How would you describe local pizzas?

Somehow the sausage in a Chi-town pie usually tastes better to me....

No doubt..often we find the sausage here to be either too fine of grind or that funny rabbit pellet stuff. Love the Chicago free form lumpy hand made Itialian variety.
CHICAGO..HOG BUTCHER TO THE WORLD!

[Robin Garr]

Somehow the sausage in a Chi-town pie usually tastes better to me....

No doubt..often we find the sausage here to be either too fine of grind or that funny rabbit pellet stuff. Love the Chicago free form lumpy hand made Itialian variety.
CHICAGO..HOG BUTCHER TO THE WORLD!

Without taking a thing away from Chicago, I strongly suggest you guys try Lotsa Pasta's handmade Italian pasta or other artisan sausages around town. Grocery store stuff or the mass-market brands that come off the Sysco truck, maybe not. But it is not impossible to get real Italian ingredients here.

Agree 100 percent. Lotsa Pasta rocks!! Which pizza joints use artisan sausage?

artisan sausage?

I love sausage, but somehow artisan sausage sounds like a contradiction in terms.

[Robin Garr]

artisan sausage?

I love sausage, but somehow artisan sausage sounds like a contradiction in terms.

Hand-made in small batches by experts who use quality ingredients and care about what they're doing? Lotsa Pasta makes theirs in the back room. Seems like "artisan" to me, but my days as an English Major go back to when we spoke middle English ...

[Robin Garr]

Agree 100 percent. Lotsa Pasta rocks!! Which pizza joints use artisan sausage?

That is a very good question, one for which I don't have a great answer. One signal I look for, though, is whether at least the sausage has a distinct fennel aroma and a touch of piquant spice. I seem to recall this from Hero's, for one, but to be honest, I've never really listed them.

artisan sausage?

I love sausage, but somehow artisan sausage sounds like a contradiction in terms.

Hand-made in small batches by experts who use quality ingredients and care about what they're doing? Lotsa Pasta makes theirs in the back room. Seems like "artisan" to me, but my days as an English Major go back to when we spoke middle English ...

Since sausage-making is always described as such a revolting process--the use of artisan just sounds funny.

Agree 100 percent. Lotsa Pasta rocks!! Which pizza joints use artisan sausage?

That is a very good question, one for which I don't have a great answer. One signal I look for, though, is whether at least the sausage has a distinct fennel aroma and a touch of piquant spice. I seem to recall this from Hero's, for one, but to be honest, I've never really listed them.

I guess this goes back to my original point...Louisville seems to lack in the sausage department when it comes to pizza. Gotta have that fennel/spice going on. When we make our own pizza we do use Lotsa Pasta for sausage, or most often what we bring back from Chicago. When we try a new pizza place we always go with the cheese and sausage, we feel its sets an even playing field for everyone.

[Robin Garr]

Since sausage-making is always described as such a revolting process--the use of artisan just sounds funny.

Ah, I think I see the issue here. It was Otto von Bismarck, I believe, who said, "Those who love laws and sausages should never watch either being made."

I, however, covered quite a few sessions of the Kentucky State Legislature back in the day, and had a boatload of fun watching all those idiots and hillbillies making their deals and playing out their hypocrisies.

If I actually LIKE watching laws being made, why should I feel different about sausage?

If I actually LIKE watching laws being made, why should I feel different about sausage?

Do you actually like watching laws being made or do you like watching the legislative process? The two are very different in my opinion. The legislative process is more like watching the hogs being butchered because you just dive in and get bloody. On the other hand making sausage is more like making laws, it takes a little finesse and a recipe to follow! I personally don't like butchering hogs but I do like to make sausage.

[Robin Garr]

Do you actually like watching laws being made or do you like watching the legislative process? The two are very different in my opinion.

A little of both, I guess. You really are being a bit too subtle for me, Mark.

It occurs to me that Bismarck was likely not talking so much about the blood and gore of either procedure so much as the filth and corruption that - at least in his era - went into both, and which you didn't want to know too much about.

John Hagan, Impellizzeri's makes their own sausage. Very spicey. Also as far as the crust, the Original is a hand tossed type of dough. A ring of crust but pretty thin in the middle. We also have a deep dish, and I'm not sure how many if any indie places offer that. We also started a Thin crust 6 weeks ago, lighter toppings on a crispy crust. We haven't pushed the thin yet but it will be on the new menus when the new store opens.

The sausage at Impellizzeri's is delicious. The only time I order sausage on my pizza is when I'm at Impellizzeri's.

Today everything in my neat tidy pizza world got turned on its head.

Lou-Lou has outstanding pizza! Had an all meat pie today that had a perfect crisp crust and excellent toppings.

Getting back to the broader philosophical issue, separated from "what pizzas do you like?" there is a significant variety of pizza style in Louisville.

Lots and lots of options, but if you want to show them the one style that seems particularly linked to Louisville food culture, I'd go with Impellizzeri's on Bardstown or, in second place, the Big Wick.

Lest we forget, in many parts of the country we would be discussing the pros and cons of Pizza Hut v.s. Dominos. So the fact that this discussion can take place is a wonderful thing. Having witnessed these Oklahomans come to near blows over who in town has the best BBQ, the fact that we can have this discussion without the "fur flying" makes it twice as nice.

So far our only experience with "Louisville Pizza" has been a quick lunch at the new BoomBozz location. While not a religious experince it was a nice introduction to the independent spirit of Louisville "Pizzadom". I can only hope our our cholestrol levels will accomodate a steady diet of pizza as we try to find our version of Louisville's "best pizza". BTW, as best as I can determine the nearest pizza place to where we will be living is (I think it's called) "Hometown Pizza". Is this place strictly "kids pizza" or is it worthy of having a go at ?

<sigh> 35 days and counting...Then (as they sing on Monday Night Football)..."we're gonna put a pig in the ground and some beer on ice"...Our new neighbors are probably just gonna luvvvvvvv having us next door. (wink-wink).