Adventure #48: Giovanni's Pizza Stand

We chose to play it close to the vest on our return from hiatus - we hit up a well-Yelped establishment called Giovanni's Pizza Stand, tucked away in a Valero on South Lamar. We even played it safe with the pizza, going for their Margarita: fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, mozzarella, garlic, Romano cheese, and olive oil.

Pizzadventuring: Season Two

We're back, just in time for the Mayan apocalypse of 2012.

A lot happens in life, but never enough to keep us from pizza. Upward and onward!

Adventure #47: Tony C's Coal Fired Pizza

Yes, you noticed right and it wasn't on accident.  We skipped a number.  There is an adventure that has been lost to the void that we call "life".  One day we'll return to that place and give it the proper accounting that it deserves, but for right now we've moved on and in the interest of not letting this pizza fall into that void I present to you our experience with Tony C's Coal Fired Pizza in Bee Caves.

Adventure #45: Jax Neighborhood Cafe

[8/24/2013 Update: Jax has closed] Audacity has been defined by Jax Neighborhood Cafe. "Austin's ONLY Gourmet Pizza" adorns a banner in front of this neighborhood restaurant and bar. We had to check this bold claim. . .but first, we had to get beer and cheese fries:

Adventure #44: Arpeggio Grill

I must admit that I've been terribly neglectful in getting this post up.  You know how it goes, you get really excited about a thing and a year later life seems to take some of the shiny away.  Don't get me wrong though, places like Arpeggio Grill are what makes this whole thing worthwhile.  Before now, you'd probably think the same thing we did, "Mediterranean place that serves pizza?  Ehh, it's probably bad.  They're trying to please too many people." You'd be mostly wrong.

Adventure #43: North by Northwest

When Karin and I started, we had agreed to stick to pizzerias first, and then later branch out to restaurants that also happened to serve pizza. After this deviation, we're going to keep sticking to the rules. "Uh oh," you say. Uh oh is right.

Now, I'm unlikely to be as critical as the good fellows that joined us on this adventure - the very cool Hunt brothers from PizzaHunt. But, you're about to see me be upset with some 'za.

One Year Anniversary: Return to House Pizzeria

We've been Pizza Adventuring for a year now, so we thought we'd take a minute, relax, and go back to the place where, in a booth by the window, Ian and I hatched this blog.  That place is House Pizzeria and we can't even pretend that we're impartial here.

This time we decided to get the new special Cauliflower & Ricotta pizza (and we were half-way through it before we even remembered to take a picture).  It has roasted cauliflower, a little shredded mozz, black pepper, capers, ricotta cheese dollops, and cracked green olives (really just pitted green olives).  It was good.  I'm not going to say it's the best pizza I've had there (I will readily admit that I like my pizzas saucy), but the flavors worked very well together; the salty ingredients and pepper balanced the more mild ricotta and cauliflower.  And, as usual, the sourdough crust was amazing.

Looking back at the last year of adventuring, I'm proud of it!  I'm proud that we managed to get through 42 pizzerias (that's 3 1/2 a month!) and look forward to another great year, there are no shortage of places we have yet to try.

-Karin

Adventure #42: Italo's Pizza

[Update 8/24/2013: Italo's is no more : (]

Italo's. Have you heard of it? Karin and I hadn't. Its name was whispered to me by a coworker, and in the weeks before we made it here, I heard the name whispered in the wind, in back hallways. . . or was it all in my stomach?

Adventure #41: Reale's Pizzeria

Before I give my impressions of Reale's Pizza & Cafe as a whole, I'll start with the pizza since that's what brought us there to start with.  The pizza was ok.  I don't think we had any complaints.  We went with The Roasted Pie which is topped with roasted peppers and onions, fresh garlic, and olive oil.  The garlic was strong, really strong, punch you in the face strong, which I dig.  The peppers were tasty.  The sauce was not non-existent, but wasn't distinctly flavored.  The biggest comment we had about the crust, which was pretty standard, was that we really wanted some extra virgin olive oil to dip our crusts in.

Adventure #40: Pizza Land

Get your Indian food! Get your kebab! Get your. . .pizza? All is available to you at Pizza Land, on Burnet between Anderson and 2222. In addition to kebab and biryani, you can get fish masala, chicken nuggets, and spaghetti. Terrified yet?

Adventure #39: Promise Pizza

When we saw that ATX Gluten Free was having a Gluten Free Pizza Week, we jumped on the chance to try something new.  If you didn't know (and I didn't either), gluten free means wheat (and rye and barley) free.  I knew that gluten is the thing that gives dough stretch and chewiness because, if you've ever made pizza dough, you can see the gluten strands webbing the dough when you stretch it to transparency.  It's why flour, when wet, becomes dough instead of just wet flour.  Gluten is also a problem for people with Gluten Sensitivity and Coeliac disease (both of which do horrible things to your intestines).

There were several options around town for us to try a gluten-free pizza, but we decided on Promise Pizza.  I won't spout their official stuff, but everything about Promise Pizza seems to say "organic food is clean food."  I don't necessarily subscribe to that attitude, but from the sterile metal decor to the designation of drinks as "bio-fuels" and the use of company-owned Smart cars as delivery vehicles, it's clear that they are serious about it.

Adventure #38: Grand Slam Pizza

Say you're on the way to a brewery opening (Jester King, ne?) or headed out to Blanco for a winery tour. Say also that you're a pizzadventurer, much like Karin and I.

Where is the nearest pizza?! Is there pizza in Dripping Springs? Is it good?

Gentle reader, we have answered these questions for you. Please meet Grand Slam Pizza, one of what Google Maps believes are only two independent pizza places in the Dripping Springs area.

Adventure #37: Mandola's Italian Market

I've realized, after having several Neopolitan style pizzas, that I've been a bit spoiled working at House; I find it hard to put aside my bias and preconceptions and just enjoy the pizza.  With that said, this pizza was definitely in the good, but not great range.

Adventure #36: Bola Pizza

We trekked across Republic Square park, past the one man band, past the cupcake stand, past the unbagged puppy poop . . . on a true pizza adventure. We emerged from the throng to find our destination: a husband, a wife, and a trailer. We had found it - Bola Pizza.