Not much more I can say about Sammy’s, the small regional chain in the Upper Midwest, I’ve written about them a couple times.   Here’s the point:  I’ve had pizza all over the world, from Naples, Florida, to Naples, Italy;  from Boise to Beijing.  And Sammy’s is still my favorite, and worth a couple day drive on occasion to reacquaint myself with the cracker crust, savory sauce, and quality toppings.

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We used to call it “soup town” tho I have no knowledge as to why.  My best memories of Superior is that it was a bridge away from my home town, and for a period, had a legal drinking age of 18.  We used to frequent one particular bar, and a glass of beer was 15 cents, and a mixed drink was 45 cents.  Yes, you read that right.

The bar was called Tommy Byrnes, and it’s long gone, and so are those kind of prices in these days of fancy pants infused spirits and microbrew beers.  I don’t drink much, so it doesn’t really bother me that there are $16 cocktails in an awful lot of places.

Kawika and I hit the Thirsty Pagan after a drive out in the country to catch another set of Todd Eckart, crooner extraordinare.

We ordered a pizza with the works on it, sausage, pepperoni, onions, mushroom, peppers, which was a wide variation off the pizza path for us.

It’s a thicker crust, with a buttery flavor, quality toppings, and premium priced.

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If the frozen pizza industry has “class” or “segment” descriptions (like ‘value line’, ‘premium line’, ‘gourmet’), I’m not aware of it.  Of course there are all manners of self-descriptive phrases used for marketing, whether it’s “pizzeria style” or “rising crust”.  “Classic” has come to mean, by and large, I believe, the look, shape, feel, and taste of a company’s original product line (i.e., “Classic Coke”, which of course, is now “regular” Coke, but not labeled as such, as “New Coke” vanished shortly after its introduction.

I digress.

Today we are talking about “Classic” frozen pizza from Palermo’s, a Milwaukee-based manufacturer which was spawned out of an eatery and bakery  started by Italian immigrants Gaspare “Jack” and Zina Fallucca in 1964.  They sold the restaurant in 1979 to focus their business acumen on the frozen pizza business, and now sell millions of frozen pies from a 250,000 sf manufacturing facility in Milwaukee.

According to a Milwaukee Journal article, the company cranks out frozen pies utilizing over 300 recipes, and generating revenue in excess of $150 million annually.  In addition to product under its own brand name, the majority of those recipes are utilized by Palermo to make private label pizzas; that is, pies manufactured, branded, and sold by grocery companies. Other articles seem to indicate Palermo invented the self-rising crust style of frozen pizza.

If the designations I started talking about in the beginning of the article existed, Palermo’s “Classics” would fall into the ‘value’ segment, or the very low end of the price scale.   Competitors, in my opinion, would be brands like Totino’s, Jeno’s, and generics of the same ilk.   Frozen pizzas the you can get for less than $2 each make up this category.

The Palermo’s in this tasting round were on sale  at six for $10, averaged 12.5 ounces, resulting in a per ounce price of around 12 cents.  That’s very inexpensive.   The pies in this line come in a variety of configurations,  plain cheese, pepperoni, sausage, combination, deluxe, sausage/mushroom, supreme, and bacon cheeseburger.

The latter style, I’ve never partaken of in any form or fashion, so that’s the first one I opened.  Instructions call for 9-11 minutes at 450, and I found that time range to be more than adequate, for these pies are sporting a very thin crust.

The ingredient list is fairly straight forward, and one finds the usual ingredients (and their additives) listed on the package, with one curious note:   one ingredient is dried potatoes, which clocks in after the ‘cooked beef hamburger topping’ and before the corn and soy proteins on the list.   Another curiosity?  “Grill Flavor”, which is listed before the bacon topping in the ingredient order, so that must mean that the bacon is merely a whisper of an ingredient.

Last on the list is “may contain smoke flavoring” as a component of the bacon topping, and to me, that’s no surprise, as to my palate, the smoke flavor was the most prominent feature of the Bacon Cheeseburger pizza.

