Homemade Pizza Made the Right Way.

Kelsey's Homemade Sausage Pizza - Small
5 slices out of 8.

**picture to come soon**

Kelsey's Take:
well, it was my turn to make the pizza this time. Going with the classic sausage, I used a variety of cheeses that when melted together worked out really well. I tried my best to make a crust that would be enjoyable and a great handle for the pizza rather than just keeping it flat. Overall, I really enjoyed it and was happy to hear that so did Adam. I'll give my pizza a five out of eight. It was really only average, but a good homemade pizza.

Adam's Take:
I'm not a chef and I know this but I thought my homemade pizza was pretty tasty. Then I watched how a homemade pizza was supposed to be made. Kelsey used the same ingratiates I had, but knew she knew how to make it. I try to roll out the crust which Kelsey new to unravel which worked much better. She also used classic shredded mozzarella for the cheese which tasted tasted right compared to using the large slices of various cheese I did. Overall this is a great homemade style pizza. It tasted like a classic and excited to see what a homemade pizza with ingratiates that Kelsey's handpicks. Slice rating 5 slices out of 8.

Don't blame the Pizza, Blame the maker

Small Pepperoni & Canadian Bacon Uneven Crust Pizza from Adam's Kitchen - Chef Adam Demers
Rating 4 slices out of 8.

Kelsey's Take
Adam made a pizza!! I was so excited to be able to blog about our first homemade pizza! The story behind his pizza making debacles were better than the actual pizza. However, despite it's interesting appearance, the pizza wasn't that bad. I unfortunately do not enjoy Canadian Bacon on my pizzas. This pizza was way better than the Mario pizza we had the night before, even with it's uneven crust. For all the work that went into it and the homemade feel, I give this pizza 4 out of 8 slices.

Adam's Take
One may think I am to close to this pizza to give it a unbiased opinion of this pizza, and that would be true. I feel close to my work and I know it wasn't the best pizza we had yet but it wasn't our worst pizza either. The pizza didn't take to long to make and I enjoy my use of full slices of two different types of cheeses. Overall I'll give my pizza a reasonable score of 4 slices out of 8, but that's just my biases opinion.

Back So Soon to Marios

Mario's Small Sicilian Style Sausage Pizza.
$12.50
Rating 3 slices out of 8

Kelsey's Take:
unfortunately, our second visit to Mario's did not elicit such great reviews this time. We were so curious to try the Sicilian pizza that we rushed back only to find that it wasn't as great as we were expecting, like a great book that lets you down at the end. We started the meal off with another round of the pizza bread which was great, but the climax of the dinner was just, meh. While the crust itself was decent, the major draw back of this pizza was the fact that every single bite gave off this nasty wet taste/feel. It just felt like it had a layer of water between the crust and cheese. Everything else about the pizza was only average or lower as Adam explains. This pizza, sadly, only gets 3 slices from me.

Adam's Take:
We were so impressed with Mario the first time we rushed back to try Mario other style of pizza. To draw upon a movie comparison the Matrix is to the Matrix Reloaded as Mario's thin crust pizza is too Mario's Sicilians pizza. In case you didn't understand the comparison 100% it meant the sequel was highly anticipate with lackluster results. The pizza just underperformed all around. The sausage wasn't tasty, the cheese wasn't of the same quality as our last pizza, and the overall pizza lack taste. The only part I truly enjoyed about the pizza was the thick crust. In fact I enjoy the pizza better once I reheated it at home the next day because it wasn't so "wet" tasting like it was at the restaurant. If you are going to order anything pizza related at Mario's get the pizza bread or the thin crust pizza. Stay away from Sicilian's style because it only gets a 3 slices out of 8 from me.

Homemade Success from Mario's!

Mario's
Price: 10.99
10'' Cheese Pizza
Slice Rating:

