Pizza Talk

I don't know about you but pizza has long been one of my favorite foods. I would eat it every day if I could. Depending on the variety, its so versatile. Growing up in Rhode Island the Italian bakeries had pizza strips, which had a thick, doughy crust with lots of tomato sauce on top. If you were lucky it might also have black olives on it. When you'd pick it up, the other end of the strip would bend down from the weight of the sauce. Then when I lived in NYC, New York style pizza grew on me. You know, that super thin stuff that New Yorkers gleefully folder in half to eat. It was there that I learned to order a "pie" (ie: pizza pie). You would always call up and say: "Yeah, Gimme a a large pie, with mushrooms, pepperoni and extra cheese." Years later when I lived in Chicago it was their famous Deep Dish and stuffed pizza. Thick crunchy crust, loaded with so much stuff that a slice was equivalent to a whole pizza elsewhere. I quickly grew attached to Chicago Style pizza. Places like Giordano's, Gino's East, & Nancy's are still among my favorites. When I moved to California it was the thin crust, gourmet designer-pizzas. The kind that California Pizza Kitchen has made so famous. Suddenly bizarre ingredients on a pizza were commonplace, like BBQ sauce, cilantro, pineapple, etc. I like California thin crust pizza but my heart is still with more traditional thicker crust pizzas. I think its because I feel more fulfilled (translate: stuffed to the gills). In San Diego I grew fond of Leucadia Pizza, although it doesn't hold a candle to some of my other life long favorites. Its just decent pizza in a pinch if you know what I mean. I suppose I should mention those scary in-between years when I indulged in those quick delivery pizza joints- everything from Domino's, Little Cesar's, Pizza Hut and Papa John's. What can I say- they were cheap and fast. Well actually I always enjoyed those too, so who am I kidding anyway? When you come down to it I like pizza. I'd rather have a lousy pizza than a lousy hamburger. Here in Palm Springs we have a few pizza joints, including the venerable CPK. For thin crust I tend to go to a nifty place downtown called Matchbox, they have wood fire oven baked thin pizza topped with with interesting like sauteed cremini mushrooms, Toscano tomatoes, prosciutto, and fire roasted red peppers. When a new pizza place opened downtown called Bill's Pizza, I set out to inspect. The photo top left is from Bill's. From the moment I looked at their menu I was enticed. All their pizza is made on Sourdough crust, claiming it has a low glycemic index value. The dough is made from imported flour from Italy and made fresh daily. Caramelized onions, fresh garlic, sheeps milk feta cheese imported from France, fresh basil, and extra virgin olive oil called out to me from the menu list. I was in a trance- it all looked so good. The proof of the pudding, as they say is in the tasting. I could hardly wait to get home with my pizza treasure. The hot steam was escaping from the sides of the box, filling the car with delicious favors and smells of dinner to come. Sheldon was in the back seat, leaning forward to check it out, he was licking his lips frantically. Well we both were really. Anyway when we got home I tore into the pizza and was very pleased indeed. Bill's Pizza is certainly one of the best in Palm Springs. The fresh ingredients and perfectly seasoned sauce were a symphony of gourmet flavors. As The Palm Springs Savant, I felt compelled to report on this latest delicious discovery here in our desert. Bill's Pizza is worth coming to Palm Springs for, ok well maybe that's a bit of a stretch but it is pretty darn good. If I ever meet Bill himself I'll tell him as such! But now- back to the pizza commentary at large. I've never been a pizza snob, and I can't say that I "only" like one type. I have traveled the world extensively and always try pizza while in another country. As you might expect the Italians make delicious pizza, although I read somewhere that pizza didn't originate in Italy. Don't confuse me. I'd prefer to live in "Lolly Pop Lane" where I am Mayor of "Lolly Pop Land" and continue to believe pizza is indeed Italian. Imagine being in Italy and having pizza where literally everything was made fresh from the ingredients made right on the farm. I did that once- and I do mean everything was from the land. The little Italian woman had a full working farm with huge gardens; she had olive trees, tomatoes, basil, herbs, raised cows (for milk and cheese), made her own sausages, milled her own grains and flour, it was remarkable. Let me tell you, it was the best darn pizza I've every had in my life. (il più squisito!). So if you ever want a really fresh made pizza, go to the hills of Italy and find that lady's farm. Just tell her The Palm Springs Savant sent you. Or should that be "Il Savant del Palm Springs" sent you.
-Rick Rockhill