Stop #7 - Pisa Lisa - Sedona, AZ

Pisa Hut? Nope! Pisa Lisa
When in Rome...I mean Sedona...eat at Pisa Lisa.  It was our first trip to Sedona and one of the things we noticed was the store fronts are set back from the road (or hidden by trees/shrubs) so travel up and down the main street a few times or do research first to figure out where you need to go.  Luckily we had Uncle Dennis to tell us where to turn!  A big thank you to Aunt Corinna and Uncle Dennis for letting us vacation with them for their last few days in AZ.  We're having a blast!

Location
Pisa Lisa is located on the southeast corner of Dry Creek Scenic Road and Shelby Drive. You could also look for the old Pizza Hut building since we are pretty sure they converted one to also include outdoor seating (windows look familiar?)

When you walk inside there is a little gift area and you can purchase a shirt with their logo.  While you wait to be seated, your eyes cant help but look left to watch the chef toss the pizza dough in the air.  Just past the chef, you can sit at the bar or wait for the server to seat you inside or outside.

Look right to view the gelato choices (around 7-8) and taste test each one if you want.  Past the gelato you will see the dessert case where of course I spotted my favorite - tiramisu!
Pisa
There are multiple food and drink choices but of course we settled on the pizzas.  All pizzas are 14" and have 8 slices each.  We ordered 2 for the table which was plenty and had some left over.


Bufalina - Bruchetta tomatoes, free-range water buffalo mozzarella, sliced red onion, EVO, oregano and arugula



Da Dorothy - Mother sauce, provolone-mozzarella, Calabrese sausage, picante peppers and parm-reggiano (option to add Ricotta but we didn't)



Aunt Corinna, Uncle Dennis, and I preferred the Bufalina.  The crust was crispy and airy with the perfect amount of toppings.  We thought Da Dorothy was too greasy which also caused the crust to be a bit soggy.  They could have eased up on the cheese a little bit too.

Chris of course had the opposite thoughts but he is more of a traditional pizza guy anyways.  To find out more of his thoughts, see his review below!

Aunt Corinna had a bambini (small) pistachio gelato, Uncle Dennis had a bambini raspberry gelato, and Chris had a grande peanut butter cup gelato.  All were very delicious and come highly recommended!

Total people: 4 adults

Total bill: $57.41 (2-14" pizzas, 4 waters, 2 bambini/small cups of gelato, 1 grande/large cup of gelato, 1 piece of tiramisu)

Rhode's Recommendation - Yes
You don't need to travel all the way to Arizona to have this pizza but if you are ever in Sedona, stop by Pisa Lisa.  Save room for dessert as you can't go wrong with the gelato, especially with multiple flavors to choose from.

Stop #6 - Barone's of Glen Ellyn

Family Friendly, Fantastic Food
That is not an understatement either.  Well worth our drive and if we are looking to head out for pizza, Barone's will be one of the top places on our list.  This week we were joined by the Ozga family - Dan, Jamie, and Alex, and CJ made another appearance!  Thanks for joining us!!

Location
It took us about 40 minutes to get to Barone's from home and although they have a tiny parking lot next to the building, there is plenty of street parking as well.  Barone's is in downtown Glen Ellyn on the north side of the train tracks.  If you are trying to go for lunch, you'll be out of luck unless it's a late lunch.  Their hours are:
Monday - Thursday 4 pm - 10 pm
Friday & Saturday 3 pm - 11 pm
Sundays 3 pm - 10 pm

 We changed our time from 6:30 pm to 4:00 pm and it was the perfect time to go.  We left around 5:30 pm but there was a steady crowd even before we got there.  It is very family friendly.  They gave Alex a coloring page with a small bag that had a few toys in it too.  There was also a play room to occupy kids.

Food
When we first sat down they delivered fresh bread, butter, olive oil, and parmesan cheese to the table.  We also ordered the mozzarella sticks.  Of course I forgot to get a picture of them but you could tell that they were very fresh, no freezer taste.  We ordered 2 pizzas for the table:
1 medium pan pizza (8 slices) - half pepperoni, half sausage
1 18" party pizza - half pepperoni, half sausage

 We can't brag enough about how much we loved this pizza.  Up to this point, Pizza Barra in Oak Brook was at the top of the list.  Although they are still in the top 5, Barone's now #1.  In talking to our waitress Georgia, she told us that the pan pizza is a different crust than they use for the other 2 kinds of pizza - thin and stuffed - which use the same type of crust.
The ingredients were fresh and the pan pizza was well worth the wait.  The sauce wasn't too sweet, too zesty, or too much tomato flavor.  I'm not a big sauce fan anyways so that was a huge plus for me!
I got a piece of tiramisu to go (it's my weakness) and that was delicious.  With their carry-out area you can walk in to buy frozen pizzas, beer, pop and other desserts.  We also took a frozen pan pizza home and made that for dinner the following night.

