Smokin' Joes [2657 N High St, Columbus, OH--261-4686]

Hype:
I was a little stressed out so I called up Jim to see if he wanted to do a little pizza/cavs. He's a good friend.



Smokin' Joe's, half of the Hounddog's pizza empire, dominates the pizza scene in the North Campus area. Anything south of Arcadia and North of 17th Ave is Hounddogs territory. Beyond these streets we would go Gatto's and Flying, respectively. It's a little strange subjecting this to review because we eat it almost weekly. I've had some incredible pizza there, both really good and really bad. When you go is key, unfortunately.


Scene:
I don't want to be mean, but it can be pretty shitty sometimes. This trip there was some cheesy LA punk band doing sound check. I cannot express how annoying they were, but I guess it is better than the usual stream of Rage Against the Machine, Jane's Addiction, and Fugazi. The TV was broken by our seat so no Cavs.


Pie:
Crust- chewy, sweet, garlicky, and good. tonight it was slightly dry, but still solid.
Sauce- we always get spicey. That's just what it was. Lots of TANG...
Cheese- weak point of the pie, but still good. tons of it. kinda flavorfu.
Peps- Very good. Nice variation of crisp v. chewy. Spiced and salty. Excellent.


Overall:
Usually this place is really good. However I have had the second worst pizza of my life at Hounddogs. Tonight was good though. A very solid 4 out of 5 from a Columbus institution. It hit the spot.

Of Note:
Ravari room is excellent on weeknights and on Fridays before 9pm. Dollar beers man!!!

Jet's Pizza(39 S. Telegraph Rd. Pontiac, MI or 3858 Main St. Hilliard,OH)

Hype: There simply was none. I had never even planned on eating this stuff in my life because it looked like horrible chain pizza.

Scene: Okay, here's the scoop. Played a show in Detroit(actually Pontiac, a part of the area)which was located in this huge building with like two or three floors and a thousand rooms or something. Next to the bar, there was this kooky halloween party going on with middle-aged business men, weird party people in costumes and young babes. After playing i tried to sneak in, but security promptly booted me out, telling me it was a private party. About an hour later when it looked like things were dying down, i drunkenly stumbled back in and headed straight for the food table where some blondes in tight clothing served me free breadsticks and hot slices. The score of a lifetime.

The Pie:

Crust: Nice and filling. Thick,heavy Adriatico's style, but dare i say better?

Cheese: Tons. Super tasty and flavorful. Chewy and Thick. Hit the spot. Also,much like the aforementioned Adriatico's. On a level, yo.

Sauce: Good stuff, tangy and tart.

Pep: Nice large slices, just enough grease. Really made the rest of the pizza shine.

Overall: Alright, here's the deal, this pizza was delicious, but due to the circumstances of the evening i may have to reevaluate this pizza because A. I was pretty drunk, B. hadn't eaten dinner C. it was free and D. was served to me by girls. Right now it stands as a 5 out of 5 pie pizza,but I plan on trying to make it out to the Hilliard location asap just to make sure that it lives up to the repuation of that night. There is also the off chance that this pizza may be better in Detroit since i believe this is where the chain began. You know, like Cincinnati's Adriatico's doesn't hold a candle to Columbus' Adriatico's. Shit's weird that way man.

Romanceing the Pizza: the short north--pizza?

She said it would only take a second. I was game. Its so hard to refuse her when she looks in to my eyes. She promised beer, snacks, and a lack of deutche-bags because it was a Tuesday. I caved the minute she asked.


The place was crawling with professional-men, that couldn't even take their tie off on the way to the bar, scenesters, bikedudes, and hip-hop dudes. Everyone had their respective looks down perfectly. It was loud, but I could hear only her voice. Nothing she said mattered to me. I wanted to make out. She wanted pizza. I can never refuse pizza, even at a hellhole like this.

That was no pizza. It was called "Chicken Tandadori Something Something." What the fuck? It was small--one size fits all. I guess they are meant for people to eat while nursing their vodka and cocaines-weight watchers, you know. I was still hungry. She ordered nachos, even they came with straws.
In the short north they won't make you pizza--they'll make you a flatbread.

Panzera's Pizza (1354 Grandview Ave., Columbus,OH, 43212)

Hype: Everyone seems to like this place. Ate here several years ago but never really with a pizza critical view in mind.

Scene: Nice patio to enjoy your pie on while catching a nice breeze, tho there's no place to eat inside. What does one do in the winter when they want to eat their pie fresh from the oven? hmmm. something to consider. This place could not be reviewed when its cold outside.

The Pie:

Crust: Damn solid. Chewy, firm, not burnt in the least.
Sauce: Great and tangy, seasoned well with some definite oregano flavoring going on.
Cheese: Decent. Not enough though. Biggest complaint of this pie was that it could have used some more cheese on top.
Peps: Oh yeah, this was the high point of the slaying. Flavorful with hints of grease, but not too much. They curled up nicely on the pie, given a nice aesthetic value to the presentation.

Overall: Good stuff here. 4 out of 5 pies. A strong 4 at that.