Kelsey's Take:
Since 1977 they've been cooking up pizza for Dubuque and there is no wonder that Mario's is still around. This small, hole-in-the-wall restaurant is deceiving from the outside, for inside it is just bursting with tradition. You can tell that there are "regulars" that come here, the place just gives off this vibe of "When you're here, You're family," something that the Olive Garden tries for, but never quite achieves. While we debated over what to order, asking what their "Pizza Bread" was, instead of having it described to us, a friendly near-by diner said, "Here! try some of mine!" offering her own basket of pizza bread to us. (Which, Oh my gosh! was amazing!) Everything in this restaurant, or as it more felt, this "Grandma's Italian Kitchen," was homemade/handmade, and believe me, you could tell. This was probably one of the best homemade pizza's that I have ever had. from the thin, crispy, bread crust on the bottom, the delicious tomato sauce in the middle to the perfect array of cheeses on top, this pizza knew what was up. Each bite was different and just as good as the one before it. It bordered the line between "eat me with a fork," and "eat me with your hands" perfectly. Nothing was overpowering about this pizza as it all worked so well together, enticing you for just one more slice. Even when it was down to the last one and we were both full, we knew that there was no way we were leaving the table without that slice in one of our bellies. This was my kind of pizza, i only wish i knew about this place sooner.
7 slices out of 8


Adam's Take:
Cheese pizza always feels a bit lacking. I mean the cheese is going to be on the pizza already why not spruce it up a bit. The only way you can make a cheese pizza stand out is by add more cheese, but that can backfire really easy and have you backed-up for days. Mario's manages to avoid the pitfalls of the standard cheese pizza and deliver the right amount of mozzarella to the pie to give you just the right amount of cheese. I really like this dish, but unlike Kelsey this isn't my kind of pizza. I give the pizza a rating of 5 slices out of 8 and Mario's an overall rating of 5 stars out of 5.

It makes a different on who's the Papa

Papa John's Large Sausage Pizza - Dubuque, Ia
Price: $8.00
Rating 3 slices out of 8

Kelsey's Take:
Better Ingredients, Better Pizza, Papa John's??? woah now! Let's rethink that slogan. It's catchy, but oh so very deceiving. Let's try, "Average Ingredients, Yucky Pizza, Papa John's" Now I know that that may not be a great marketing campaign, but it sure as heck is closer to the truth. From the moment I opened the pizza box I knew that this wasn't going to go so well. The initial presentation of the pizza was absolutely unappetizing. With the uneven spreading of cheese and the heaping mounds of sauce that were exploding out of the pizza's orifices i could tell that this was a pizza that didn't care about upholding the taste integrity of the dish it was so disgracefully representing. This pizza made no attempts to satisfy anything other than hunger. A Pizza should do more than that. The Presentation should arouse the senses and force the mouth to water with anticipation and excitement. The Cheeses should melt in the mouth, giving a vast array of tastes for you to enjoy amidst the toppings and spices. And The Crust should simply say, "You're welcome. Now have some more!" This pizza did not get that memo. For that, I unfortunately have to give this pizza, 2 out of 8 slices.

Adam's Take:
Let's start with the positives about a Papa John's pizza. I got a great deal for a carryout special and it was done in 10 minuets. That's quicker than a frozen pizza I make at home. The customer service at Papa John's was amazing. I decide to wait the ten minuets in my car and the guy who made up pizza brought the pizza out to me that way I didn't have to go back inside. It's not a huge thing, but it's the little things that make the difference. The same can be said about the pizza. It was a completely horrible pizza, but it the little things that make the difference between an enjoyable pizza and good pizza. A enjoyable pizza is only good when you are really hungry where a good pizza is still good even if your stuffed full of pizza. This pizza was just an enjoyable pizza. That meant each slice didn't taste as good as the one before it and by the time I got to my last slice I really started to notice the flaws in a Papa John's pizza. Like I said before, it was the little things that got me, the little amount of sauce, the little amount of cheese, and the little amount of sausage that stayed on the pizza. I only recommend this pizza if you are extremely hungry, otherwise go to the other Papa pizza place instead, Papa Murphy's.
slice rating 4 out of 8.

New York style found in Small Town Iowa

Howlin' Coyote Grill
New York Style Graziano Sausage Pizza: Medium
Price: 12.99
Slice Rating: 7 our of 8


Kelsey's take:
Coyote's, the Howlin' Coyote or whatever this restaurant is to called now (I can't keep the name straight sometimes because the place has gone through so many name/owner changes) came to small town Panora, Iowa as a delicious place to get some BBQ grub and a few hush puppies on the side. But now, after yet another change in ownership, this restaurant has added many new things to it's list, among those: PIZZA. so naturally we had to give it a try. Made in the classic New York style, this pizza absolutely shocked me with just how good it was. When our Graziano sausage topped pizza, (for those of you who may not know, Graziano sausage is homemade, handmade sausage from the one and only DES MOINES!! oh baby)arrived at our pizza I knew this was going to be delicious. It did not let me down. The blend of cheeses and the very tomato tasting, yet not overpowering sauce worked well together on top of the crispy and thin crust. The corn meal on the bottom added a nice taste and texture to the experience and of course, you cannot go wrong with some Graziano sausage. I give this pizza a 7 out of 8 slices. A very surprising find in my home of small town Panora, Iowa.

