Luciano's Pizza & Wings - Denver, CO

1043 Broadway
Denver, CO 80202
303 446 2424 (phone 1)
303 446 2525 (phone 2)
303 446 2425 (fax)
http://www.lucianospizzaandwings.com/
Hours: Mon - Thu 11:00am -10:30pm, Fri - Sat 11:00am - 2:30am or later, Sun 11:00am -10:30pm

Styles of Pizza: traditional
Service: counter service, carry-out, delivery

Standout Tidbit: 18" & 26" sheet pizzas in addition to 16" & 12" round pies.

Review: Luciano’s is located on Broadway just 2 blocks south of the Denver Public Library and the Denver Art Museum. The restaurant is clean, and the exposed brick walls are decorated with framed Italian Art Deco posters. Even though there is enough seating for at least 20-30 patrons, our groups have been the only dine-in customers both times I have visited. Judging by the cavernous kitchen and its’ 4 big pizza ovens, I assume Luciano’s gets a large amount of delivery sales from the Capitol Hill and Golden Triangle neighborhoods, as well as a decent amount of foot traffic from the Broadway club-goers needing late night pie by the slice.

There are several specialty crusts on the menu, and we ordered a basic cheese pie with the garlic crust. The dough seems to be their standard offering with a special topping added to the outer rim/lip, as opposed to being incorporated inside the crust. It was, in fact, very garlic-y.

This thin-crust pie has a lot of thickness to it. Although the outer layer has a nice, slight crispness, the inner crust is very soft, doughy, and breadlike. The cheese was layered thick on top and looked to be just a smooth layer of glistening white-ness with only a hint of browning. It was so think, in fact, that when it came out of the oven, you may have been hard-pressed to see any sauce peeking through, until the pie is cut into slices. We found it to be quite gooey and stringy when separating a slice from the tray or taking a bite. As far as the flavor of the cheese, it was pleasant and mild without being overly salty or greasy.

Once the za cooled down enough to taste everything properly, we agreed that the sauce was our favorite part. (My brother and I RARELY agree on anything.) It was very flavorful and tomato-y without being too sweet or salty. The texture was quite smooth without being creamy.

The downside of this pie in my opinion (others have corroborated my impressions), is the sheer quantity of the cheese and sauce and thickness of the crust. Everything is present in equal amounts, but I personally feel there is too much of everything. One quick peek into my vast archives of past pizza pics reminded me that Luciano’s is just as generous with the addition of fresh toppings as they are with the core ingredients.

I thought this to be a slightly dangerous pie as once you a bite through the thick strata of cheese and toppings, you then have to worry about the deep reservoirs of scalding red sauce squirting out the sides of your slice or down your chin. I, for one, quickly opted for a knife and fork, as things were getting messy. Tasty, but messy.

In all fairness, it has taken me a LONG time to post this review and I should go back to check to sample another pizza and my facts. A Zealot's work is never done.

Gavin

Waldo Pizza - Kansas City, MO

7433 Broadway (75th and Wornall)
Kansas City, MO 64114
Phone: 913-363-5242
http://www.waldopizza.net/welcome/
Hours: Sun - Thu 11am - 10pm, Fri & Sat 11am - 11pm

Styles of Pizza: St. Louis Thin Crust, Traditional Hand-Tossed, Honey Whole Wheat
Service Type: Dine In, Delivery, Carry-Out


Standout Tidbit: St. Louis Style Pizza!?

Review: Where's Waldo? It's in Kansas City. And although KC is known for it's BBQ, it may soon be known for pizza. Why? Because, in a word, "that sh!t tastes good".

After a short drive to the "Waldo" neighborhood in Kansas City, my brother (phat pocket j) and I quickly spotted Waldo Pizza. It was a weekday night and there was a small wait. We were greeted with a sign that read, "it's worth the wait". So, we bellied up to the bar, where they have a nice selection of local micro-brews.

Half way through our first Boulevard Pale Ale, we were seated. We jumped right in and ordered an extra large (16") St. Louis Style pie with mushroom, green peppers, chicken. What's St. Louis Style? It's a rich blend of NY Cheddar, Provolone, Swiss, and Mozzarella on an extra thin crispy crust glazed with garlic butter and a light touch of sauce.

