Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Pizza Steve Gill Awards Nobel Pizza (Groan) Prize
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 7:43 AM
So when he asked if I would help him with his local pizza competition, I quickly said yes. Apparently, the plans for a best pizza contest arose from the idea that since Herman Cain is the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza and a favorite candidate of Gill's listeners, it would be interesting to see if they preferred his pizza as well. After a modicum of research, Gill's staff discovered that around here, Godfather's Pizza is pretty much limited to gas stations and would probably finish a distant third in the takeaway pizza category behind Hunt Brothers and "Other."
But the buzz had already begun, and Gill saw this as a chance to feature some local pizza options and share a good time with some of his listeners invited to the studio. So that's how I found myself in the comfortable garage-and-poker-room-themed room at Clear Channel that serves as Gill's studio, confronted with a stack of 12 pieces of pizza.
Listeners made the first pass through the boxes of carryout delivered by the competitors, piling their straining paper plates high with slices from the two categories, pepperoni and "restaurant's choice." Then a parade of pies was brought forth to the two tables of us judges by staffers and interns of the radio show. The entrants were: Porta Via on White Bridge Road; Joey's House of Pizza (newly relocated from Brentwood to Elm Hill Pike in Nashville); Marco's Pizza in Franklin; the punnily-named Knead Dough from Hendersonville; Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, also from Hendersonville; and Michaelangelo's Pizza (located just off Elliston Place in Nashville).
Judging was ostensibly blind, although some of the pizzas were served in the boxes with the pizzerias' names on them, but we were professionals. After pies were assessed on both appearance and taste, the People's Choice Award went to Knead Dough. I didn't see their pizza in the condition that it arrived, but apparently they cooked a 4' x 4' pizza that had both a pepperoni side and a Hawaiian ham, bacon, red onion and grilled pineapple half, which was my personal favorite. (I know ... the heresy! I went to college in California and developed an unholy attraction to Hawaiian pizza.)
The best pepperoni went to Joey's House of Pizza for their crazy double-stuffed cheese-and-pork bomb served with a side of dipping sauce. Yeah, it was as good as it sounds, albeit a bit unwieldy.
In the specialty pie division, there was a tie for the winner between Marco's, who I thought had the goat cheese, chicken and barbecue slice (but I could be wrong ... blind test remember?), and a very interesting offering from Michaelangelo's that looked like a cross between brioche and Cinnabon, but was stuffed with cheese, sausage and spicy tomato sauce. I would definitely hunt that one down again if it was on their regular menu.
As of press time, the Supreme Court still hadn't broken the tie between Marco's and Michaelangelo's, although we were assured that there were no hanging chads. I'm content to say they were both winners, but that's probably just the pinko secular humanist in me coming out.
Comments (16)
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A 4' x 4' Hawaiian pizza might be enough to make me sit around in Gill's inner santum and listen to his patriotic rants. Chris, I wish I was there with you at that pizza pigout......Dave
I haven't had all those pizzas, but expect few would hold a candle to any Pie In The Sky, ultra thin crust pizzas. I'm most curious to try Five Points Pizza.
It's sad how refreshing it is that a post like this was taken for what it was and nobody is freaking out because it involves a conservative talk radio host. I don't agree with his political opinions, but I don't agree with a lot of my good friends' political opinions either. Thank you bite's posters for being reasonable.
And yes, Hawaiian pizza is heretical blah blah blah... I dare you to have a pizza with pineapple, red onion and fresh jalapeno and not love it.
Mike, don't think there wasn't a little anxiety when I hit "post" on this bad boy. But I'm pleased as well.
Bites readers tend to focus on the food, much to their credit.
And Gill and his staff were extraordinarily good-natured about the whole event. It was big fun.
Sounds like a blast. You should turn this into a regular event with brackets. Or just skip to a Final Four of Manny's, NY Pie, Five Points and Pizza Perfect (Amico's if you need a wild card).
Really? Porta Via? That's just not the kind of pie for takeout. Neopolitan should be enjoyed fresh out of the oven. Otherwise it just turns into mush with a rubber crust. Hardly comparable to those other pizza styles in the competition.
@chris I should've also given credit to you and the bites blog as well for being okay to publish a blog post regardless of the fact that it included saying something kind about Mr. Gill.
We got some unprecedented internet maturity going on here folks!
@harold - I had exactly the same thought. It's not at all surprising that Porta Via didn't show up as anyone's favorite in this judging...
Actually, Marco's won/tied for best specialty pizza with their White Cheezy pizza. It has a garlic butter sauce, a blend of four cheeses, and bacon, onion, tomato, and feta cheese.
Once again clear that my fellow Tennesseans know nothing about pizza. The only one evaluated that approximates pizza is Porta Villa, and the crust, while flavorful, is not up to par. Look to Pepe's (New Haven) or Pizzeria Blanco (Phoenix).
I've been asking this for years, but persistence is a virtue so: are there any pizza places in Nashville which have Chicago style deep-dish pizza?
I believe authentic deep-dish in Nashville died out with Chicago Style Italian Beef on Nolensville Road (and Mrs. Pink wasn't impressed with theirs at all). I would love to be proved wrong. Old Chicago in Murfreesboro has what it calls a deep-dish pizza, but the picture looks more like a Pizza Hut thick-crust.
Obie's on Elliston used to have a great deep-dish pie 25 years ago, but it doesn't use the same recipe anymore. I haven't been back in several years, as the last pizza I had there was awful beyond description — except to say the sauce tasted like cigarette ashes.
