when word started to circulate that Columbus was getting a place called Pies and Pints the initial thought of most was……”meh”. I thought otherwise. As a person that tracks food service trends the way other track stocks or OSU Football stats, I have been watching Pies and Pints for several years. Another critical factor was that one Michael Beaumont, a well-known stalwart of the Columbus Food Hipster scene as well as the producer of Foodcast has frequently mentioned Pies and Pints as a highlight of his trips to Charleston, West Virginia.

I was not the only one watching Pies and Pints, Rob Lindeman a former CEO of Max & Erma’s had his roving eyes on the business as well and put a team together to buy and expand the brand. And where do people test market and launch a new chain…….Columbus, of course. As goes Columbus, so go the nation. Pies and Pints opened in 2003. There are two locations in West Virginia (Fayetteville and Charleston). Founders David Bailey and Kimberly Shingledecker are still part of the ownership group and continue to operate the Fayetteville location.

Pies and Pints received a lot of local press in the last two months and rightly so. The company has done a good job of promoting the opening of their third location which is the first in Ohio and part of a multiple unit expansion for Columbus and the region. The Columbus Pies and Pints opened at Worthington Place (known by us old timers as Worthington Square Mall) in early November. The restaurant is an important anchor for a mall that is trying to relaunch and regain its glory days of the 1980s when it was a thriving retail destination. Pies and Pints will definitely draw more people to the area.

I was invited to a sneak peek a few weeks ago and I had an opportunity to sample several of the signature dishes of the restaurant. So let’s begin with the pies. They are good. They are good enough to get the attention of the Food Network. If you feel the Food Network ignores the capital city, then think about the chances of little ol’ Charleston grabbing the attention of a coastally focused trend starting network (this is my blog and I can make up words if I choose). The main accolade attracting pizza is the Grape Pie (featuring red grapes, gorgonzola cheese and fresh rosemary). Grapes? Yes, while this caused hesitation with anyone I mentioned this too, the flavors work together. More mentally accessible is the Cuban Pork Pie (known to a few as the Swint Slayer): Marinated pulled pork, caramelized onions, pineapple, jalapenos, feta, cilantro and crème fraiche. I think the description is enough to establish that the pizza is worth trying.

Meandering back to the start of this culinary exposition, another new pizza place, even one of the seemingly rare, better than average purveyors, really is not much to get really excited about. So let us now segue to the second part of the restaurant name and a true reason to get excited…..Pints.

Pictured below (poorly but proudly) is Pies and Pints secret weapon.

The man above is Mr. Ryan Heasting also known as the Pies and Pints Beer Czar. He also sports a fancy title: Certified Cicerone. What is a Cicerone? It is a trained beer guide. Ryan takes his beer seriously. He is shuttling between the three Pies and Pints locations training staff, selecting beers and setting the bar very high for the bar and the staff behind it. Every server is required to take Cicerone training and must attend a monthly tasting and training session. The initial beer selections were impressive even though Ryan is just getting started. According to the Dining Duder – “this beer list is really good”. The Dining duder is not one to show great emotion but irrational exuberance was displayed while the beers were discussed with Ryan elaborating on how he was going the grow the beer menu at Pies and Pints, why it was important to do so and how he was going to do it. We liked Ryan, we think he is cool. The beer list will continue change and for those that are interested in exploring the world of beer, especially regional craft brews, this is the place to go. (Note to Ryan: You were supposed to e-mail me about connecting you with some Southern Ohio Brewers).

The Final Verdict: Pizza Good. Beer Selection, very good, soon to be great. Much, much better than “meh”. The tag line for the restaurant is “Get Some”. I would say….get some. Welcome to Columbus Pies and Pints.

Pies & Pints
7227 North High Street
Worthington
614.885.7437

Posted in beer, pizza | Tagged: Pies & Pints, Pies and Pints | 4 Comments »

Clintonville Pizza Challenge: Dantes vs. Clintonville Pizza Primo, Another Failed Plate

Posted by CMH Gourmand on April 15, 2012

(Above, the winners of the fourth round of the Clintonville Pizza Challenge: a bag of Kettle Chips and homemade cookies).