Of course, at this price point, the amount of toppings and cheese are scant.   Would I buy them again?  At this price, probably, but I’d be more inclined to use them as a “base” and load them up with my own toppings and cheese.

And although they can’t be microwaved, they would provide an expensive, quick hot snack for your kids, providing you also served them healthier options from time to time.

Locator.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pie

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The 29th annual “Pizza Blast” to raise money for the Quentin Road Christian School, Lake  Zurich, IL, is scheduled this year for April 19 -20th, 4p – 8p.  Children are $3, adults $5.   At the Quentin Road Bible Baptist Church, in Lake Zurich, IL.

Great pizza, a good cause.  Please attend.

Map.

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I’d always meant to get to Caro Amico with Mrs. Burgerdogboy for a romantic dinner;   we thought it might be great because we had enjoyed their food via Delivered Dish (www.d-dish.com)  and its position, on a hillside overlooking the river, might have made for some dreamy views.

We never got there as a couple, but I was spot on about my feelings with regards to all the rest, as evidence by this report from a recent visit.

“We loved the place, liked the big windows, the view and fantastic atmosphere; the service was great, the waiter friendly.

We started with the Caesar with prawns, which was romaine lightly dressed with olive oil, rather than a typical Caesar dressing, and the prawns were warm with a hint of garlic flavor.  The entire salad was generously dusted with Parmesan and finely chopped croutons.

For our mains, he went with Chicken Parmesan, one of his favorite meals, which was a large plump breast, very juicy, served with a colorful array of sautéed veggies, and penne with marinara.    The breading on the chicken was light, not overbearing, and the breast may have been brined ahead of time for extra flavor.

Chicken Parmesan

She opted for the Canzano Calzone, stuffed with chicken, bacon, green peppers and pepperoncini.   The crust was thin and crisp, and the marinara was some of the finest she had ever consumed.  She would have liked a bowl of it all on its own, she said.

For dessert, we went with the dense and delicious cheesecake, topped with whipped crème and a raspberry sauce so yummy she wanted to lick the plate clean.

From now on, this will be their special ‘date spot’.  Often overlooked by locals, even though it was Portland’s first Italian restaurant, it continues to please on every level.”

Previous review.

Caesar with Shrimp

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Few things you can count on consistently in Portland.  One is, it’s likely to be dreary.  Second?   If the weatherman says its going to be nice, there’s a pretty good chance it’s going to be dreary.  Third?  Pietro’s Pizza coming back from the dead.

I’d previously stopped in their Milwaukie outpost, and wrote it up.

But today’s story is just to call attention how sometimes a mom-and-pop can grow into a sizable company, attract Fortune 500 investors, grow to dozens and dozens of outlets, and then devolve back into a mom-and-pop.

And that’s what happened to Pietro’s, started by locals, owned by Campbell’s Soup,  BJ’s Pizza, corporate investors, and now back in the hands of a couple of local guys, doing just fine thank you.

There’s a great story in the Oregonian about this interesting ride.

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Tried another Chicago area frozen pizza, tho this one wasn’t frozen, it was ‘fresh” in the deli section of the Jewel Grocery.  Jewel is the Chicago area brand for SuperValu, which also owns Albertsons, Cub, Lucky, Save-a-Lot and others.

SuperValu itself was the successor of a company started by Hugh Harrison, in 1870, as a wholesaler serving merchants in Minneapolis and St. Paul. (Of course, haven’t you learned all good things come from Minnesota?  True!)  This pie is made for SuperValu by the Swiss food giant Aryzta, which had acquired the plant of Great Kitchens in Romeoville, IL, for $180 million in 2010.

This pie weighed in at a hefty 31 ½ ounces for about $7.00 or 22 cents an ounce.  A good value.   The box is labeled simply “Take & Bake” and this variety was “Italian Sausage with a Blend of Five Cheeses on Our Premium Crust.”