It was good. The crust was thin, crisp on the outside - but you could still fold a slice. The blend of cheeses was great. and not too cheesey. The toppings were fresh. I barely noticed the sauce (they weren't kiddin' when they said "light touch of sauce". It wasn't a "white pie", the hint of sauce takes the edge off of the cheese.

I spied the table next to us. They had one of the Honey Whole Wheat crusted pies. It looked good, too. Now that I know where to find Waldo, it's safe to say that I'll be back.

- shawniscool (with phat pocket j)

Beniamino's Chicago Pizzeria- Denver, CO

*CLOSED*

1 Broadway
Suite 108B
Denver, CO 80203
http://www.beniaminos.com/


Styles of pizza: Chicago-Style stuffed crust, thin-crust “flat pies” and slices
Service: Dine-in / counter, carry-out, take home half-baked pies, delivery

Review: When Westword – our local, independent newspaper – comes out with their “Best of Denver” every year, the first thing I do is check out their various pizza picks. Since SupaCoo has already covered the pick for “best” NY-style pie for 2006, I took it upon myself to check out Beniamino’s, the “thick crust” title winner for both 2005 and 2006.

Located at the corner of Broadway and Ellsworth, Beniamino’s is in a great spot for someone who is hitting the vintage “SoBo” shops, hungry after a movie at the Mayan Theater, or stumbling through the middle of the Broadway Bar Crawl. The restaurant is clean and has an open feel, with maybe a dozen small tables sprinkled throughout. The walls display a mix of Chicago paraphernalia, local concert flyers, and modern paintings.

Ben Guest, the head honcho at Beniamino’s, will proudly let you know that he has received a bevy of “Best Thick Crust/Chicago Pizza” accolades since opening a couple of years ago. He really lights up, though, when he breaks out his 50-year-old, well-worn, deep dish pans. He credits the pans with his ability to make a true south-side Chicago pie unlike anyone else in Denver.

Being a vegetarian, I couldn’t take up Ben’s suggestion to try his favorite combo – any volunteers? – a sausage, spinach, and jalapeño-stuffed crust pie. I have previously tried his “secret recipe” spinach on a “flat pie,” and can’t honestly say I was a fan. Maybe the healthy dose of nutmeg mixes better with the heat of jalapeños. Next time perhaps…

This visit, we settled on a 14” (large) stuffed crust pie filled with veggies. The pizza arrived after the requisite 30 minute baking time in the traditional oven (no conveyor belts here). The high, golden walls of crust contained a pool of sauce that had been ladled on top of the “upper crust.” The rest of the fresh ingredients (olives, green peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms) were all safely tucked away between the top and bottom layers of crust (much like in a calzone), where they retained their moisture and mixed with a thick, soft layer of tasty mozzarella.

The sauce was slightly seasoned, tasted very fresh and “tomatoey,” and had a hint of sweetness. Ben applies the sauce on top at the beginning of the baking. This prevents the upper crust from baking to the same degree as the rest of the shell. Although I was fine with it, a couple fellow Zealots were put off by the variation in crust texture. For a moment, we were trying to determine if the gooey, unbaked top crust was actually a second layer of cheese. The sides and the bottom crust had a nice, slightly buttered flavor and were firm, evenly browned, and light in texture.

The slices of this stuffed crust za are very thick and clearly meant to at least be started with a fork. I had to argue with my full stomach to just let me finish a second piece. This 14” pie (along with some Greek salads and a few bottled microbrews) filled up 4 adults, and there were still a few slices left over for lunch the next day.

Most of us agreed that this pie deserved a “pretty good” overall rating. Clearly, it was the best true Chicago-style za we had tried in Denver…at least up to this point. A devout Zealot’s work is never done.

- Gavin

Pizza Junction - Greenwood Village, CO

4666 S. Yosemite St
(Yosemite @ Union)
Greenwood Village, CO
Phone: (303) 221-4004
Fax: (303) 221-4510

Styles of pizza: Traditional thin-crust
Service: Carry-out, dine-in, counter, delivery

Standout Tidbit: Everything's better with Strawberry fountain soda. Yum!