When this series began, I was going to have a graphic designer pal put together a bracket to plot the rise and fall of the pizza candidates in the challenge. Unfortunately, we have only seen a rise of fail. Dantes and Pizza Primo both missed the mark. By a long shot. Neither are advancing to the next round.

Here is what transpired. Don’t try this at home.

Quotes from the evening:

“Mediocrity reigns”

“This is the last round…..right?!?

We tried a plain cheese pizza from both location as well as a sausage, mushroom and pepperoni from both shops. Their was a glimmer of excitement for Dantes since their sausage is billed as housemade. We had hope – we lost it. One of the Primo pizzas ordered was a thick crust variety – that did not help.

Are these bad pizzas. No. Are they good? The ones we had given new meaning to the word meh.

In the case of Pizza Primo – across the board the consensus was that it tasted like frozen or off the shelf pizza. The sauce lacked any aspect of flavor. It was red and wet but that was it. Overall: bland, unmemorable, disposable and generic were the adjectives used. We had a lot of this one left when the evening concluded.

For Dantes, I had a glimmer of hope. I believe Dantes was my first encounter with pizza, I would have been five or six. As I stood waiting to pick up our order, I had a lot of time to watch the place in operation. It is a family joint – family run and patronized. The dough slingers know the customers by first name, what school they went to and probably which T-ball team their cousin was on last year. While I was there an employee and a customer spent fifteen minutes catching up on family matters while pizzas were prepped. Another customer shared that he has just had to put his dog down. The order counter is right by the pizza assembly area so you watch each pie made. I read a letter on the wall praising the Dantes sausage and I was hoping their sausage would deliver a hit for the nerd night Clintonville Pizza Challenge crowd. Dantes has character for sure and a good connection to community. I was hoping some of that love would rise and thrive in the pizza dough too.

Dantes fared better but was still underwhelming. The sausage, while homemade, tasted like it might have been made at home….long ago. The grease smears permeating the thin plain white box is a signature characteristic but the good aspects of the grease went the wrong direction. In the case of both cheese Pizza Primo and especially Dantes pizzas – the plain pies are at a disadvantage because they don’t allow any other ingredients to hide the imperfections of the products. For both pizza purveyors a better sauce could have helped either cross the line of average but the whole was less than equals to the sums of the parts – passable but not worthy of the next round.

We now find ourselves with four rounds complete and several disappointments. Before the gang stages a coup and kicks me off the pizza island, we are going to double down and put all the remaining pizzas on the table. On Monday, April 16th we are going to complete round one of the series with one each of Northstar Cafe, Whole World, Gatto’s and Romeos and hope that at least one is a cut above the rest and at least more than edible.

Stay tuned for the outcome. I doubt there will a final four out of this series. But we are hoping for a final two to pair off against Adriaticos as the official pizza of nerd night.

Posted in Clintonville, culinary misadventure, pizza | Tagged: Clintonville Pizza Challenge | 3 Comments »

Clintonville Pizza Challenge: Hounddogs vs. Villa Nova, The Path of Redemption

Posted by CMH Gourmand on April 9, 2012

Redemption. Hallelujah!

If your read the last installment of the Monday Nerd Night Clintonville Pizza Challenge you may recall that things were looking dire for the series. Both contenders lost and the nerds were demoralized.

I was confident that Hound Dogs would deliver and I was pretty sure Villa Nova would provide a passable pie. I knew the series was sustainable when our pessimistic pizza contrarian had this to say about Hound Dogs, “This one is going to go far.” “This is damn good.”

The contest pitted a Hound Dogs Smoking Joe’s style (spicy sauce, garlic laden crust) with pepperoni, sausage and mushrooms as well as a traditional Hound Dogs pizza with an extra layer of cheese vs. two Villa Nova pizzas with the same toppings.

It was also a contest of cultures and mindsets. It was North vs. South. Hound Dogs lies in the badlands near Baja Clintonville in Olde North Columbus. Villa Nova is a community standby located in the nether regions between Worthington and Clintonville. Hound Dogs fuels the food needs of Hipsters. Villa Nova feeds the working class families and geriatric set of those north of Graceland. Young vs. old. New vs. traditional.

