Everybody Loves Pizza

I just started reading Everybody Loves Pizza by Penny Pollak and Jeff Ruby and skipped to the back to see what Washington State pizzerias were recommended. Pagliacci's, naturally, made the list, as did Zeek's, Belltown Pizza) which I have still not been) and A New York Pizza Place, which, IMO, if their pizza is authentic New York pizza I'll stick with Seattle's (not that it's bad, it's just un-extraordinary). Much to my surprise and delight, my favorite pizza place, Pazzo's, made the list. I feel vindicated. I have been trying to get Nancy Leson at the Seattle Times to review them for years to no avail. Leave it to a national critic to give Pazzo's a thumbs up.

As far as the book, it is choc-ful of georgeous pictures and tells the story of pizza's trek from Italy to the United States. The book says their are four basic American styles of pizza. New York thin slice, Chicago Deep Dish, Californian (which stretches the boundaries of toppings) and New Haven, CT (known for white sauces and seafood toppings).

As I said, I haven't really scratched the surface of the book yet (like most "cook books" I mainly buy them for the pictures) but so far it seems pretty interesting,

Pacific Nortwest Hamburger Trivia

I am currently reading the book "Hamburger America" by George Motz. (Here's his blog). Motz reviews "the best hamburgers in America" and Washington State placed twice. The first one is Dick's, an easy choice for history, though their are many Seattle institutions that could (and should) rate higher in quality (Red Mill comes to mind), and the second is Eagan's Big Tom, in my home town of Olympia. I talked in depth about Egans, Dicks, and others, in my previous post on hamburgers. What I found interesting by reading the book is that what I called "Dick Sauce," what Egan's has trademarked as "Goop" is an anomoly to the Pacific Northwest. Besides Egan's and Dick's, many other PNW hamburger places (including Kidd Valley) serve a similar sauce.

The book is an interesting read, though I wish there were more pictures of hamburgers, but it came with an accompanying DVD that was very interesting (though way too short). It featured eight diners across America. They were:

Solly's Grill, Milwaukee, WI (home of the Butterburger, a hamburger with what looks like a quarter cup of butter on it)

Ted's Restaraunt - Meridan, CT (home of the Steamed cheeseburger)

Dyer's Burgers - Memphis, TN (a deep-fried burger that has used the same grease for 90+ years)

Wheel In Drive Inn (CLOSED) - Sedalia, MO (home of the Guberburger, a hamburger with peanut butter)

Bobcat Bite - Santa Fe, NM (a Green Chili Burger)

Louis Lunch - New Haven, CT ("inventor" of the hamburger that has used the same broilers for 110 years)

Meer's Store & Restaurant, Meer's, OK (Home of the hubcap-sized hamburger. They use only fresh ground, grass fed, Texas Long Horn cattle)

Billy Goat Tavern & Grill, Chicago, IL (home of the Cubs Curse and inspiration for John Belushi's SNL sketch "Chezzboygi")

Of the eight Bobcat Bite's sounds the best to me. The idea of a deep-fried burger, a burger with a stick of butter on it, a burger with peanut butter, or one that is steamed doesn't sit well with my stomach (plus they disparage mayonaise, Meer's calls a burger with Mayo a "Sissyburger"). I'd still eat there, but I might sneak in a jar of Miracle Whip.

I haven't dived very far into the book (and I am still waiting for two more books on hamburgers and one on the history of pizza from Amazon).

Hamburger America has shot a pilot and hopefully a TV series isn't too far behind. Their must be a million places for hamburgers in America and at least 52 must have interesting stories