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Robin Garr

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Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Robin Garr » Wed May 15, 2013 2:51 pm

Stop! In the name of Loui Loui's Motown pizza
LEO's Eats with Robin Garr

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OK, let's review the geography of pizza, nature's most nearly perfect food. Born in Naples, Italy, it came to the United States with Italian immigrants and soon became a favorite in New York City and the urban Northeast. Like so many other things, this deliciously cheesy, tangy, salty supper on a plate went national with the Baby Boom. And as it grew, it evolved, taking on regional differences as cities made it their own.

New York City pizza didn't tinker much with the Neapolitan original, retaining its basic premise of a thin, artisanal bread crust charred in a high-heat oven, but substituting gas, electric or coal-fired ovens for Naples' original wood-burners, probably because it was really hard to stock your oven by chopping down the few trees that grow in Brooklyn.

Over in New Haven, Frank Pepe's apizz' might have looked like a NYC pie to outsiders, but locals knew better, especially when Frank left off the "mootz" cheese to create his signature seafood delight, the white-clam pie.

Chicagoans went an entirely different route, picking up a thick-crusted Sicilian pizza as base for the classic Windy City pie, a deep-dish, loaded pan pizza. St Louis innovated a square-cut thin pie topped with a bland local Velveeta variant called "Provel." Even Louisville built its own standard form, the multi-meal delight exemplified by Impellizzeri's, Clifton's and Wick's: a thin-crust pie piled high with mountains of toppings and extra cheese.

And so it went, with dozens of variations, just about all of them good. But did anybody ever hear of Detroit-style pizza? Not many people outside the gritty Michigan metropolis, apparently. But that may be changing, says the hometown Detroit Free Press, which recently trumpeted the growing national fame of Motown's own pie.

"Unlike New York's thin, wide, floppy pizzas and Chicago's burly deep-dish ones, Detroit's thick, square pies -- first made at Buddy's Rendezvous in Detroit in 1946 -- have never managed to make a dent in the national consciousness," reporter Sylvia Rector wrote on March 31. "... confined to metro Detroit, its thick but airy crusts and crunchy, cheesy, square corners remain largely unknown elsewhere. Finally, though, that seems to be changing, thanks to recent high-profile wins by Detroit-style pizzas in national and international competitions (and) the success of new Detroit-style pizzerias in other cities."

Add Louisville as one of those cities, with the arrival in April of Loui Loui's Authentic Detroit Style Pizza in the old Ferd Grisanti property in Jeffersontown. Ferd's closed about five years ago, sadly, after a 25-year run; the deservedly short-lived Edesia Gardens briefly replaced it. Now it springs back to life with Loui Loui's, which has made good use of the three comfortable rooms and inviting bar, keeping the decor simple and fresh, with Detroit sports posters here and there to make the regional link.


Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/stop- ... town-pizza

And in LEO Weekly:
http://leoweekly.com/dining/stop-name-l ... town-pizza

Loui Loui's Authentic Detroit Style Pizza
10212 Taylorsville Road
266-7599
http://LouiLouis.com
85 points
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Mark R. » Wed May 15, 2013 5:11 pm

Other than describing the pie and other items, you never really did say whether you like it or not! I'm assuming since you gave a score of 85, it was pretty good but the bottom line is.......? :roll:
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Robin Garr » Wed May 15, 2013 6:15 pm

Mark R. wrote:Other than describing the pie and other items, you never really did say whether you like it or not! I'm assuming since you gave a score of 85, it was pretty good but the bottom line is.......? :roll:

Mark, I think the words and the numbers pretty much speak for themselves. I don't think I've ever yet boiled down the complexity of a restaurant visit to "I liked it" or "I didn't like it."