I knew Hound Dogs would win. But I also knew Villa Nova would at least offer some resistance. Villa Nova makes money by giving people their expectations – basic food, good service and price points that are right on target for the budget minded. Villa Nova keeps their parking lot packed seven days a week and has done so well that they bought the Just Pies building next door, knocked it down to build a second lot and filled it on the first day.

At Hound Dogs, the motto is pizza for the people. Most visitors have a shared experience at Hound Dogs. Good pizza, often apathetic or distracted service. The tattoo laden, band on the side culture of the staff at Hounddogs is a stark contrast to the family of servers at Villa Nova. More than four miles separate these two approaches to pizza.

As a group, we also debated the value of the pizzas. Villa Nova was $28.50 for two 15 inch pies. Hounddogs was $25.00 for two 14 inch pies. If we measured value by mass then Hound Dogs won the value category.

(Above: The blind eyes of pizza justice in action)

Another debate centered on canned mushrooms. Love them or repelled by them, these rubbery, chewy canned fungi strike a nostalgic cord with those of us raised on Ohio pizza. We “know” it’s wrong but we don’t want to do right.

The final debate was on crust density and ratios. This was inspired by the two cheese pizzas. Each was double cheese, causing a mass of cheese pressing down on crust. Some liked a crust to cheese ratio of 1:1; while others advocated for the Hound Dogs 5:1 ratio.

Reviewing comments of the testers, there was one clear winner – Smoking Joes. If it was regular Hounddogs vs. Villa Nova, it could have been close but the spicy and garlic infused flavors of Smoking Joes is quickly addictive.

Hound Dogs advances to the next round and is currently looking like it may be the winner. Villa Nova received respect and honorable mention for a good cracker crust and spicy sausage.

Tonight is round four of the challenge. Dante’s vs. Clintonville Pizza. Stay tuned.

Posted in Clintonville, pizza | Tagged: Clintonville Pizza, Clintonville Pizza Challenge, Nerd Night Clintonville Pizza Challenge | Leave a Comment »

Clintonville Pizza Challenge: Sadness on Sinclair; Pizza House, Pizza Mart and the Agony of Defeat

Posted by CMH Gourmand on March 27, 2012

The Outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Nerdville nine on that Monday:
The score stood zero vs. zero, with Pizza House and Pizza Mart DOA.
And then when CMH Gourmand died in his heart, and his brain did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the nerds for the Clintonville Pizza Challenge game.

The straggling two found the site in deep despair. The first nerds to arrive, wondered – why is there no pizza to share how do we know which one will be best?
They Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, what is the deal, where is Tom at
We’d put up even money, now, hoping the pizza won’t taste like dead cat.

But Rachel preceded Donna, as Andy fought back the snark,
But the situation was dire and the outcome looked dark
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For now there seemed but little chance of CMH Gourmand not having a heart attack.

But they sat in learned helplessness, unsure of what to do
Where was the Pizza? Why can’t all shops deliver, Boo, hoo, hoo
And the sauce contrarian, the much traumatized, tore the fallacies of false hope all aside;
And when the dust had lifted, and the Nerds saw what had occurred,
Both pizzas, when obtained, were abysmal, and missed the mark of mediocrity by a very long stride.

Then from one somber throat, that held back on an inappropriate remark;
I’m sorry this happened, I’ll pay for it all;
And the Gourmand, as his sat and stewed and try to understand this lark
For this concept should be so simple, no one has to take the fall.

There was confusion in the Gourmand’s manner as he stepped into his place;
There was an annoyance in Gourmand’s bearing and a blankness on his face.
And when, responding to the jeers, he lightly dialed a cell phone,
I don’t know why these both suck, but I’ll get more even if I must dine alone.

Eighteen eyes were on him as he looked at the boxes in dismay;
Nine tongues tried to explain what happened this day
The plan was unclear, they did not think to check
That the guy they thought was picking up the pizzas, knew the sequence of steps

<stopped this poetry redux continuation many stanzas short because I like my readers and don't want them to suffer more).

Oh, somewhere in this favored Ville the sun is shining bright;
The pizza is good somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere nerds are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Clintonville – both pizzas struck out.