Adam's Take:
This pizza is described as New York style pizza which I would disagree with, but I won’t disagree with how amazing this pizza tasted. New York style pizza in my opinion is a oversized floppy pizza that you can fold in half and eat it like a sandwich and that’s not the experiences you are going to get eating this pizza. Instead you find a pizza that better because it walks the line of eating it with a fork or just picking it up with your hands and diving into it. Any pizza that can be eaten both ways like this one definitely gets high marks from me. Kelsey already broke down the pizza from topping to crust and I couldn’t agree with her more on how each part complemented the others nicely. It’s a great pizza and well deserving of 7 out of 8 slices rating.

Frozen Pizza Edition

Frozen Pizza Blog by Adam Demers

Rating
1. Freschetta
2. Digiorno
3. Tombstone
4. Red Baron
5. Tony's
6. Roma's
7. Tostino"s
8. Jack's

Tombstone Original: Classic Sausage
Cost: $2:50
Date: 11/09/09

Growing up as a kid the Tombstone brand pizza was my families frozen pizza of choice so it comes natural that now that I’m living on my own that its would be the brand I buy. Tombstone pizza is good because it has all the ingredients that make up a pizza and doesn’t taste like cardboard. In fact, overall for the price and the taste Tombstone as of now will continue to be my frozen pizza brand of choice.

Rating: 4 slices out of 8.

Totino’s Crisp Crust Party Pizza: Combination
Cost: $1.25
Date: 11/30/09

With a frozen pizza this cheap I was worried I was going to basically be putting myself through torture by eating it. I think this pizza benefited from low expectations, very low low expectations. I could go on about how low my expectations were, but that has nothing to do with the pizza. The pizza was bland with a bit of crunch and it only tasted really horrible for the last two slices. It basically on the same level as Roma and Jacks and it’s cheaper so it has that going for it.

Rating 2 slices out of 8.

Roma Original Pizza: Sausage
Cost: $2:00
Date: 11/16/09

If I had to describe Roma’s Pizza I say the taste falls between blah and meh. Basically, I found the pizza tasteless and after eating 3 slices couldn’t really describe anything about the taste. The pizza is very thin in it overall presentation and lack any real ingredients that are notable. In the end I eat the whole pizza just because that’s what I trained my body to do, but I had no real motivation to keep eating after first slice.

Rating: 2 slices out of 8.

Jack’s Original: Sausage Pizza
Cost: $2:88
Date: 11/12/09

If there is a list of ingredients needed that are required to be considered a pizza, Jack’s Original is just barely meeting the minimum requirement. I love to describe the pizza crust to you but it was so thin I barely noticed it. I think a cracker would have been thicker than this crust. The cheese just barely covers the pizza and the sausage was just on the pizza to resemble a meat product. Overall I felt worse after ending the pizza and I won’t be revisiting the Jack pizza brand. Still it was eatable and that’s me being optimistic about the pizza.

Rating: 2 slices out of 8.


Red Baron Classic Crust: 4-Meat Pizza
Cost: $4:25
Date: 11/29/09

Red Baron brand is the standard bar in frozen pizza industry. I think the brand is great across the board in crust thickness, quality in toppings, and tasting sauce. Red Baron is anything super fancy, but you’re guaranteed to get a quality frozen pizza for the price.

Rating: 4 slices out of 8.

Tony’s Original: Meat-Trio Pizza
Cost: $2.12
Date: 11/18/09

This is the first frozen pizza that has been a pleasant surprise. I have never had a Tony’s original pizza before, but my opinion of Tony’s before had was that it was a cheap pizza that was just trying to hide its bad taste inside a box. Side note: Most frozen pizza brands that use a cardboard box packaging have better tasting pizzas. Instead I’ve discovered that the box was hiding a surprising amount of flavor. The pizza had a thick crust for a frozen pizza that worked as a great base for the spices blended in with the pizza sauces giving each bite a pleasant zing of taste. With Tony’s cheap price I can definitely see myself getting more Tony’s Original in the near future.

Rating 4 slices out of 8.