Total people: 5 & a toddler
Total cost: $67 (before tip) - 2 pizzas, 1 order of mozzarella sticks, 1 glass of wine, 4 pops and a kid's apple juice

Rhode's Recommendation - YES!
If you haven't gotten the vibe yet, we are telling you to make the trip to Barone's in Glen Ellyn.  This is the best pizza we have had on our tour yet and will be going back (or if you go, make sure you invite us!)  Dan had a great point - you could order a thin crust one week and a pan pizza the next and never get sick of it.  The frozen pan pizza that we made the following night was better than Gino's East's frozen you can buy in the store, but not as good as it was fresh in the restaurant.  Make this a place that you put on your pizza list.  It is so worth it!

Stop #5 - Giordano's (Oswego)

Deep Dishing It
We headed to Giordano's in Oswego on this Valentine's weekend for some heart-shaped deep dish pizza.  It was a great night as we welcomed 9 others on our pizza tour.  A big shout out to the Klisiewicz and Svejda families. Thanks for joining us!

Atmosphere
We were in a back room (a sign said it would hold 55 people) and there were several other tables of 2-4 people around us.  The heat kept turning off and on which made it either really warm or really cold.  Our waitress checked in with us several times and we didn't have any issues with the food when it came out.  She even offered the Klisiewiczs a side of salad dressing for their house salad left overs.  They do have a smaller bar area that you can sit at.  It was also very quiet for being as crowded as it was.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Eats and Treats
There was plenty to eat tonight at our table and we all had leftovers.

• garlic parmesan fries served with ranch dressing
• side ceasar salad
• house salad with balsalmic dressing 
• 3 heart-shaped deep dish pizzas (all medium size)
• sausage and mushroom
• pepperoni
• Chicago Classic (pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, green peppers)
• 1 gluten-free thin crust sausage pizza (11")
• 1 thin crust pepperoni pizza (large)
• 2 kids pizzas
• S'mores pizza
• vanilla ice cream
• tiramisu

We recommend everything that was had but the one thing that we noticed right away was the deep dish pizza is not what we remember it to be.  It has been a couple of years since we have had Giordano's and actually eaten it in the restaurant.  We remember the deep dish actually living up to its name and not being so shallow.  It might have been that we ordered the heart-shape versus the regular round pizza but in observing the other tables around us it didn't seem like it was just our pizza. 

 
Andrea giving a "thumbs up"

I ordered a side caesar salad.  The shaved parmesan tasted fresh and there was just enough dressing for each bite to have some with it.  Chris and I specifically ordered the medium heart pepperoni deep dish and the gluten-free sausage.  The ingredients on our pizzas were not as fresh as we would have liked.  The gluten-free crust was a little crispy and over-done, but not burnt.  It was still very tasty though but there was not a lot of sausage on the pizza.

The middle of the pepperoni deep dish was flimsy.  It probably could have been left in for a few more minutes to make sure it was fully cooked.  I also ordered tiramisu to go which was delicious!

S'mores Pizza

The Svejdas ordered and shared their s'mores pizza.  Their son Henry stated that this was "hot and yummy!"

Word to the wise - food coma may set in and you and/or your kids may fall asleep on your way home. (photo courtesy of Andrea Svejda; daughter Emily) 



Total people: 11
Total bill (for 2 people): $62.00* (1 medium deep dish, 1 gluten-free, 1 side caesar salad, 1 tiramisu, 1 Pepsi, 1 water)
*service charge was already included due to the size of our party

Rhode's Recommendation - Yes

If you're going to be in the Chicagoland area, it is not hard to find a Giordano's. Stop in and enjoy a Chicago-style deep dish, thin crust, or order the gluten-free.  Some locations, like the one we visited, have frozen pizzas you can stop in and take home.  That is a blog for another day though!