Review: Five days after reading about Pizza Junction winning "Best Pizza of the West"* at the International Pizza Expo, three faithful zealots ventured out for a try. After all, "award winning" and "pizza" are some of our favorite words.

Pizza Junction lives in a 70s-style strip mall just north of the Tech Center. The nondescript interior is plastered with train pictures, clocks, signage, and anything that shouts "CHOO CHOO!" (including a clock that, on the hour, does just that). We strolled up to the counter to place our order for the standard large cheese. We were thrilled to discover that the Junction is one of the few non-NY style places to offer an 18-inch za. The other surprise - a choice of three self-proclaimed "savory sauces" - Traditional, Spicy, and White. After inquiring about the best, we settled on their recommendation of spicy.

Being the only people in the joint we had our pick of the tables. The dining area is cozy (read: small) and contained four small patio tables covered with checkered tablecloths. We sat down and enjoyed our sodas (Pepsi products) while the smell of our pizza baking filled the tiny space. We talked briefly with the owner who told us he'd been perfecting his recipes of sauces and crusts for a few years before recently opening the PJ. The menu sports your typical pizza-joint toppings, with the addition of one unique item: cashews. We were enlightened to learn that "true" Hawaiian-style pizza is ham, pineapple, and cashews. (Cashews? Hawaii? Really?)

When our piping hot pizza was delivered it nearly covered the entire surface area of the small table. The cheese ventured nearly all the way to the edge of the crust and was bubbly and browned (almost too much so for our taste). Digging in (caution: HOT!) we munched through a traditional-style crust and discovered a slightly zesty bite to the sauce. The crust was soft and chewy, with a nice flavor. There was no crispiness to it at all. I thought the spicy sauce was fine, but I would like to return to try the traditional since I prefer a more tomato-y flavor. This had a strong "tangy" character in addition to the slight spicy heat. The cheese had a good, not-too-salty taste, but was about four minutes too brown and seemed to get lost among the odd spicy sauce and pillowy crust.

As we finished up our meal, the tiny restaurant started to jam with local high school students. The remaining tables filled up quickly with prepubescent teens and was more than enough incentive for us to refill our sodas and hit the road.

I hope to return to Pizza Junction to give another pizza a try (especially if they add sauerkraut as a topping as I suggested. Luckily, along with the colossal 18-incher, they also offer personal size pizzas that I wouldn't have to share.) In addition, their Cinna-Pie and Caramel Apple Pizzas sound like delicious ways to finish off a meal.

Hit the tracks to the Pizza Junction and let us know what you think!

Za-liciously,
SupaCoo


*editor's note: We should let you know that Pizza Juction won their award for the Train Wreck pie, with 3 cheeses, sausage, bacon, onion green peppers, and pineapple. - G

Big Bill's New York Pizza - Centennial, CO

8243 S. Holly St.
Centennial, CO
Phone: (303)741-9245

Styles of pizza: New York-style thin crust, Sicilian thick crust
Service: dine-in counter service, carry-out

Standout tidbit: Avoid the free cookies as you exit. If you need sweet stuff, go for the straight-outta-Brooklyn Drakes Cakes displayed throughout the joint.

Review: After much great za lately, I was excited to try the proclaimed best NY-style pizza of 2006. Being the NY-style pizza lover that I am, and finding Big Bill's to be near my suburban office, I couldn't wait to try it out. However, I think someone over at Westword must have had the munchies when they picked this one. I don't claim to know where the best NY Style pizza in Denver is, but Big Bill's CAN NOT be the best. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying Big Bill's is bad, per se. But to be the best - I mean, that's setting some lofty expectations.

We headed over for a lunch-time za about a week after "the best" rating came out. It's one of those typical suburban strip mall pizza joints, with a blandish interior (think plastic wood tables and chairs stolen from Shakey's) and random NYC-related sports crap.

Big Bill's large pizzas are only 16", and four of us usually split an 18-incher at Anthony's. So we warmed up with large salads ($3.25) and tasty garlic knots ($3.99 for a dozen). The knots were good, slightly salty/garlicy and the marinara sauce was delish as well. So far, so good. The menu also offers calzones, and anything that looks or sounds remotely Italian.

