Battle: Pizza

My two cents, veggie pizza is always doomed. The vegetables release to much water during the cooking. Although, I suppose if someone really did pull off a top quality veggie pie it would really showcase their pizza making skills.

It depends on which veggies you use. One I love to make uses pesto instead of tomato sauce and is topped with sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives. This is especially good in January, because it tastes like summer. And I always feel a special satisfaction if I've frozen enough basil pesto to last until the depths of winter.

It depends on which veggies you use. One I love to make uses pesto instead of tomato sauce and is topped with sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives.

Rodger that....sounds awesome...right up my alley...dig it.

2 Divisions: Meat and Vegetarian/Vegan

Separate judges for each division. Cook it anywhere and bring it to the venue.

Ed, All

I was giving this idea some more thought tonight, specifically I was wondering how one would get the restaurants to participate. Then the thought occurred to me, their participation is not at all necessary. All we need is a location to meet/eat and (a minimum of) 16 people (judges) who are each willing to pay for a large pizza. Each judge would sample eight pizzas and then we vote the winners of each category (Meat and Meatless).

I'd offer up our place to meet/eat but since we live in the hinterlands that is probably out of the question. Anyone have any ideas for a location ? Anyone besides myself willing to serve a stint on the bench of the pizza supremo court ?

How about Derby City Espresso for the location? Located centrally with a great beer selection and DCE doesn't serve food, so we shouldn't negatively affect his sales.

Good pizza, regardless of the toppings will not be watery, unless it sits too long.

That is the real twist of this battle- whose pizza stands up best 20/30 minutes out of the oven?
Whose crust has the longevity and fortitude to stand up to time?

The alternative would to be have a location where everyone could bring their ingredients and use an oven to prepare on site (this is how its done at most pizza trade events). The twist of course is to have a location with both a deck and a conveyor oven, which would allow competitors to use something similar to what they use in their own kitchens.

Pizzology is based on the main three ingredients - dough, sauce, and cheese - if you can make a great cheese pizza, you can make great pizza - but if your cheese pizza is not good, no amount or variety of toppings will disguise the flaws of your dough, sauce, and cheese.

The CPC is more than willing to place our pies up against the best in the area, especially given that it would be a contest based on taste and not popularity (like so many of our "best of" awards in the area).

For my money, Clifton's and Cafe Lou Lou are making the best pies in the 'ville and CPC and NABC make the best pies on the sunny side.

BATTLE PIZZA - we love a challenge

I'd like to see what pizza tastes better cold. Yeah, I'm weird.

I will judge the heck out of some vegetarian pies.

I'd volunteer Ray's as a location for the event.

We have a large "conference table" in our Red Room (not as cool as Rich O's red room,but it is red). All of the pizzas could go there, and then eat at other tables.

And of course a great beer selection (five drafts, including locals, and about 30-40 bottled brews). We're pretty central (middle of the Highlands). Unfortunately, no pizza oven here, so people would need to bring pizzas in.

Cheers,

-Nimbus

For my money, Clifton's and Cafe Lou Lou are making the best pies in the 'ville and CPC and NABC make the best pies on the sunny side.

Good choices but I think you have to add BoomBazz to the list for our side of the river!

I'd volunteer Ray's as a location for the event.

We have a large "conference table" in our Red Room (not as cool as Rich O's red room,but it is red). All of the pizzas could go there, and then eat at other tables.

And of course a great beer selection (five drafts, including locals, and about 30-40 bottled brews). We're pretty central (middle of the Highlands). Unfortunately, no pizza oven here, so people would need to bring pizzas in.

Cheers,

-Nimbus

Hey, Thanks Nimbus. "Rays" is certainly centrally located to the center of the L'ville pizza universe.

Do we have a "second" for the Red Room at Rays ?

[Robin Garr]

Good choices but I think you have to add BoomBazz to the list for our side of the river!

Add Caffe Classico. Hardly anybody knows they make pizzas, it seems, but they are outstanding thin-crust Euro-style. Boombozz is certainly a winner, but this highlights my concern about this whole concept: We get their pizzas delivered often, and as good as they are, they're not as good after time in the box as they are fresh out of the oven. I don't see any way around this problem in a bring-in competition.

My two cents, veggie pizza is always doomed. The vegetables release to much water during the cooking. Although, I suppose if someone really did pull off a top quality veggie pie it would really showcase their pizza making skills.

Although I see your reasoning, I have to disagree. The Garden Za at Za's has never left me thinking "too watery". In fact, it was my favorite pizza for years until I had my first Pollotate from Boombozz. Also, veggie pizza (as well as lasagna) is less filling thus you can eat more or leave the table not feeling like you have just ingested a brick...

But then again you could probably chop up a pair of flip flops and put it on a pizza and I would love it.

Pizza rules!

i'd be willing to open up our place on a Monday (our closed day) for a pizza battle, but alas we only have a conveyor oven and we're a little off the beaten path for most Louisvillians

but we do have a big kitchen with lots of room for pie tossing

I agree with Robin that pizza fresh from the oven (anyone's pizza) is better than pizza that has been out of the oven for more than 15/20 minutes

i'd be willing to open up our place on a Monday (our closed day) for a pizza battle, but alas we only have a conveyor oven and we're a little off the beaten path for most Louisvillians

but we do have a big kitchen with lots of room for pie tossing

I agree with Robin that pizza fresh from the oven (anyone's pizza) is better than pizza that has been out of the oven for more than 15/20 minutes

Would Roger be open to doing this at Rich O's on a Sunday? They are normally closed on Sundays, thus opening their kitchen, they have the Prost area to seat and serve everyone.... might be a good place for the event.

Roger will check and see. Does this mean the various pizzas would be brought uncooked and cooked in our oven?

In NABC land, this one is filed under "I'll have to ask the girls."

Yummy! I am loving how this is all coming together - Mike and I would love to see how this shakes out!!!