Stop #4.5 - Ach n Lou's Pizza Pub (Aurora)

Happy National Pizza Day!
In honor of #nationalpizzaday we thought that we would throw in another pizza place mid-week to celebrate.

Someone say outlet mall?
If you're looking for pizza around the outlet mall in Aurora, Ach n Lou's is down Farnsworth just south of I-88.  There are several options for dining - table, booth, bar, and picnic tables in the back (like a party room).  If you're in more of a rush and didn't order food to-go, you can pick up one of their frozen pizzas ($16 for a large though so a bit on the pricey side - you're better off ordering a large to go).

*photo's courtesy of Google Images

Agree to Disagree
This is the first time that we have gotten the pizza to-go on our #rhodepizzatour and I don't think it would have made a difference in my thoughts on the pizza.  Chris feels differently of course - watch his video review.

The pizza looked good and it smelled good but I was not impressed with the taste.  I thought the crust was delicious though and they do offer 4 different options:

Pre-Baked (crispy)

Hand-tossed (softer style)

Ultra Thin (no raised edge; crispy)

Deep Dish

We ordered a large thin crust pepperoni and are assuming it is the pre-baked, being the house favorite.  There was a slight raised edge to the crust and it was a bit crispy but delicious.  In my opinion, the sauce was nothing too special.  We also ordered breadsticks that came with a side of marinara which we recommend.

Total people:  2

Total bill: $24 (1 large pizza & 1 order of breadsticks)

Rhode's Review - A house divided.

I don't believe dining in or carry out would make any difference in my recommendation but Chris thinks otherwise.  It was only a 20 minute drive home and we didn't have the pizza bag with us so it did get a little colder that it probably would have.  I'd be willing to try dining in to see if it would make a difference.  It just isn't the same pizza that I remember from when we ate here a few years ago.

Stop #4 - Piece Brewery and Pizzeria

Think Piece.

This isn't just a place you go if you are in the area, you go because you are in the mood for a delicious thin crust pizza.

Location

Street parking is inevitable but it only cost us $4.00 for the max of 2 hours. We had to park about 5 blocks east on North Avenue.  Had we gone for dinner, they do offer valet parking for $10.00 and we would have absolutely paid for it.  The drive from our house was about an hour but you hardly even notice.

The bar inside is almost as long as the dining area and there are plenty of tables to accommodate large parties.  (I believe I also read somewhere that they do take reservation - which would be wise if you are going with a bigger group at night).

A Piece of this. A Piece of that.

I decided that I'm going to do my best to always try something else on the menu (if available) for those of us who don't bleed pizza sauce.  The menu otherwise is very simple - a few appetizers, salads, pizza, desserts, and of course pizza in 3 different options - red, plain, or white.

 There is also a lunch menu that is offered until 5 pm (we didn't ask but assume just during the work week) which has individual sized pizzas.

The Goat Cheese caught my eye first but decided on chips and salsa to start.  The salsa is homemade every day and is served with corn chips.  It was delicious and a very light start to our lunch.

We were each going to order a small pizza (1-2 people serving) so that we would have some left over for dinner.  I then convinced myself that I also wanted the Goat Cheese appetizer so we ordered 1 red pizza with pepperoni and sausage.  Keep in mind that you pay for the size of the pizza first which doesn't include any toppings but mozzarella (if you choose the red or white pizzas). 

The Piece

Crust tastes a little buttery (but delicious) and was cooked perfectly.  The only issues we had were that it was pretty greasy (more than likely from the pepperoni) and until it cooled off, you had to use a knife and fork to eat it.  Otherwise the middle of the pizza was cooked, the pepperoni and sausage had great flavor, and the sweet sauce just rounded out each bite.

 We did order a medium pizza and yes it came on that huge pan.  After my appetizer adventure, I had 1 piece and Chris finished enough to give us half of the pizza left over - DINNER!

 

Total people: 2

Total bill: $43.20 - (2 appetizers, 1 medium pizza with 2 toppings, 2 pops)

Rhode's Recommendation  YES - worth the drive!

We're not saying we would go every week but if we want good thin crust you'll find us at Piece. Service was great and Piece was liking and tweeting us as we were eating our appetizers.  We told our waitress about our #rhodepizzatour and she told us she is doing the same thing herself but with finding the best tacos.  We have heard that their brews are really good too.  They even have a special on game days - 1 growler and 1 large pizza for around $27.