So, to define my recent past, I recall my growth and development throughout my twenties in terms of pizza. Below, are the 10 pizzas that define my 20s. (and there was this one time I ate a chocolate covered jalapeno at the Renaissance Festival, good lord, that is a moment I will never forget...word of caution, and I quote Sir Issac Newton on this one "what goes in, must come out" - Lesson learned in twenties after eating jalapeno doused in chocolate)
NUMBERED BY AGE:
20 - Jet's Pizza
PIZZA: Detroit Style Pepperoni & Italian Sausage
I know if you've read this blog you know how I feel about Jet's, but still, the fact remains, that this Pizza certainly defined my 20th year of life. My job at the time provided what seemed like weekly opportunities for Jet's. Which turned into weekly opportunities for weight gain (dat ranch tho!). This pizza defined 20 because it was prominent, and my first try of Detroit Style pizza. Look, don't judge, no one goes from not drinking wine to enjoying a nice Chianti (snake sound, snake sound, snake sound, snake sound, watch the video below)
PIZZA: Pepperoni
You're going to laugh...so, this one time, I stole pizza from strangers. Well, it was more of a con job than a theft. I was camping in Sterling, MI for a canoe trip down the rifle river with about 15 of my best friends. (If you've been to the rifle river, then you know it's a Redneck Cancun (affectionately named so)). I bought some pizza, had it delivered, and my friends ate it. They left me 1 of my 2 pizzas that I had ordered (hey, 2 pizzas is a serving size!). So, in my anguish and despair, I hatched a plan to go to our neighbor's campsite (where 20-30 pizzas had just also been delivered from the same place) and I carried both my remaining pizza box and the empty pizza box with me. I told them that I had ordered 3 pizzas, and that I thought they had gotten one of mine by mistake. Well, I was betting that it was a sound enough lie and it was, with 20+ pizzas, they didn't mind parting with one of them. I was actually not thinking it was going to work, and I did encounter some resistance. It wasn't until a drunk guy near their campfire shouted, "just give him the damn pizza" that my con job was complete.22 - PizzaPapalis
PIZZA: Chicago Style (by way of Detroit) Deep Dish, Pepperoni & Sausage
I went with a friend whose wedding party I was a part of. It was for a Bachelor party, and we started off the day with this beastly pie. And I say pie in a literal sense. While not at all the best Chicago style Deep Dish I've ever had, PizzaPapalis is the next best thing! I definitely enjoyed it...to the tune of 4 pieces. Which, if you know Chicago Deep Dish, 4 pieces is the equivalent of eating about 42 Bagels. 23 - Red Ox Tavern
PIZZA: Pepperoni, Sausage, & Jalapeno
This stuff, is the bees-knees! I love Red Ox pizza and it all started at 23. Plus, there is little better in this world than jalapenos on a pizza. This place is tied for my favorite pizza place in the Rochester, MI area. I know it's a bar, and it's bar pizza, but I promise you'll like it. Still get goosebumps when I think about it.24 - Hungry Howies
PIZZA: Pepperoni & Sausage with Cajun Crust
Open. Eat. Repeat. Hungry Howies is the only place I've ever eaten at where they provide instructions. They also flavor their crust. I love this place too, it is my go to in the area, and it is special because I graduated college with my undergrad this particular year, and I celebrated with a cigar, a fine bourbon, and this beauty. I ate the pizza by a lake, and between you and me, I may have eaten the whole thing. I just recall feeling incredible being done with school, and having so little room left in my stomach that it was hard to breathe. I guess you could say this pizza took my breath away!25 - Cottage Inn
PIZZA: All of them...(there was a buffet)
As you can see from the picture, this place touts itself as "Gourmet", well, this particular location by my old internship was borderline gourmet. I mean, I don't think of warm pizza behind a sneeze-guard all you can eat for $7.99 when I think of gourmet, but what do I know! This one stood out because my coworkers and I would go here frequently since it was right by work. That is until they closed. Probably an OSHA thing, but hey, it served its purpose!26 - Gino's East
PIZZA: Pepperoni & Sausage with Corn Meal Crust
My first big trip with my now wife was to Chicago. Now, I am not about to settle the debate about the best deep dish in Chicago in this post (I gotta save material!), but my wife told me I needed to try it. It should be noted that at this point, I had tried Uno, and Giordano's, but never Gino's. All I knew about the place was that you could write on the walls at the restaurant. My wife said it was one I had to try and boy was she right! They are one of the best to use the corn meal crust. And of course, when we finished eating, we wrote on the walls :D. You may have to wait in line like it's Cedar Point to get in, but definitely worth a try!27 - Pizza Brain
PIZZA: Mexican Pizza
This was a pilgrimage. Seriously. My wife and I drove 9 hours to Philadelphia (which everyone knows means "City of Pizza Love") DUH!. I paid $15 on Kickstarter to fund this place. My wife found it online and once it opened, we went to visit and redeem my Kickstarter rewards! I was lucky to go with Samm's Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin (they were my pizza Sherpas in Philly). And we enjoyed a pizza on the house for coming so far and supporting the business. Pizza Brain is the world's first and only Pizza Museum as well. So if you love the pie, then you've got to go! The comped pizza we were given was a Mexican pizza (get the Taco Bell imagery out of your head) this was legit. Black beans, cilantro, freshness abound! The Mexican pizza there is the best Mexican pizza I have ever had.
28 - Little Italy Pizza
PIZZA: White pie, ricotta
So, this one time I went to New York, My friend Kasey had promised I would walk away with the belief that New York pizza is the Mount Olympus of pizza. Well, I love the guy, but I still didn't have my mind changed. However, my life was forever changed! New York pizza is a gift to God's green Earth. The crust had bubbles UNDERNEATH IT! It was so crispy and thin, and the toppings were perfect. I actually hadn't really enjoyed white pies as much as red ones until this point. But I ate their ricotta white pie and it blew my mind. (Sidenote: My brother-in-law and his girlfriend got me a book for Christmas that this guy wrote about going to every pizza place in New York, and needless to say, I've got my work cut out for me if/when I go back if I want to try them all). 29 - Supino Pizzeria
PIZZA: Pepperoni, New York Style
Tucked away in the Eastern Market is the best pizza place in Detroit. And it's NOT Detroit Style! (BLASPHEMER!) I know I'll take some heat for that comment (Buddy's fans) Buddy's is good too! But I have to call a pizza a pizza! It is made in the New York style, thin, crispy and all about the toppings. While you don't necessarily need to eat it using a plate (like, literally eating it in hand with plate in hand) you probably should. Supino was a great discovery. It is a tiny place, so I wouldn't recommend making plans to go there on a whim. The seating is scarce and at lunch time there is a line out the door and down the street. If I went again, I would order it in advance and have a picnic. All in all, my twenties ended on a high note. I can't complain, I have been lucky to have tasted this pizza, and all the others that preceded it.Well, there you go! 10 pizzas that define my 20s. If you know me well, you are probably asking, "Wait, there's one missing!". Yes that's true. And stay tuned to Pick-up or Delivery to see which one is missing. Let's just say, the pizza left off this list, is my favorite pizza of all time...seriously, it's a real home run.
See you in my thirties!
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