Nothing in my life prepared me for the debacle and disappointment of the second installment of the Clintonville Pizza Challenge. In fact, my mind still reels from the event. Having run six Pizza Grand Prix‘s, other events and such, the concept of just having two pizza places compete and both tanking is outside my realm of comprehension.

Prior planning prevents piss poor pizza. And planning failed on this one. Due to a series of missteps, pizzas were ordered from Pizza House and Pizza Mart. But, no one picked them up (because this part of the plan had not been finalized and confirmed)…so they sat. When the miscue was diagnosed and the pizzas were picked up – what appears to be mediocre pizzas on both sides, lost any real hope of competition due to a lack of heat. The whole debacle was no one’s fault but it did show that the approach needed to be retooled.

I arrived late to find a lot of pizza left. None of it looked appealing. Initial reports indicated that both pizzas lost this round. I am one of those people who is perfectly happy to try a pizza pie that is lukewarm or cold, often I find that this helps me taste the individual flavors better. Trying both, I was soundly underwhelmed. Pizza Mart, I had never tried, so I had no baseline. But Pizza House, one of the standards of my youth….was not the pizza of my teenage years or even what I had back in 2011.

The consensus of the group was that both lost and neither could advance to the next bracket. The remaining pizzas, largely untouched were cold veggie pizzas – never my favorite when warm. The Pizza Mart pizza was over cooked….maybe they held it in the oven waiting for it to be picked up. There was not a good sample of Pizza House for me to try.

Looking at the semi-hungry people and wanting some redemption for at least Pizza House, I called in another order for a medium pepperoni and Sausage, a medium pesto and an Open-Faced Meatball sub and picked these up. The second round of Pizza House got a better response but still a resounding…..meh.

I don’t think these pizzas were sampled in their ideal state and the jury is so tainted by both, there is no way for these to get any consideration for the pizza challenge bracket. So at this point – I have to give up on both, call it a mis-fire and write these two off. If readers want to chime in on Pizza House and Pizza Mart please do so.

To sum up. FAIL.

The orange slices won

Some random thoughts on Pizza culture via two questions for the people following this series.

1) Thoughts on pizza delivery? Essential or a luxury?

2) Does pizza always have to be warm to be good? (People freak out when eating pizza that is not fresh out of the oven. In my experience (with the exception of Bono, Harvest Pizzeria and The Rossi) – most pizza is fine 15, 30 minutes or even an hour status post pick up.

Anyway – sorry for the whiff. Next week it is North vs. South: Hounddogs Pizza vs. Villa Nova. Stay tuned for a much better post and report on that war of the noses.

Posted in Clintonville, pizza | Tagged: Cville Pizza Challenge | 5 Comments »

Clintonville Pizza Challenge: The Battle of Graceland – Z Pizza vs. Belleria

Posted by CMH Gourmand on March 20, 2012

The first pizza pair off occurred this past Nerd Night Monday at an undisclosed location in Clintonville. The Battle of Graceland pitted Z Pizza vs. Belleria Pizza.

An additional disclaimer for this series. There was a brief attempt at rational and objective judging criteria using the Kansas City BBQ Society judging guidelines as a basis for the taste off. This was a clear failure within ten seconds of suggesting this sane method of evaluation.

As my gal pal Andrea would say “what evs”.

More back story. Belleria has sixteen locations in Northeast Ohio and two franchises in Columbus – thus the prime directive of no chains is compromised. Belleria started in Youngstown in the 1950’s. Why did this place make the cut? They are still unique to Columbus and Clintonville. They deliver to the undisclosed location.

Z Pizza has locations in sixteen states, Washington DC, the Middle East, Mexico and Vietnam. Really. Z pizza is unique in central Ohio with one Clintonville location and one in the Short North. They deliver to the undisclosed location.

I can’t say the battle was hard-fought. We are so used to the value and massive bulk of Adriaticos that getting less pizza for more money was a moral and morale shock. One individual led the discussion with “I hate Z Pizza, it made me sick years ago, so it already lost.” This is the type of thing a food sociologist and enthusiast such as I must deal with. Grrrrrr.

What happened. After some trial and error and a lot of whining about having to wait to watch TV because I was still collecting data, I decided to settle the matter using a McLaughlin Report style aggressive questioning technique of the pros and cons of each pizza with each nerd. After everyone said their peace about the pieces, each person was allowed an opportunity to vote.

