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- Sep 12, 2008
- Location
- Elgin
Yes. When we dined in at their restaurant once, we made the mistake of ordering it with extra cheese. They put plenty on to begin with.
Food / Drink The Official 🍕 Review Thread
- Thread starter Sprayin
- Start date
- Views : 42K
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2005
- Location
- Glen Ellyn
I posted this video like 8 posts up.
That said, I finally tried Nemec Brothers in Glen Ellyn the other day. I ordered a traditional NY-style pizza for my parents and I. My parents hate spices, so I had to go pretty basic with a "Build your own pizza". All their pizzas are 16". Which was plenty of my parents and I. I ordered a red sauce, fennel sausage, fresh mozzarella, red onions and green peppers on half.
The edge and underside were crispy with slight burn spots evenly distributed. Pic it up and it does the usual NY-pizza flop. No structure beside the edge. I was amazed there was hardly any cheese on the pizza. I am not a big cheese person, so I prefer less than more. Even for me, this seemed like there was hardly any cheese on the pizza. I did enjoy the flavors tho. The sauce was up front as was the fennel sausage. The sausage had a strong spice presence. The crust tasted good as well. The cheese flavor was weak due to there hardly being any cheese on it. Taste I would rate it pretty high. If you are a cheese person, you will probably have to order extra cheese.
I plan to try a grandma pizza this week. I'll report back on that and get photos as well. Check their menu out as most of their NY-style pizzas are not typical flavors or toppings. I want to try the vodka sauce as I have heard people rave about that. As well as their Pine nut pesto pizza.
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- Aug 4, 2010
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- Streamwood
Once you start fucking up a pizza with vodka sauce and anything besides traditional pizza sauce, its no longer a pizza imo. Call it shit, or call it anything but pizza please and thank you
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2005
- Location
- Glen Ellyn
The vodka sauce is still tomato-based. So it's a grey area. lol
It would be nice if there was a term for these "pizza-like" items that aren't your traditional pizza crust, pizza sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Be it using pesto instead of pizza sauce, flatbread instead of pizza crust, etc. But it's easier to classify them all as pizza just for name recognition.
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- Aug 4, 2010
- Location
- Streamwood
Vodka sauce belongs on pasta not pizza, no grey area imo.
Agreed on all that other shit having terms, similar to pizza bread, its not called "pizza" for a reason as its not "pizza"
All that other weird shit thats not pizza should be called anything but pizza.
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2011
- Location
- Chicago North Side
Nice. I have been to Zaza's a few times, and my only knock is that it was just a little bland. I still put Jimmy's as #1, it's pretty consistent I've only had one pie that was a little too salty. This all might be personal preference.
Also try Lil Pop's Trattoria in Lisle, it's half Neopolitan and half NY style is the best way to describe it. It's my second favorite pizza.
Haven't been to Piece in forever but it usually placed in my top 5.
Shout out to Paulie G's too.
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- Oct 24, 2007
- Location
- Denver
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- Aug 27, 2018
“Pizza adjacent”
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- Aug 4, 2010
- Location
- Streamwood
Thats all fine and dandy, just dont call it pizza as its not pizza with that shit on it
Lead Pipe
TCG Elite Member
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2010
Detroit style pizza uses vodka sauce pretty often though I'd hard call detroit style pizza either.
What do you call BBQ pizza or white pizza? I think white pizza or pizza with olive oil has been around since the dawn of pizza in Italy. IDK, it's all pizza to me. Traditional pizza has to have red sauce, I'll agree with you there.
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2011
- Location
- Chicago North Side
When I go for pizza, I don't get the one without red sauce. I also don't get the one with potatoes or clams as a topping either lol.
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2015
- Location
- Honeycomb Hideout
I have never seen Detroit pizza with vodka sauce, where are you getting that from? Not sure why Detroit style would not be considered pizza.
Detroit-style pizza - Wikipedia
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2005
- Location
- Glen Ellyn
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2010
- Location
- Streamwood
NFG about what a dictionary tells us. I’m telling you what Chgo says
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2008
- Location
- Grand Rapids, MI
Vodka sauce is gross. Never seen it on regular Detroit style either. I mean there are variations of every type.