After a short wait, out came our piping hot fresh cheese za. We dug in eagerly. My first slice had somehow been missed by the sauce fairy as the red stuff was really sparse. (The second slice was better in that regards, and the sauce was interesting - slightly sweet - once I got some.) The crust was crunchy and cracker-like, which was probably because it had to hold its weight against the rivers of oozing grease. But almost too crunchy, in a disturbing "Am I going to chip my tooth?" way. The amount of cheese was a little on the skimpy side, with a small spattering of oregano sprinkled on and baked in to top it all off. The pizza was a little more on the "well done" side, when I prefer medium doneness (perhaps explaining the crunch?).

(Oh, and that Westword review? It lies when it says the slices are foldable. NO FOLDING HERE! Did those guys even TRY this place? Or did they just see "New York" in the restaurant name and deem them worthy?)

Overall, the pizza was fine - really more forgettable than memorable. But it was pizza, and all Zealots know that some pizza is better than no pizza at all.

Zas truly,
SupaCoo

New York Pizza and Pasta - Las Vegas, NV

2400 S Jones Blvd
# 13
Las Vegas, NV 89146
Phone: (702) 871-1159
Hours: Daily 11am-9:30pm

Styles of pizza: New York-style thin crust
Service: Wait staff dine-in, carry-out

Standout tidbit: A few miles West of the strip on the NE corner of Sahara and Jones Rd.

Review: The open kitchen is behind a black and white-tiled counter on your right when you walk in the door. It looks like NYP&P originally took up one unit in this strip mall, but recently expanded into 2 more dining areas. The entry side looks a little more cluttered and well-worn than the other two. This is where family and day-long regulars hang out with the owners and kitchen staff during slow times. The remaining two dining areas are spotless with bright white walls and a fake rose on each black, clean, institutional-style table. Framed posters of various Manhattan sights adorn the walls. The bathroom was immaculate and we all enjoyed the nice touch of an artificial tree in the corner opposite of the toilet.

After checking the menu, all four of us settled on the lunch special of a salad, cheese slice, and drink for about $5. It was about 2pm so the lunch rush was over. I guess they had to make a fresh pie (no complaints here) because we were told by the owner that it would take a little time, but it would be worth it. We devoured our plain, wet, boring iceberg salads fairly quickly. We did note that the menu listed other, non-lunch-special salads with a wide range of ingredients. We waited another 15 minutes or so after the salad bowls were taken away for the slices to show up on our table. Shawn was just about to slip over the “hungry/grumpy” edge, but, when they did arrive, all was forgiven.

The slices were a good size (although I have never known a slice to be “too big”), and were served on cool, aluminum plates instead of the standard scalloped paper type. The crust was very thin, slightly salty, foldable and was browned with some slight charring. The interior maintained a good softness while the exterior had a slight crisp to it. The ratio of cheese to sauce was just to our liking and both were very flavorful. The fresh-tasting sauce had a nice texture and was lightly herbed. The cheese provided a slight amount of grease. Shawn was heard claiming, “now, I can eat a LOT of this pizza.”

Hands down, this was the most authentic NY-style, and best pizza we had in Sin City. If you have a need for pizza in Vegas, and a method of transportation away from the strip, this is the place. I still need to try a whole pie as well as sample some toppings, so I’ll be renting a car on my next visit as well.

Gavin

Joe’s New York Pizza - Las Vegas, NV

4480 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 792-9001

Style of Pizza: New York-style thin crust
Service: counter service dine-in, carry-out, delivery

Standout Tidbit: "10 Varieties Available by the Slice Daily!" Other locations back East in New Hampshire.

Review: Joe’s was the first pizza place we hit after landing in Vegas. It was easy to find as it is across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Paradise Road. We arrived a little after 11am and this counter-style establishment was clean (including the bathrooms), the staff was friendly, and the glass display case on the counter was packed with a good variety of seemingly fresh pies for slices. They claim to offer “10 different pizza slices available each day” for their “No Delay Lunch.” The menu also offers salads, “monster calzones”, and more than a dozen “specialty” pies, including 2 white pizzas and no less than 5 pizzas with chicken. The sizes of pies range from 12” up to 19”.