Belleria Notes:

“Taste Like Home”
“like the greasy thing going on”
“The best of the cheapest ingredients”
“more fart inducing” (really….this is the caliber of test subjects I am working with here).
“good spicing on the sauce”
“don’t like the spicing on the sauce”
“French Fry Pizza Rocks (also universal)
“like the cakey crust”
“has godfather / Mob qualities”
“hearty, filling – winner by weight for the price”
“reminds me of a Northeast Ohio Mom and Pop Pizza Pie Restaurant”
“spongy lusiciousness”
“tough biscuit quality – chewy, pieogiesque crust”
“the Ohio University of pizza” – under the radar and plucky

Z Pizza Notes:

“hits the flavors that the kids (hipsters) like”
“good crispness, good sear/char and crunch on crust”
“best combination and blend of flavors”
“good Tomato Taste”
“good crust (this was near universal)
“pretentious pizza”
“not memorable”

Having gathered the feedback above with tooth pulling precision I opted to do a vote.

The champion was Belleria with seven votes. Z Pizza received one.

Much like the Henry Fonda character in Twelve Angry Men, I had to respect the observations of the lone dissenter. It is difficult to compare the two pizzas because their styles are very different. Each had strong points and weak points. We thought both were over priced. Other than our resident contrarian who voted against Z Pizza years before, we all found merit in the Z Pizza crust. The French Fry pizza from Belleria is quite superior and deserves a special nod.

Next week: The Battle of Sinclair – Pizza House vs. Pizza Mart

Hoping for a bracket by next week (Hint: Roland).

Posted in Clintonville, culinary knowledge, pizza | Tagged: Nerd Night Clintonville Pizza Challenge | 4 Comments »

Harvest Pizzeria: Pizza + Patio = Pleasure

Posted by CMH Gourmand on September 16, 2011

Harvest Pizzeria opened in August and was greeted with immediate, over the top adoration. Is it deserved? I believe so. A true pizzeria has been the missing element in the German Village / Merion Village dining options for quite some time. Granted Planks and Hi Beck have very good pizzas, but a proper pizzeria….not so much.

Harvest Pizzeria is all that and a bowl of olives and maybe a crate of organic something. Owner Chris Crader is no stranger to the dining scene in Columbus. He has very good street credibility in numerous roles. It seems one of his first jobs was in a pizza shop. He combined all of his experience plus a desire to cook with some of what he grows on a one acre farm as well as a rooftop garden into Harvest. Add in a small brick building with the charm of a minimalist European Cafe mix with a welcoming patio and the end result is the slam dunk you may have read about elsewhere. The hype is right about Harvest Pizzeria.

The place has been packed on each visit I have made to Harvest. While all of the above is quite nice, the pressing question is “what about the food”. It is good. It is very good. The cocktails are well done with the house margarita being the winner so far. The wine selection is small and heavily focused on a small number of underappreciated Italian and European wines.

The tiny kitchen could serve the dining area with a light sweat but add in the patio and things get a bit tight for the kitchen staff. The wood/gas oven combination is in constant use and the cooks are in constant motion.

The starters/appetizers are simple with a twist. See the photos below.

Hudson Valley Foie Gras Tourchon with Malvasia grape must (the stuff in the dropper) and crostini

Olives with Cerignola, Castelvetrano, Giaraffa olives, Marcona almonds and fresh herbs

Among the several pizza combinations these three are my favorites: Spicy Yuma (Canal Junction Gouda, chorizo, jalapeno, corn, roasted red pepper, chipotle-spiked tomato sauce) Goat Cheese (with soppressata, caramelized onion, cherry tomato and garlic) and Ohio Bacon with fresh mozzarella, roasted red pepper, aleppo pepper flake and marjoram.

Two desserts take the cake. Butterscotch Budino (caramel sauce, creme fraiche, toasted hazelnuts, vanilla-scented Maldon sea salt) and Pie of the Day.

Harvest is worth a visit. Plan on waiting. Go while you can still enjoy the patio for the season.