Freschetta Naturally Rising: Canadian Style Pizza & Pineapple Pizza
Cost: $5.00
Date: 11/13/09

The first reason I wanted to try this frozen pizza was I had never seen a Hawaiian frozen pizza and I had to try it. I was in for a pleasant surprise by this pizza and the Freschetta brand in general. In my opinion Freschetta is the all-natural alternative to Digiorno. Freschetta brand pizza has a great rising crust and excellent cheese sauce combo, but what makes this pie really special is the fact that the fruit is completely fresh and doesn’t feel frozen at all. I highly recommend the Freschetta brand as a slightly cheaper alternative option to Digiorno.

Rating: 5 slices out of 8

Digiorno Rising Crust: Itlalian Sausage Pizza
Cost: $5.75
Date: 11/18/09

It’s easy to understand why some folks would think that a Digiorno Pizza is delivery. In my opinion a Digiorno pizza is the highest quality of frozen pizza one can find. My problem with Digiorno is the cost of the frozen pizza. I buy frozen pizza as a cheap pizza alternative to have at home, but I can get a cheaper and larger pizza from Little Caesar that is Hot-N-Ready. All that taken out of the equation this is a great pizza frozen or unfrozen.

Rating: 5 slices out of 8.

Is good crust worth the price?

Stuffed Crust Sausage and Pepperoni Large Pizza from Pizza Hut Dubuque, IA
$11.77 - Any
Slice Rating: 4.5 slices out of 8

Kelsey's Take
While the deal sounds nice, it's not that great considering all the the exceptions that are in the fine print. The pizza is everything that you have come to expect from Pizza Hut. Giving one of my personal favorite indulgences a try, we went ahead and ordered the stuffed crust. When biting into the crust, your taste buds are met with an explosion of cheese flavor that only adds to the soft, flaky bread. It's a nice addition to the pizza as it adds a different flavor at the end that helps make this average pizza a little bit better. overall though, I'd say that with the way the deal is presented and the way that it is actually carried out, i'd only give this pizza 5 out of 8 slices. There really is nothing extraordinary about it and for the price and you'd be better off going with a couple Mia's (which would be cheaper at around $6 per pizza) if you are wanting to feed more than say about two to three people.

Adam's Take
The main reason we are revisiting Pizza Hut so quickly because the Hut had a what appeared to be a great deal. Any pizza, any size, any crust, and any topping just ten dollars. Well once I order I learned that it cost me an extra dollar to get stuffed crust which only makes the pizza $1 dollar cheaper than normal. Now, to review the product I bought. A stuff crust pizza is like a car with a fancy spoiler. Some people like that fancy addition for the extra buck, me on the other hand like the original spoiler just fine, or in this case the crust. Combine my lackluster feeling on the cheesy stuffed crust and the sleazy advertising this pizza gets only 4 slices out of 8.

An Amazing Pizza from... The Olive Garden?

Chicken Alfredo Pizza from Olive Garden on Waterloo, IA
$11.95 with unlimited soup or salad or $9.95 pizza alone
Slice Rating: 6.5 out of 8 slices

Kelsey's Take:
Far and away one of the best gourmet pizzas that i have ever had. I found myself slightly jealous that I had not ordered this as my meal. usually not one for extravagant toppings such as alfredo sauce and grilled chicken, I found myself skeptical of the dish. but from the moment it graced the table with it's presence, I knew that it would be one for the books. The delicious blends of italian sauces, cheese, and spices with the addition of small grilled chicken slices made this pizza one of the most interesting, and delicious pizzas to eat. The pizza part itself felt just like thick, fluffy cheese with no obvious crust crunch that one is accustomed to when divulging into a pizza, making it a fork only pie. but then, the crust itself was the perfect blend between crunchy and soft with the most glorious butter glazing on it which complimented it in a way that was not overpowering but deliciously sweet, making it just what it should be on any pizza: the Grand Finale. The fact that it is a fork only pizza is an enhancement to the meal because the eater is forced to slow themselves down and not wolf down slice after slice like so many pizza eaters have trained themselves to do. The Fork helps you stop and enjoy the flavors that many miss. This pizza earns itself a 7 slices out of 8 from my books.