Even though we were pretty hungry, we only ordered one slice each. We knew we would be going to another restaurant after picking up another member of the group at the airport an hour and a half later. After ordering, our slices were placed on screens and slipped into the rotating carousel pizza oven for re-heating.

Joe’s slices are quite thin and foldable, although not as large as I usually expect from a NY-style counter joint. We found the cheese to be tasty, not-too-salty, and only slightly greasy, which is fine by me. The veggie toppings were fresh (mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic), and my brother seemed to like his ham and pineapple slice quite a bit. The take-out menu states their sauce and dough are made fresh every day. The sauce was flavorful with nice herbs that don’t overpower the tomatoes. The subtly–flavored crust seemed nicely-browned, crispy outside, and soft and chewy inside with some decent bubble holes within.

We left Joe’s on our first morning in Vegas feeling we had just eaten some pretty good pizza. If that had been our lunch, instead of a pre-lunch snack, we might have been a little grumpy about the size. But, for now, we were good.

We stopped by Joe’s again on our way to the airport 3 days later. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon and we found the choices quite a bit scarcer as far as slices went. There were nowhere near 10 options available. We also thought they seemed a little dryer, which would make sense if they had been sitting out for a bit. This visit, we were troubled by the fact that some of the slices had a HUGE lip that would encroach up to 2 inches into the pie. I half wondered if they had run out of ingredients and made a 12” za on a 19” crust.

Our overall impression after two visits was that the pizza was tasty, but a little inconsistent as far as the execution goes.

Gavin

Benny Blanco's Slice of the Bronx - Denver, CO

616 E 13th Avenue
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: (303) 831-1346
info@bennyblancos.com
http://www.bennyblancos.com/

Style of Pizza: New York-style thin crust (slices and whole pies)
Service: carry-out, delivery

Standout Tidbit: As they claim on the website, "The Largest, Latest Pie in Town!"

Review: This should be a short and sweet review, but that's appropriate considering a trip to Benny Blanco's can be very brief. There is no atmosphere to speak of at this tiny, Capital Hill, counter joint. All there is to Benny Blanco's is a kitchen with a small counter one step from the front door. You just walk in, place your order, and get out. If you order a whole pie during the day, you can go next door and shop for music at Wax Trax while it cooks. There is a TV mounted on the wall, but I get the feeling that is more for the benefit of the pizza makers behind the counter.

Benny Blanco's pizza tastes pretty good, but there are a couple factors that can kick the ranking a little higher. The first is that the medium sized za is 18" while their large is a whopping 20". As far as I know right now, this is the largest in town since Papa Keno's left town and took their mammoth 26" pizza with them. The second plus is that they are open and delivering till midnight Sunday and Monday, and till 3am the rest of the week.

As a good New York-style pizza should be, the crust is pretty thin and the larger slices fold nicely. The toppings seem fresh and spread evenly and in a decent quantity, while the sauce-to-cheese ratio was quite nice. Everything had a good flavor to it, although the sauce seemed to slightly edge on the salty side.

Without the benefit of any seating, whole pies must be carried out or delivered, so slight cooling is expected. A Benny Blanco's pie remains quite tasty as the heat diminishes.

In summary, this is good NY-style pizza that graduates to great when you have a craving to satisfy after that late-night concert on Colfax.

Gavin

Wyman's No.5

2037 East 13th Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
303-996-0842
303-996-0841 (fax)

Styles of Pizza: Pan (claims to be Chicago Style)
Service: table/bar service, carry-out

Standout Tidbits: PBR for HAPPY HOUR! Wyman's is right next to Lik's Ice Cream (formerly Lickety Split) at 13th and Vine.

Review: Wyman's No. 5 is a neighborhood tavern-type establishment located just east of the Capitol Hill neighborhood (and north of Cheeseman Park) in Denver. The decor is dark hardwoods, pool tables, a few stained-glass windows, and several TV's showing various sporting events. The simple menu offers up whole "Chicago Style Pies". In addition to build-your-own options with either red or spinach pesto sauce, there are a series of specialty pies with names like "The Tree Hugger" (pesto & veggies), "The Phat Brando", and the "Dazed & Confused". The menu I saw (and brought home for reference) is just one sheet and didn't even list a salad or dessert. But hey! It's a bar. The staff, or at least the bartender who took our order and brought our beers and pizza, was very pleasant. He even joined in our pie-related conversation when he asked why we were taking pictures of the food.