For me this goes back to my cheese only argument. True pizza is just cheese. I'd argue that comes with tomato based sauce. And mozzarella cheese.
For me this goes back to my cheese only argument. True pizza is just cheese. I'd argue that comes with tomato based sauce. And mozzarella cheese.
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2005
- Location
- Glen Ellyn
So Chicago, who didn't invent pizza, should tell the rest of the world how it is? Seems odd. lol
What about pizza puffs? I know you like them fuckers too. Pizza right in the name. Are you mad that a non-flat food is being called a pizza? I doubt it. haha
They don't call a calzone, pizza. Because of it's shape more so than what ingredients it uses. So is shape and basic principles more important than the specifics of ingredients in the tomato sauce used?
What's wrong with classifications like we do with animal species? You have Invertibres, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The group > specific name > Generic name > etc. Food probably already does that too. So you have the Pizza group. Then under that Neopolitan style, NY-style, Chicago deep dish, Sicilian style, and so on. Then below that you have even more categories. Pizza > NY-style > California Pizza (NY style with non-traditional toppings).
I mean, kind of agree with you. But I could care less if someone uses the generic term of Pizza for anything remotely close. Just don't show me a taco and tell me I have to call it a pizza because some TikTok video says we should haha That is like me being mad that people put pineapple on pizza. It affects me none. So why should I care? lol
By definition, you are going against the grain.
a dish of Italian origin consisting of a flat, round base of dough baked with a topping of tomato sauce and cheese, typically with added meat or vegetables
Earlier in the thread there was that "Pizza" that didn't have any sauce. Pizza, vodka, crema, or otherwise, I can see not calling that pizza. It was cheese bread. lol
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2008
- Location
- Grand Rapids, MI
Yeah, that definition is wrong. The real OG places in Naples, ya know, where pizza was invented, won't put toppings on pizza. It's either a tomato pie or a tomato pie with cheese. That's it.
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2005
- Location
- Glen Ellyn
Nope, we talked about that in here or the board thread maybe.
A Tamale guy who was Iranian made them. Then used street vendors to sell them. They were invented right here in Chicago tho. ILTACO (Illinois Tamale Company) is still in business too.
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2010
- Location
- Streamwood
The same Chgo that probably 90% of people myself included could give 2 fucks about where pizza originated from and could care less about authentic Italian pizza. Real pizza from Chgo has pizza sauce not vodka sauce. All that non pizza shit is great, just don’t call it “pizza”. If there is vodka sauce on it maybe name it “homosexual pizza”. The other shit maybe call it “cock gobbler pizza”
Pizza puffs aren’t called “pizza” just like my example earlier that pizza bread isnt called “pizza”.
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2005
- Location
- Glen Ellyn
Like I said, I can understand where you're coming from with calling some of that stuff not pizza.The same Chgo that probably 90% of people myself included could give 2 fucks about where pizza originated from and could care less about authentic Italian pizza. Real pizza from Chgo has pizza sauce not vodka sauce. All that non pizza shit is great, just don’t call it “pizza”. If there is vodka sauce on it maybe name it “homosexual pizza”. The other shit maybe call it “cock gobbler pizza”
Pizza puffs aren’t called “pizza” just like my example earlier that pizza bread isnt called “pizza”.
But what do you say to
Sprayin about the stuff you eat that he says isn't pizza? Because you put toppings other than cheese on your pizza
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2008
- Location
- Grand Rapids, MI
Toppings have their place. I'm not saying I'm that big of a purist, I'll eat it with toppings. We've had threads about this before tho. True pizza should be eaten cheese only. That's a true measure of it. Toppings muddle that. And if you NEED toppings it's because you like toppings not pizza.Like I said, I can understand where you're coming from with calling some of that stuff not pizza.
But what do you say to
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2011
- Location
- Chicago North Side
I'm with Sprayin and Dave Portnoy on that, if the pizza is good plain it's very good pizza.
Meat toppings can help an average pizza.
When I used to live by Addison/Harlem I used to get a +garlic pizza from Geo's.
Meat toppings can help an average pizza.
When I used to live by Addison/Harlem I used to get a +garlic pizza from Geo's.