At your request, though, I'll say I liked it pretty well, but the crispy-greasy-crusted-whitebread Detroit style crust was ... different. I'd probably rate Coals or DiOrio's or even Mellow Mushroom a little higher, or Impellizzeri's or Boombozz when I'm in a mood for their style. But I liked it well enough to eat the leftovers for lunch the next day, and if some of my buddies said they were going out there, I'd tag along. :)
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Mark R. » Wed May 15, 2013 9:20 pm

Thanks! That puts it into perspective compared to other pizzas in town!
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Jackie R. » Thu May 16, 2013 12:49 am

River City Winery definitely holds a spot as one of best local pizzerias.
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Robin Garr » Thu May 16, 2013 7:27 am

Jackie R. wrote:River City Winery definitely holds a spot as one of best local pizzerias.

Must check it out!
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Ed Vermillion » Thu May 16, 2013 8:30 am

The truly impressive pie at Loui Loui's is Shredded Pork and Red Onion Rings. Description straight from the menu:

"An unbelievable combination. This pie is topped with pork marinated and slow-cooked with our special spice rub, cheese, onion straws, Siracha and Hoisin Sauces".

This one is an award winner in the making. Louisville has a new style to add to the pantheon of other great pies. Hie ye hence to their doors and fill your maw with such wonders.
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Bryan Shepherd » Mon May 20, 2013 10:30 pm

I went once with the family and, like Robin, if others were going then I may chum along again. I thought price points were a bit ambitious for the pies, but the apps were plenty good. This would not be near the top of my list of go-to's however.
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Jeff Cavanaugh » Tue May 21, 2013 8:35 am

Ed Vermillion wrote:The truly impressive pie at Loui Loui's is Shredded Pork and Red Onion Rings. Description straight from the menu:

"An unbelievable combination. This pie is topped with pork marinated and slow-cooked with our special spice rub, cheese, onion straws, Siracha and Hoisin Sauces".

This one is an award winner in the making. Louisville has a new style to add to the pantheon of other great pies. Hie ye hence to their doors and fill your maw with such wonders.


Similar to a pie that Coal's has been doing for a while, except theirs has chicken instead of pork to go with the onion straws and sriracha.
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Robin Garr » Tue May 21, 2013 8:45 am

Jeff Cavanaugh wrote:Similar to a pie that Coal's has been doing for a while, except theirs has chicken instead of pork to go with the onion straws and sriracha.

Would that be the Cherokee, the chicken with Thai red curry and basil? Bad news from Coals Facebook page:

We are retiring the Cherokee pizza and introducing the new Crescent Hill pizza. The classic pineapple, bacon and ham pizza was the top seller for the month of April. Now available year round.

Umm, looking at the menu, though, you're probably talking about the Iroquois, chicken with piquillo and banana peppers, fried onions, Parmesan ranch and sriracha. Not that similar to Loui Loui's pulled pork pie, I don't think, but at least it's staying. :mrgreen:
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Jason G » Tue May 21, 2013 12:18 pm

Its the Irquois, not the Cherokee.

If they get rid of the Irquois, I'm setting up a protest.
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Robin Garr » Fri May 24, 2013 1:30 pm

I notice the CJ's review today refers to the Detroit style as "deep dish." I'm not sure I'd agree, although "thick" is probably a matter of personal definition. It's maybe 1/2 inch or so, prompting me to liken it to a slice of grilled Wonder Bread. But it's certainly not deep-dish like a Chicago pie is deep-dish. It's more akin to the style of authentic square-cut Sicilian pizza sold at Rizzo's in Astoria, Queens, with the added nuance of being baked until the edges are crunchy in flat (auto parts) pans.
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Richard S. » Fri May 24, 2013 4:08 pm

How about grilled Texas toast?
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Robin Garr » Fri May 24, 2013 5:15 pm

Richard S. wrote:How about grilled Texas toast?

It's not as thick as Texas toast. :lol:
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Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's Loui Loui's review

by Steve P » Fri May 24, 2013 6:23 pm

Robin Garr wrote:
Richard S. wrote:How about grilled Texas toast?

It's not as thick as Texas toast. :lol:



The whole "Wonder Bread' comparison was a head scratch-er for me...I didn't get that -at all- when I tried the pie. Didn't get the "greasy" comparison either for that matter...Buttery yes, "greasy" no. Just MHO.
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