This was a pretty good tasting pan pizza, but the construction of it reminded me of a regular pan pie, like you would find at Pizza Hut (but tasted far superior). It had a very flavorful, moderately-seasoned sauce, yet, it wasn't quite as chunky with pieces of tomatoes as I normally expect from a Chicago pie. There was a healthy amount of good mozzarella. The main issues I have are with the deepness of the crust and the amount of toppings. The base and sides of the crust were only slightly thicker than that of a tradtional thin crust. This allowed for a "lip" around the edge of the pie that hardly stood above the other ingredients. The amount of toppings were adequate, but certainly not the copious layers we were anticipating.

I visited Wyman's on a Tuesday with another Zealot before we attended our weekly poker game. Our plan was to enjoy a couple $1.50 Happy Hour Pabst Blue Ribbons and get temporarily filled up on a slice or two while we warmed up our poker faces by watching the World Series of Poker. We were hoping to be savoring our leftovers during a mid-tournament break later in the evening. The proportions of this pizza were so "normal", however, that we wound up finishing the whole thing then and there. It turned out ok, as we both got knocked out of the game and went home early. We blamed it on the cheap PBR.

Please let me re-iterate, this is good bar pizza. My only issue is that, in my opinion, I think its' style is being misrepresented. I need to make a point of going out and trying more Chicago-style pizzas, and if I find I have been in error I vow to come back and update this post.

Gavin

Two-Fisted Mario's Pizza

1626 Market St
Denver, CO 80202
303-623-3523
Hours: 11am-2am Mon-Thu, 11am-3am Fri, 12pm-3am Sat, 12pm-2am Sun

Styles of Pizza: traditional (some call it East Coast-style) thin-crust, Sicillian
Service: counter service, carry-out

Standout Tibits: 1) LOUD staff-picked music at night, which can range from punk, to hardcore, to hip-hop. 2) Instead of calling out your name when your order is up, or giving you a number to place on your table, they give you a large children's toy so they know where to bring your food. Last night we wound up with a Sesame Street kiddie ATM. 3) There are 3 old-school tabletop video games: Centipede, Ms. PacMan, and Asteroids. 4) Mario's is connected, via a heavy black curtain, to Mario's Double Daughter Salatto, a very cool, non-smoking bar/lounge that looks like it was decorated by Edward Gorey or Tim Burton. You can order pizza any time while on the other side of the curtain.

Review: Conveniently located in downtown Denver, Mario's is only a few steps from 16th street mall on Market Street. This joint is good for a quick lunch and great for the late-night bar-hoppers as it is open till 3am on the weekends and till 2am during the week. The menu is straight and to the point: slices or whole pizzas with toppings that don't stray from standard fare, calzones, salad, beer, and sodas.

We went last night at about 11pm after a few cocktails elsewhere and I can honestly say that I have had much better pizza here before. The crust was pretty good, with that just right combination of crispy on the outside and somewhat chewy within. The toppings seemed fresh and tasty but lacking in good coverage. We got the Shrooms and Spin pie which features mushrooms, spinach, and "fresh Transylvanian garlic". There was plenty of spinach, but I couldn't count more than 5 mushroom bits on the whole pie and Robin was halfway into her second slice before she exclaimed "oh, there's the garlic." The sauce wasn't completely flavorless, but I couldn't detect many spices either, and this wasn't one of those sauces where I am happy to let the tomatoes do all the work. The only condiments I could find to enhance the flavor were the little packets of parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper. OH!, my left ear for a dash of salt!

The decor is bright and colorful, but tends to feel like a college freshman's dorm room. This is due in part to the aforementioned music, multi-colored lights, upcoming concert posters, and various stickers peppered about the place. The staff is young, tattooed, and hip and seem to be having a good time when not overly busy, which it can get during the later hours.