495 S. 4th Street
German Village
614.824.1769
http://harvestpizzeria.com

Posted in pizza, restaurants | Tagged: Harvest Pizzeria | Leave a Comment »

Taken in by TAT Ristorante di Famiglia

Posted by CMH Gourmand on September 6, 2011

One thing leads to another. I was working on an article about Pizza. TAT was the first Columbus restaurant to serve pizza in 1929. As I was writing, I recalled I had not been to TAT since 2008. That is too long. I drive by their teaser sign on I-70 during the course of my adventures a couple of times per month. My recollection was Columbus Foodie did a very good write up of the place in early 2011. I wondered if I could find a different spin on the place. After finally going back, I decided I did not need to write anything new. The magic of TAT is the timeless nature of the place. The good elements of the restaurant can not be shared too many times.

The fourth generation of Corrova’s as well as members of the third and second generations are still working at TAT. Most family businesses struggle to make it past one lifespan. TAT did, so they must be doing several things right. Many of their servers and employees have been working at the restaurant for decades. Many of their customers have been dining there for decades too. Again, this is impressive. How does this happen? How is a community of owners, employees and customers created at a restaurant?

The secret to the business can be figured out over one Sunday afternoon meal. The current location opened in 1978, nothing has changed since then, in fact, the dining room could easily be from the 1950’s, it looks and feels like a time capsule. Consistency is the key here. Most of the customers are known by name and eating preferences. Three servers work on each half of the TAT and they know the menu, their tables and their customers. In my time there I was called honey eight to ten times and my shoulder was patted on at least twelve occasions. I felt like I was eating at some Italian grandmothers house and that I was the favored son for eating so much so well. I also give credit to TAT for only serving RC products, the PBR of the cola family.

TAT still makes a really good pizza. It is different from the 1929 version. The crust is medium in thickness, crunchy on the edges and chewy on the innards. TAT pizza also passes the next day cold pizza test. I opted for full sensory experience of the Sicilian Delight. Paul and Becke from Columbus Foodie do this spread better justice so take a look at what they had to say.

Here is what this ten course meal includes:

Glass of wine – choice of three types
Italian salad

Homemade soup choice: Wedding or Minestrone

Sicilian Bread (Toasted and drenched in Italian spices and cheese)
Spaghetti with meatball
Veal parmigiana

Meat filled Ravioli
Homemade Italian sausage
Manicotti with ricotta cheese

Spumoni ice cream

Yes, it was a lot. I did not try to finish it.

There is a lot to enjoy at TAT other than the food. The back hallway houses a mural depicting Transcontinental Air Transport, the first coast to coast airline (with some significant help from trains). The waitresses have many stories to tell if they have a free moment. Owner Jimmy Corrova checks in with as many customers as he can. On the Sunday I visited, it appeared that an African-American church or social event had just ended. Many elderly customers came in sporting great looking suits, dresses and hats. It felt like a cross between the Oscars and the 1950’s – there were top hats, perfectly shined shoes, you name it. It felt classy……I did not feel that way in my Commfest T-Shirt.

The sauces are slow-cooked and homemade. Egg Noodles are common, the ravioli appear to be made by hand and there are countless other touches you hope for in an old school, family friendly Italian restaurant. Come for the food, enjoy the atmosphere, appreciate the service and take in a serving of history. TAT serves a full sensory experience, the food is just a portion of the whole.

1210 South James Road
(corner of James and Livingston)
Eastside
614.236.1392
www.tatitalian.com
(TAT has their own jingle / theme song – sing along when you visit the webpage)

Posted in pizza, restaurants | Tagged: TAT, TAT Ristorante di Famiglia | 1 Comment »

Casa di Pizza: The Best Ribs for the Buck

Posted by CMH Gourmand on July 18, 2011

I found out about Casa di Pizza from my dental hygienist. Over several conversations with her between spitting and mumbling in a dental chair I trusted she would only give me a good tip. When she highlighted the ribs at a pizza place I was intrigued but more than a little skeptical.

