Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Looks like I should have tried Pagliacci's. I was planning on getting a slice or two at DeLaurenti, which is owned by the same people, but they didn't start selling slices early enough for me before I had to leave to go to the airport.

@lunge: I had eaten Mama Lil's amazing peppers earlier that evening at Flying Squirrel, and the peppers at Zeek's were not as crisp or nearly as mouth-watering as those ones. Maybe Zeek's sells Hungarian Goathorn peppers made by someone else?

@Adam: "Almost none of us at AHT have ever had a good steakhouse burger experience (except for AHT LA reviewer Damon Gambuto, Chicago reviewer Daniel Zemans and AHT editor Robyn Lee."

Fixed. See here for more info.

@WikiAdam: I guess I'm going to have to just appreciate your empathy, because I did not go to Delancey.

@karion: Just because I had the fig bar doesn't mean I didn't have the coconut cream pie. I did and it was incredible. The little bag of fresh donuts served with cinnamon and sugar as well as mascarpone and huckleberry jam was also excellent.

@islandexile: Wish I had known about Rose's before I went. I was on Orcas for a busy wedding weekend so I might not have been able to make it anyhow, but Rose's looks good.

@unarata: I suppose it depends who you ask, but I'd be surprised if I found a mini-chain like Pagliacci better than Serious Pie. That's not to say it's impossible - I'd choose Lou Malnati's over Serious Pie.

The pizzas at Serious Pie are, for the most part, pretty unique particularly in terms of toppings. As I mentioned in the review, most pizzas had neither sauce nor mozzarella cheese. I can easily see why people looking for more traditional pizza would be turned off by Serious Pie. I too would have liked to at least have had the option of a regular sausage pizza. But I thought the lack of choices in pizzas was more than made up for by the quality ingredients and excellent crust.

@jjchampion: I did mock and it was all in good fun. In reality, I'm in hotdoglover's camp: I don't really care what other people do to their burgers. Or anything else they eat for that matter.

I think my burger reviews will be pretty clear, but I think this Grilled bit is great as it gives readers a chance to know where I'm coming from when I do my reviews. I've disavowed ketchup and brioche buns and declared my love for rare meat and strong cheeses. That's the flavor profile I want in a burger, so when I review a place and say what I like about it, it's great that readers know what I'm looking for so they can decide whether the burger I'm describing is one that they think they'll enjoy.

As for cutting out fast food, my reasons were much more tied to the chemicals that go into it and the treatment of employees by most chains that led me to give up on what had been at least a weekly dining choice. I'm not particularly vigilant when it comes to food politics (see: White Castle intake), but it was a place where I could do a little bit while ensuring a healthier lifestyle, which was important given how much other crap I eat.

@roboppy: You grossly exaggerate, but thanks for the kind words.

@hotdoglover: I do not and would not put ketchup on a hot dog. I love sweets, but I think the processed sweetener in ketchup severely clashes with beef. I actually think ketchup clashes with pretty much anything. The only time I eat ketchup is when I'm eating a quality of french fry that tastes more like oil than potato. In those cases, where the fry is pretty much a vessel for fat, I'll gladly soak the thing in ketchup as sugary fat is even better than regular fat.

@Everyone who equates not liking fast food to being a food snob, I'd love to hear some of you make the case as to the quality of places like McDonald's rather than simply insulting those of us who prefer things like fresh meat in our burgers.

@forzapizza: Deep dish and stuffed pizza are recognized by hundreds of millions of people as pizza. If Ed or anyone else wants to call it casserole, it really doesn't bother me at all. I actually find it kind of amusing.

@allot: Thanks, I didn't know that. How far across upstate New York does the square cut go?

@ndfanwabashman: Rocco's sounds delicious, but it's going to take a lot more than a Notre Dame football game to get me to South Bend. Perhaps if they rent out the stadium to two footballl teams that aren't grossly overrated every year, I'll make it there again.

@Mad Ernie and Pizzablogger: I can't be sure because I didn't look inside the oven, but it looked like a standard pizza oven to me. Pizzablogger, did you happen to notice what kind of oven Bazbeaux used?

@Barry Foy: Interesting theory. As I said in the review, next time I'm in Indy, if I'm getting pizza, I'm trying Maria's. Any place that's been open for 50 plus years and sells a sauerkraut pizza has to be good.

@Nick: What do you remember the crust being like?

@Adam: Sorry to disappoint you, but it's still worth trying a pizza puff or two next time you're in Chicago. As far as I know, you'll have travel far from downtown to get a good one. Either head west to Albano's or pretty far south (though Bridgeport is near south and likely has a couple of good ones I don't yet know about). I haven't had a pizza puff/fried calzone/panzerotti outside of Chicago, so I can't compare. Of course, since the key to a good pizza puff is lots of cheese and lots of grease, I'm going to go ahead and assume the Midwest is the place to get the best ones.

@alicemeichi: For all I know, the places that serve it here have been serving it for years, it's just that not many places sell it. Is it common in England? How is it typically prepared - with tomato sauce and mozzarella?

@cxg231: Are there differences in tehe actual meat? My doner kebab experience is relatively limited, but the meat always tasted like gyros to me.

@ryanriggs, skizziks and cebonney: Thanks for the tips. I'm convinced that gyros pizza can be delicious and I'm determined to find a place that does it right.

@joylissa: For most of the actual city, particularly the sections that tourists frequent, public transportation is great and easy to use. It's not as good as New York, but better than any other American city I know of. Lincolnwood is outside the city and either a long bus ride or a very pricey cab ride. If you're staying downtown, you can go to the Lou Malnati's in River North, which I haven't been to in a few years but never disappointed me, or the new one in the South Loop.

@joylissa: Lou Malnati's is the one place I recommend that visitors try. I would warn you to avoid the Lincoln Park/Lakeview location if you can. I've had three consecutive less than great experiences there. In the past month, I've been to the original location in Lincolnwood and the location in Wicker Park (take out and delivery only) and both produced the traditional exceptional pies.

Bubblicious! Are you back to stay or is this just a tease?

@Pizzablogger: Interesting catch. I think you might be on to something. Also, check out his comment in this post, where he is particularly exuberant in his endorsement of Keste's "pizza wallet."

@christin: Thanks for the inside info! As I said in the review, I thought the cappocola was the best meat I had at LaRosa's. Very interesting that it comes from a different supplier than the rest. As for your comments on the pan crust, you might be right that they did not give me the correct crust - that would explain a lot.

@everyone who suggested other foods: this is a pizza blog so that's all I wrote about here. My quick thoughts on other food in Cincinnati: I am a big fan of the chili and think the differences between Skyline and Goldstar are overblown; I can't comment on Camp Washington because their failure to open on Sundays has stopped me from trying it both times it would have been possible. Montgomery Inn does not smoke their ribs and the sauce is really sweet and overpowers the meat. They're not bad, but they're not worth the hefty price tag nor worthy of their reputation. Graeter's remains one of the best ice creams I've ever had.

@CabbyRam: Thanks for sticking up for LaRosa's. I do wonder how they deal with the congealing cheese problem with their deliveries. Or do you think some people don't mind it?