Earlier today I got a nice email from John Hartman, a videographer with WISE-TV, the NBC affiliate based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. John hips us to 800 Degrees, a newish wood-oven pizzeria in Fort Wayne.
Napolese is Indianapolis's most recent entry into the world of artisanal pizza. The pizzas are made from an impressive array of high quality ingredients, including some very creative (and tasty) toppings. Unfortunately, the pizzas I tried were pulled from the oven far too soon.
From the wood-burning oven to delicious housemade toppings to the heavy use of local ingredients, Neal Brown and his team at Pizzology are unquestionably committed to perfecting their craft. A couple of tweaks are still necessary but they're already delivering what a lot of locals say is the best in town.
The story of Indiana pizza is mostly one of regional influence and corporate greed. Indiana is caught between two equally strong forces, which basically carve the state in two. On the north is the strong pull of Chicago and its thin crust, tavern-style pizza. Pizza comes in squares up there, with a strong preference for sausage. Southern Indiana, on the other hand, seems to show a lot of influence from the hands of Papa John's, which originated in the southern town of Jeffersonville, only to multiply into the third biggest chain in the country.
[Photograph: The Rolling Stonebaker] The South Bend Tribune in Indiana reports on the Rolling Stonebaker pizza truck, a decommissioned and retrofitted 1949 Studebaker fire truck. Andrea Georgian and Jim Chaddock of Beverly Shores, Indiana, own the truck. As the article points out, she wanted a pizzeria and he wanted a truck. This was their (brilliant) compromise. "The truck is definitely a big draw, especially the older men. And they can't believe the oven's inside the truck," she says, adding that the siren gets plenty of use. And inside the oven, hungry diners will find classic pizzas such as Margherita,...
Union Jack Pub is located in the Broad Ripple section of Indianapolis and is probably one of the last places you would expect to serve pizza. But they take the pizza seriously enough that they have a separate menu for it—it is printed on a pizza peel. The deep, deep dish pizza is the thing to get there.
Last time I went to Indianapolis, I listened to the people of that fine town and visited Bazbeaux, a place routinely cited as serving the city's best pizza but was, for my tastes, decidedly mediocre. As I mentioned in that review, on my next visit to Indy, I was going to follow my heart and hit up Maria's Pizza, which has been putting out Midwestern bar pies for more than 50 years.
Serious Eats Chicago contributor Daniel Zemans (of Chicago Pizza Club) checks in with another piece of intel on the Windy City pizza scene. —The Mgmt. [Photographs: Daniel Zemans] John's Pizzeria 247 Ridge Road, Munster, IN 46321 (map); 219-836-8536; theoriginaljohns.com Pizza Style: Thin-crust Oven Type: Gas The Skinny: South suburban institution no longer operating in Illinois but still putting out delicious pies with spectacular sausage Price: Medium with one topping, $16.20 In 1943, Sicilian native Phil Bacino opened John's Pizzeria in Calumet City just south of Chicago. Over the next 60-plus years, the place was an institution that passed down through...
Daniel Zemans, our man in Chicago, checks in with another piece of intel from the road, this time in Indianapolis. —The Mgmt. [Photographs: Daniel Zemans] Bazbeaux Pizza 334 Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis IN 46204 (map); 317-636-7662; bazbeaux.com Pizza Style: Thin-crust Oven Type: Gas The Skinny: The undisputed king of Indianapolis pizza serves up pies with good toppings and a tasty cheese mixture that are undermined by a thick flavorless crust Price: 12-inch pies start at $9.25 Since I started writing for Slice, I try to make it a point when visiting a new city to find either the best local pizzeria...
Serious Eats contributor Daniel Zemans checks in with another piece of intel on the Windy City pizza scene. Daniel also blogs about Chicagoland pizza with his friends on the Chicago Pizza Club blog. —The Mgmt. Stop 50 Wood Fired Pizzeria 500 S. El Portal, Michiana Shores IN 46360 (map); 219-879-8777; stop50woodfiredpizzeria.com Getting There: Car required Pizza Style: Artisanal Oven Type: Wood The Skinny: Outstanding pizzas with fresh, high quality ingredients; it would be selling it short to declare it the best small-town pizzeria in the country Price: All pizzas are 11 inches and range from $12 to $17 For more...