Overall, I can just say that Mario's pizza was just OK this time around. We did get a good couple games of Centipede in, and another patron gave me his date's full beer when she decided it was time to start sobering up. I am pretty sure he hadn't slipped the roofie in yet.

Personally, I would rather chill to the DJ music next door and order the pizza from there. Not that I think it would have mattered this night, but we usually do order pizza when hanging out at Double Daughter and have really enjoyed it in the past. Just an off night I guess.

Gavin

Update 01/13/2006:
I hung out at Double Daughter last night with friends and ordered a couple pies. These pizzas were much better than my last visit to Two-Fisted Mario's. The sauce was delicious and I had no issues with the coverage of toppings. Be aware that the jalapños they put on the pies here have quite a bit of heat. Oh yeah, the happy hour drinks till 8pm are a big plus as well. - G

Uno Chicago Grill: Westminster

9310 North Sheridan Blvd
Marketplace at Westminster
Westminster, CO 80031
303-430-0931
303-430-5975 (fax)
Website

Styles of Pizza: Chicago deep dish, flatbread
Service: dine-in table service, carry-out

Standout Tidbits: Not really any to speak of.

Review: I realize that I have gone on public record as stating that my favorite type of pizza is a big, greasy, foldable slice of New York-style thin crust. However, when it comes to the so-called War of Pizza, the battle of NY-style versus Chicago-style, consider me Switzerland. When I say "pizza tastes good," I don't discriminate against style. It's all about substance.

On Easter Sunday 2005, Robin and I found ourselves returning to Denver from a brief, morning trip to Boulder. We were very hungry and couldn't find anything that was open and not packed with a fancy-dressed, post-church, Easter brunch crowd. Driving past Westminster, CO. we thought we were going to have to resign ourselves to Sweet Tomatoes, a huge salad-with-soups-taters-pastas-and-desserts bar (they also have french bread pizza that will be reviewed another time). Nearby, I noticed there were cars outside "Uno Chicago Grill" so we headed in for some deep-dish.

Pizzeria Uno is credited with inventing deep dish pizza in Chicago back in 1943. It became so popular that they were forced to open a second location just across the street which was called Pizzeria Due. Over 60 years later there are 200+ locations across the country.

Pizzeria Uno now operates under the name "Uno Chicago Grill" in what I interpret to be an attempt to tap into that virgin territory of the major-chain-suburb-neighborhood-bar niche. When you walk in the door, you could be walking into a Bennigan's, Applebee's, Chili's, T.G.I. Friday's, etc. The wood may be a little darker, the framed posters may have more of an italian food or Chicago slant, but you get the picture. Simpson's fans can simply think "Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag." A pizza-heavy menu has given way to the standard steaks, ribs, chicken wings, fancy foo-foo cocktails, and crazy desserts fit for a whole family.

Of course we were there for one thing, the pizza. We each ordered a small pizza "for 1." I got a straight-up cheese and tomato sauce pie, and Robin ordered a "Spinoccoli" with spinach and broccoli. I must say that both were delicious.

Uno builds their pies in an order some may not notice or be used to. Instead of going dough, sauce, toppings, and cheese, Uno starts with the dough in the pan, then adds the cheese, then toppings, and finally covers it all with the sauce. True to Chicago-style the cheese and toppings are quite plentiful. Native Chicago-ans will claim that pizza is a meal and meant to be eaten with a fork, and not with your hands, and this pie lives up to that specification.

The crust was very buttery and pastry-like. The oil coating the inside of the pan had made the outer crust slightly browned and crisp while the inner crust was still soft and slightly chewy. The toppings were quite fresh and not overcooked to the point of losing their flavor. The cheese was tasty and the perfect gooeyness. Finally, the sauce was amazing. It was very chunky, without being just tomato chunks, and quite seasoned without losing the full flavor of the tomatoes. Quite often, I have found the sauce on Chicago-style pizzas to be too sweet. This was certainly not the case.

Although the setting wasn't the greatest, the restaurant was clean, the service was good and attentive (how can it not be with only 2 other seated tables in the joint), and the food was exceptional. If there was a location closer to our home, I could see us getting carry-out or even stopping by about as often as we give in to our cravings for Red Robin veggie burgers and shakes (about once every 2 months).

Gavin