Better pizza: Pizza Hut or Papa John's?

[shroomgirl]

My first 7 years were spent in Sacramento Cal and Shakeys was the pizza of choice...the original is in Sac.
Little Rock Arkansas has a Shakeys also, not as good but better than most.
Bruno's Little Italy had a great pizza pie...hand tossed in a kid window....

[Kimmie]

Shroom,

Phil (my hubby and fav guinea pig for advanced recipes) says:

I'm not familiar with any of those Shakey's that you mention, but I am definitely familiar with the one in Tucson, AZ, where I went to high school and U of A. I seem to remember that there was sawdust on the floor, as well as a wonderful pie. This was the time of the folk music craze, mid-60's, Linda Ronstadt still lived in Tucson, people were definitely snobs about food and were experimenting with foreign food traditions, and still Shakey's measured up. It was a college haunt.

[shroomgirl]

Yep it was/is a chain, their crust was wonderful....crisp and big air bubbles....desirable when you're a kid (or kid at heart)
So I wouldn't be surprised if it were one and the same company.

[SeattleDeb]

Shroom, if that was the Sac mid town section Shakeys (close to fab 40s..kind of)..we lived close to it.

[shroomgirl]

Well I was born at Mather and lived in Rancho Cordova for my first 7 years...my Dad's lived in Sac for the past 20.

neither if my opinion counts up here in the great white north. here in vancouver, if i have to order from a chain, i order panagopolis, but most of the time i go to all the local joints, so far i found three that each have something good, bella pizza (not so much anymore, maybe the cook) flying wedge pizza , and papa's pizza (which still uses a real oven)

[Murrmaid]

OK, the best pizza is one I've made myself. That aside, we usually order Pizza Hut because we re not in the delivery area of the local Papa John's.

Sometimes, it's not about "good" pizza, it's all about "bad" pizza - a little greasy and thin. There used to be a chain in IL called Hungry Howie's. You could get a giant pizza for something $5 and it was bad. But it went really well with a beer and a tight budget (they were found primarily near colleges). They're all OOB now (went under before we moved to CA - where, Mr. Puck aside, there is no good pizza to be had)...sometimes I really crave a Hungry Howie's pizza.

So if we want good pizza, we make it or go for one at a local restaurant. Sometimes, though, we want junk food and Pizza Hut is certainly that if nothing else.

[Devotay]

Originally posted by W.DeBord:
<STRONG>For me it's sad to see what has become of Pizza Hut. It was a great place to work when I was a kid!

As to your orginal question which is better....the independents are always the best until law suits ruin them too.</STRONG>

I agree on two fronts: Pizza Hut used to be a lot better, and the independents are the only one's who care even a little about what they are doing.

DeBord: Remember Pizzeria Uno BEFORE it became a chain? As a kid, I once waited in line for an hour to get in there. Now I can get it in the frozen section at Kroger. Except it ***** .

Pizza is best when it is made by a person who truly cares, has real passion, and not only uses fresh ingredients, but precious few of them. True Neopolitan pizza blows the doors off anything America makes, sad but true. Only homemade (with extra love) even stands a chance in comparison.

Peace,
kmf

[angrychef]

Pizza Hut is horrible. We usually do Domino's though I'm not crazy about it either. There's a real NY pizza place out here in L.A. called Joe Peep's, the best here so far. Up in Seattle, there's a shop called Pagliacci's, amazing stuff.

[monpetitchoux]

Okay, let's just face it. There's no good pizza (Neapolitan style, at least) anywhere west of New York City. I grew up there and ate plenty of good and bad pizza. Whenever I felt a "pizza panic" I would buy a slice wherever I happened to be. They were all independent neighborhood places. And the pizza had to be eaten there so that the crust is cripy. I'm really peevish about soggy/saggy crusts.

he first time I ever went to a Pizza Hut was in college in PA. Yuckie. Took other people's words that Domino's was worse so I never had it. I very rarely eat pizza after moving away from NYC. If I have to eat pizza now, I usually go to this place in Oakland that makes their dough from organic flour. Although that aspect is attractive, I go simply because they make the pizzas in a real pizza oven.

I know I'll be getting lots of flack for my first statement. So lay it on. I'm a native New Yorker and I know what I'm talking about.

[Devotay]

OK even though I am a purist, especially when it comes to pizza, I must pass on this little tidbit of wisdom:

Pizza is just like sex.

When it's good, it's really good.

When it's bad, it's still pretty good.

And it all depends on who's makin' it.


Peace,
kmf

[Greg]

Monpetitchoux, there is at least one place that serves good, authentic Neopolitan pizza (pizza vera Napoletana, as they call it) West of NYC. It's here in St. Paul, MN of all places. They use fresh mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes for the sauce and use the same cooking methods and procedures as restaurants in Napoli that are certified by a local association as serving authentic Neopolitan pizza. Sorry to tease you with knowledge of this place that, while closer to you than NYC, is still a bit far from the Bay area. If you're ever passing through, though, it's only 15 minutes from the airport. It's called Punch Neopolitan Pizza (Punch, or Pulcinella, is a character from the Comedia del Arte used as a symbol to denote restaurants in Napoli that serve certified authentic Neopolitan pizza). Ask for John Sorrano, the owner. The man can tell you more about pizza than I can, and I was his sous chef for over a year.

[monpetitchoux]

OMG! I wished you had told me this back in January. I was on a red-eye to New York when suddenly, at about 3AM mountian time, the captain came on the loud speaker and urged everyone to fasten their seatbelts. The plane was jolting. We had to land in St. Paul. When I finally reached the counter, I demanded a refund and a return trip back to San Francisco. But I was stuck in that airport for several hours. I wished I had known about Punch back then. It would have calmed me down and made a terrible situation better. It might even have given me the strength to continue onto New York. Thank you for letting me know about this place. The airlaine gave me a voucher. Maybe this time, I'll end up in St. Paul on purpose.

[Kimmie]

I agree with kmf:

True Neopolitan pizza blows the doors off anything America makes, sad but true. Only homemade (with extra love) even stands a chance in comparison.

Homemade pizza takes time so we try to plan our "pizza urges" the most we can. We became so fed up with mediocre restaurant pizza!!



P.S.: I just ordered Pizza Napolitana!, Pamela Sheldon Johns. Here's a small quote from the publisher:

The first cookbook to present the original authentic recipes that gave rise to the world's insatiable appetite for pizza

Can't wait!

[ May 21, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]

[Greg]

Good for you, Kimmie! Napoli-style really is the best way to make pizza!

Monpetitchoux, if it makes you feel better, the restaurant was closes at 9 or 10pm, depending on the day. You would have had to break in and the police would have arrived long before you could get the oven up to temp! I'm pretty sure, though, that pizza Napoletana is a valid defense in court for breaking and entering. Or in this case, breaking, entering and building a fire. If not, it should be.