Casa di Pizza is a carry out well off the beaten path. It has an innovative service window connecting to a bar next door for constant food shuttling. The menu is more progressive than would be imagined. Beverages include Hanks Sodas and Blenheim Ginger Ale. There are three pizza sauces: Red, Creamy Alfredo and Roasted Garlic. Pizza choices include The Defibrillator, appropriately named since it is piled with pepperoni, bacon, ham, Italian Sausage and salami. For the less heart-attack inclined there is the Double Double (two layers of cheese and two layers of pepperoni) and the Chicken Cordon Bleu (Alfredo Sauce, chicken, provolone, ham and Swiss Cheese). If you are undecided you might order all fourteen toppings on the Kitchen Sink. The most unexpected combination is Ziggy’s Steakhouse mixing rib eye, steak sauce, mushrooms and hand cut fries. Speaking of the fries they are near perfect, especially if you like them state fair style, balancing just enough grease with the right proportion of potato.

Enough foreplay, it is time to cut to the chase. The ribs. The ribs are incredible. Start with the Casa Teaser Sampler of four ribs. It will make you a believer. The ribs are not technically BBQ based on how they are cooked but who cares. They are cooked in the pizza oven but I am not sure of the other special preparations for the racks and I did not want to pry. The sauce balances sweet and tangy with a stick to everything thickness that somehow does not adhere to your body parts. No wetnaps are needed. You are most likely to eat the ribs with a fork and knife or your fingers. The meat falls off the bone by the touch or a gentle breeze leaving behind a barren, white rib bone which looks like a fossil. The bones are bare – they seem to be a delivery device for the meat – nothing sticks to the bone so there is no work involved in consumption. This seems like cheating.

Are the best ribs I have ever had…..no. However these are the best value and most instantly rewarding. Considering the price, consistency, ease of eating and hours of accessibility of Casa di Pizza ribs I would almost choose over Ray Ray’s if Casa di Pizza was closer. When a pizza place nails ribs, it is worth the effort. Do you recall that I mentioned there is a bar next door? As an added bonus I will provide this tricky tip. If you can’t convince your significant other eater of the need to go to Casa di Pizza, pretend that you want to do something educational. Visit the Campbell Memorial Park just north on McKinley. The Shrum Indian Mound located there would serve as an acceptable picnic site for rib or pizza consumption.

Casa di Pizza
2986 McKinley Ave
Located in the strange netherworld between Grandview, San Margherita, Hilliard and a quarry
614.586.1342

Posted in BBQ, pizza | Tagged: Casa di Pizza | 4 Comments »

Pizza House Pushing Past The Fifty Year Mark

Posted by CMH Gourmand on June 20, 2011

Pizza House is located off the beaten path. The current location is in a former convenience store, tucked between Sinclair Road and railroad tracks. The former location was across Lincoln Ave. The original seated maybe twenty while doing a brisk carry out business. Pizza House is also located in my memories of middle school and beyond. It may have been my first non-Clintonville pizza pie (it is located yards from the border of Clintonville and Worthington. Pizza House is still the place that tradition dictates that I travel to when my childhood friend comes to town as we visit a place we have gone to since we were kids.

Pizza House was hot in the 1980’s, it appeared in numerous publications as one of the best pizzas in Columbus. Even as the Columbus pizza palate has grown over time, I would still include the Pizza House pepperoni and sausage pizza among my top twenty-one pizzas in Columbus. Their open-faced meatball sandwich is one of my top ten comfort foods involving bread. Pizza House is an institution in the neighborhoods around 161 and Sinclair as well as the communities on the other side of the tracks. Business is still booming and carry out business is brisk. Although the business has fallen off the media radar it is still doing quite well.

Pizza House turns fifty in the fall. It opened in 1961. The first non family employee was fifteen year old Billy Colasante. He stayed with Pizza House when it moved in 1991 then he bought the business in 1993. Some employees have worked there over thirty years, a rare thing in any business. The familiar faces among veteran employees and other Colasantes working in the house does give the restaurant a friendly, family feeling. The interior is lined with local little league baseball and soccer trophies accumulated from years of supporting teams in the area.

Any small business, especially in the restaurant trade, that can thrive after fifty years must be doing something right. In the case of Pizza House it is the case of the same people making the same product consistently and taking the time to connect with the community.

Pizza House
747 Lincoln Ave.
Columbus (and my memories)

Posted in pizza, restaurants, sandwiches | Tagged: Pizza House | 3 Comments »

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