Instructions called for 15-18 minutes at 375, pretty low heat for a cook at home pizza.   After 15 minutes in this oven, it wasn’t quite done enough for my satisfaction, but after the full 18, it was.

The sauce is very sweet, the sausage is good, the crumbles a little small for my preference.   The crust is doughy, doesn’t crisp up, and is a little thicker than I would like.

But it’s adequate for general tastes, and as I said, a good value.

Jewel Take & Bake Pizza

Unbaked

After 15 minutes at 375

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This was close by a motel I was camping out in, online reviews were mixed, but I’m all for the mom and pops, and gave it a shot.  It was definitely “New York Style” as advertised, that means a thin crust, but not so crispy it can’t be “rolled” or “folded” by the slice for less messy consumption.

I ordered a medium, with sausage, pepperoni, and green olives, my standard ‘salt bomb’, the sausage was definitely  in the style of New York pizzerias, every time I’ve experienced that, it was like this, link Italian sausage sliced at a thin bias.   The toppings at Gianni’s were pretty unremarkable, otherwise, and kinda skimpy.   They were using an old two deck gas oven, which may have become slightly deficient in its aging (who hasn’t?), because the pie took a fairly long time to cook.

Table toppers and other posters advised that the shop only uses Grande Cheese, a special blend from a small processor in Wisconsin.  If you’re fascinated enough with that to want to learn more, here’s the poop on them.  Gianni’s has a fairly large dining room, if you’d like to eat in.

It’s located at the end of a strip mall on US Hwy 17, between Richmond Hill and Savannah, keep your eyes peeled or you’ll miss it.

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Last in a series of Chicago’s local frozen pizzas,  up today is Gino’s East Thin Crust Sausage.   Gino’s is well known for their Chicago deep dish, (recent review) but can they cut the cheese with a thin crust?

We’ve previously looked at competing brands,  Home Run Inn and Reggio’s, and Connie’s.

At $4 bucks on sale for 18 ounces, right away it’s a pretty good value.  Baking instructions call for 15- 18 minutes, middle shelf, 425, so we started with 15, and that was sufficient.

This is a seriously thin crust.  Cracker or less!  (fine with me)

Toppings are ample;  I prefer larger sausage pieces than Gino provides.  That’s just a personal thing. The sausage has a good flavor, on the milder side, but the sauce has a little bit of spice to it.   Overall?  It’s a good deal, and better taste/texture than the major frozen players, in my opinion.  I’d do it again.

To find it in a grocery near you, use their locator and grab some coupons, too.

To visit an actual Gino’s East, you’ll find them here.

Out of the package, ready to bake

After 15 minutes at 425

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Ed and Margie Imo started their pizza journey as a young married couple, devoted Catholics in St. Louis, who every Friday nite would wait until after 1130 and go pick up a pizza after midnight. Light-bulb. What if someone brought the pizza to our house, wouldn’t that be great?

Now it’s the name synonymous with “St. Louis style” pizza, and starting from one lowly shop in 1964, with the innovation of home delivery, to over 90 stores in three states today.

It’s a thin, crispy crust, and thin is my fave, but this redefines the category, with a pie crust even thinner than say, a saltine.

St. Louisans prefer a pie with a mix of cheese, perhaps a pinch of cheddar, giving the finished appearance a yellow hue, and a unique flavor. Imo’s uses “Provel”, which is a mix of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone, with a low melting point, and produces a “gooey” melt. It’s not used in many other places in the country.
Imo’s sauce is home-spun, rich in flavor, and the chain is hot on ‘wall to wall’ toppings.

It’s a legend that I had never heard of, even tho I have previously lived in St. Louis. I went at the urging of my scientist brainiac friend Brett, who hails from the city of the Arch.

It was worth the journey. Imo’s right from the oven is terrific. And cheap. A 12”, two topping, which is medium at most pizzerias, was less than $11. Outstanding.

Imo’s ships pizzas, too.

Imo’s, 1/2 Sausage, 1/2 Pepp

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