Dante's Pizza Revisited (Indianola Ave and Torrance)

Hype: It's been a while and I remember liking it. There are a lot of different opinions on Dantes. The most convincing I heard is that it really depends on who's working. Oh, like Hounddogs.

Scene: Still nice. It was dark in there and it was packed with families. They have those tables for two that you can keep stacking together until all twelve people on your youth soccer team are together. Don't you remember?

The Pie:
Crust: No joke this was super good. It was thin and crisp. Partysliced, but even if it were in big slices it would have been man enough to stand up to all of that...
Sauce: sweet n tangy the way I like it. mmm. Lots of Italian Seasoning. They weren't shy about its application either.
Cheese: low point of the pie. I just don't like it. Too much, too gooey. Not enough action in its flavor either. I suspect.
Peps: Nice. Thin and not too oily. Lots of salty spicy deliciousness.

Overall: We stand by our first instinct on this one. Take the whole family, or basketball team and enjoy the family values at Dante's. 4----5.

South Campus Slice Showdown!!! [OSU South Campus, Columbus, OH]

Hype: It's been too long since we've been to the king of South Campus Party Pizza shops--Catfish Biff's. Since our last visit, two new south campus slice places have opened up: Formaggio, a "Steubenville Style" shop on 13th and High with dollar slices, and a more upscale (by South Campus standards) shop on Chittenden and High that serves buffalo chicken slices along with the traditional stuff. ***note-I will eat buffalo chicken pizza only in Buffalo, NY. Just sayin. It's time to find out if any of these newbies can roll with Catfish Biffs. ***Another note-- Adraiaticos is above this entire conversation. Leave her out of it.
Scene: Minivans with teenage kids dressed to the nines in their best punk rock gear were visible unloading for an apparent battle of the bands from Formaggio's porch. Meth-heads were walking around bird-dogging underage chicks and the streets still smell like half-digested Bud Light and hippie oil. This is the view at both Formaggio and Cantoni's. I did like the workers at Cantoni's a little better than Formaggio's. Steubenville is like a shitty Youngstown and I think the creep working there was inbred--just guessin. Catfish Biff's still has the picnic table with the dorm and basketball court view. The single block off High Street really separates it enough from all of the racket--let's not even begin to talk about the poured concrete outdoor mall from hell that they built down there.

The Pies:

Formaggio
Crust- Crispy and fresh out of the oven. Oil added to the crispness nicely. It is a small, dollar-slice but even if it were big it would have held up. Square (pictured below)
Sauce- Sweet and tomato heavy. Not a lot of spices other than basil were visible.
Cheese- Steubenville style. Fresh, but not a lot. Gobbed in the center.
Peps- Salty, medium sized. Nothing to write home about.
Overall: Not bad. It's only a dollar, so if it is late and you need to mop up the mess, don't hesitate to try a taste. Last time I tasted a little Steubenville late at night I wound up on anti-biotics! 3--5.

Cantoni's
Crust- This is a party-folder straight outta NYC! That's not saying its great or anything they just got the foldability of a New York slice. Good to see. The crust was, however, bland and tasted like a Pilsbury breadstick on the outside.
Sauce- Sweet and tangy. I liked it and it worked with the cheese very well.
Cheese- Not as fresh as Formaggio, but this is a big NY slice, and for what it was it worked.
Peps- small, thick-cut and cupped. tasty.
Overall: Dave liked this the best, James and I thought that it was better than Formaggio, but still not Catfish Biff's. 3--5. Certainly worth a try.
Catfish Biff's
Crust- Doughy with some spices mixed in. Almost a sourdough taste. Not crisp. Weak but satisfying.
Sauce- Sweet and garlicky.
Cheese- Like a cheap date. Perfect for late at night.
Peps- Limp and salty. I love it this way.
Overall- This is the Jeff Fernengel of pizzas. I have every reason to hate it yet I love it like family. Every fall when it opens back up it is a must-eat slice. Still the king of South Campus Party Pie, but with worthy competition.

Hudson Street Pizza (Hudson St, Just East of I-71)

Hype: I was driving by the other day and saw it--looked kinda promising, but one must use caution when eating pizza next to inter sate highways. In my experience, the less convenient, the better. Though I'm sure there are countless exceptions to this rule.

Scene: There was a huge "Impressionism" poster about impressionism. People of different ethnic back rounds were all working there, together--I'm not saying anything. I'm just saying that this not typical of family-run pizza shops, where usually everyone is related or look like they could be cousins. At this shop there was a white lady, a black lady, and a Mediterranean guy all working there. Hey, maybe they are all cousins--after all, it is the '90s.
The Pie
Crust- Home made. I mean, home made. It tasted like my Aunt Ellen made it. Actually this was somewhat charming and may be the highlight of the pie.
Sauce- Very bland. Very canned. Not memorable at all.
Cheese- heavily applied and not bad. Not great at all.
Peps- Weak, thin, flat, tasteless and shameful.

Overall- Slice one--mediocre in every way. Slice two- not that good. Slice three- lame. Slice four- pizza regret. I would not recommend getting this pie with Clintonville Primo right up the street. Maybe if we were partying harder it would have changed things. 2--5.

Hospital Pizza: Riverside Methodist Hospital

Hype: I had not really had anything meaningful to eat in about a day. They brought her meals all the time but totally left me hanging!?!?!?!?!? Daddy was hungry so I ducked out to find the cafeteria.

Scene: Lots of people wearing scrubs, lab coats, mixed with rednecks and office dorks. These are not the office dorks of the Short North that wear ties late at night to attract shallow women. These are real, dorky, dorks--like IT guys. Also there are babies, and lots of hallways. Oh yeah, the pie was made by an Asian dude, from Asia. He could not be The President. I'm just sayin.

The Pie
Crust- It was kinda chewy with some air bubbles. Pretty well cooked. No complaints in this department.
Sauce- Flavorless and dried out. I bet this pie had been sitting out for several hours before I got to it.
Cheese- Bland. Boring. There was some of it on there but it added nothing.

Peps- They had other mystery meat on there too. None of it was flavorful at all. I could not tell what it was.

Overall: I was not in the hospital for the pizza. I was afraid of the fish, so I just went with the least worst option. It was pretty bad, but as they say, 'Pizza is like sex. Even when it is bad, it's still good.' 2--5 BYOB.