Adam's Take:
From my first bite at the Olive Garden to my last bite from my crouch this pizza pie impressed me. A pizza topped with grilled chicken, Italian cheeses, alfredo sauce and scallions isn't my normal pizza style of choice. Like I said before, the first bite I was captivated by the pizza for it mix of italian cheeses on top of alfredo sauce lightly covering the soft buttery wheat crust. I found myself saying wow after finishing each slice. Maybe because it was so different from every other pizza I have had in awhile, but I couldn't stop thinking about how amazing the ingredients blended together. That being said, this is a high class pizza, eaten with a fork not with your hands. This isn't a pizza your going to bring to a party with a bunch of friends and chow down on while watching the game. That is why I have to give Olive Gardens's Chicken Alfredo Pizza 6 slices out of 8.

Mama Mia this Pizza is Cheap!

Sausage Pizza Mia (Medium) from Pizza Hut Dubuque, IA
$6.41
Slice Rating: 5 out of 8 slices

Kelsey's Take:
First off let me apologize for out less than complete pizza picture, our hunger got the better of us and we dove right in before taking the snap shot. Woops!
Alright, now by far one of my favorite chain pizza joints, Pizza Hut has some of the best pizza choices around, and OH that crust! When looking for a delicious pizza to sink your teeth into one can never go wrong with the Hut, yet you may not want to pay the regular prices of some of their delicious dinners, which is what makes their Pizza Mia so awesome. it's cheap price is not in anyway a foretelling of it's taste. Coming in at the perfect size for you and a buddy to chow your way through, this medium, one topping pizza is the perfect choice when you need a pizza fix. I love it because it is not swimming in grease which a lot of the cheaper pizzas tend to be bathed in. And, you are able to pick your topping, which is awesome when you want to branch away from the classic Pepperoni, which, fun fact, one in every two pizzas sold from Pizza Hut was a pepperoni, all other toppings fell in the other half. So for the Pizza Mia, I give it 5 slices out of 8. It's a good pizza, but really nothing above average in taste as far as Pizza Hut goes, it's price is it's shining quality.

Adam's Take:
I believe there a saying that goes: "You get what you pay for." and that phrase directly applies to pizza. You can get a large amounts triangular cheese for dirt cheap but you going to have to sacrifice the taste of the pizza. The alternative to that is forking up a bunch of dough for a little dough in return topped with a smattering of ingredients oddities which makes your pizza now fine dining. This is where Pizza Hut Pizza Mia meets the customers half way. With the Pizza Mia I got a medium pizza with quality pizza hut toppings for a fair price that when split with one other person fulfills my appetite just right. The Pizza Hut Pizza Mia is nothing flashy and isn't going to overload you with topping options but it provides a tasty pie that is equal to it's price. I give it 5 slices out of 8.

We get "Stuffed" with Chicago-style pizza

Large Chicago-Style Stuffed from Papa Murphy's. Dubuque, IA
$10.99
Slice Rating: 6 out of 8 slices

Kelsey's Take:
To say that this pizza is filling would be an understatement. This pizza, piled high with Salami, Pepperoni, Italian Sausage, Ground Beef, Onions, Roma Tomatoes, Traditional Pizza Sauce, and Mozzarella Cheese comes out of the oven smelling delicious and just begging to be eaten. However, halfway into my first slice, I felt like the pizza was laughing at me, knowing that I was no match for it. My inability to finish even two slices does not mean that this pizza was not delicious. Oh no, the multitude of toppings and cheeses are only topped by it's monstrosity of a crust, which is, far and away in my opinion the best part of any pizza, but is this one's best quality. For me, the Chicago-Style Stuffed from Papa Murphy's earns itself 6 slices out of 8.

Adam's Take:
I don't know if it's because I grew up in the midwest or some other reason, but Chicago-Style pizza is my favorite. Anytime I need to pick a up fork to eat my pizza I'm a very happy pizza eater. This particular Papa Murphy creation was great sampling of what Chicago style pizza is for anyone who never truly had a Chicago-Style Pizza. The pizza was load with a nice mixture of toppings and the dough used for the crust is the best part of any Papa Murphy pizza. For me, this pizza defiantly filled the that Chicago-style pizza void I've been craving and it more importantly filled my stomach. I going to have to give this Pie: 6 slices out of 8.

Overall:
For eleven dollars, this pizza can be well worth it, especially if you are feeding a larger group for even the biggest pizza lover can have trouble downing more than two of these monstrous slices. For those willing to make it themselves, the thirty minute bake time for this Chicago inspired pie will satisfy the taste buds of any hungry pizza eater.