Happy Pizza Day!

Friday is a great day to have pizza. Alright – any day is a great day!

My earliest memories of pizza were when my parents would go get a pizza from Louie’s after we went to bed on a Friday night. In the morning there would be a few pieces left for us kids to nibble on before our parents came down in the morning. Cold pizza and Saturday morning cartoons – the best!

In our town there were a few places where you ordered your pizza from. It depended on where in town you lived. Starting south and moving north, there was Canale’s pizza (don’t forget his broasted chicken!) on Tenth Street. Mike’s pizza for those who lived near St. Therese hospital, Louie’s, if you were downtown near the courthouse (most of the lawyers and judges in town ate lunch there) and finally, Quonset.

The legend as I know it is, three brothers returned from WWII with the knowledge to make pizza and a secret sausage recipe. Each one (being Italian) knew the way to people’s hearts were throughs their stomachs and each had a different dream. One brother opened an upper scale restaurant called Ted’s Log Cabin. For decades, the place was a Mecca for the locals looking for great food and wine.

The other brother opened Louie’s which features not only pizza, but other great dishes. A lesser known offering is D.O.H. Devil On Horseback is a family favorite that I make at home now. It’s basically garlic bread, topped with sliced tomatoes, provolone and bacon bits. Get toasty and melted in the oven and voila! If you add roast beef, you have an Angel on Horseback.

Mike’s Pizza is not well known to me, but like Louie’s and Quonset, their pizza is thin crust and scrumptious.

The last brother opened the Quonset. Quonset, however, is home away from home. Like a few other places in town, you’ll run into someone you know. The bombers are the other delectable on the menu as well as Italian beef. If you’re looking for a burger and fries, you’re out of luck! But vegetarians or vegans, don’t fear, there is a house salad on the menu.

The “Q” is the place my son worked at in high school, but more importantly it is THE PLACE to take visitors on their first night in town. The same is true of misplaced locals returning home for the holidays or a special occasion.

During the time he worked there, not only would my son come home smelling like Quonset pizza, he had to put up with his parents who seemed to become barflies before his eyes. You see, when he worked (never at home), we would go there and watch him haul buckets of ice, wash bar glasses (that warmed the cockles of my heart) and interact with the regulars.  It’s a comfort to know we were able to embarrass him even in his teenage years.

So while I ate leftover pizza for lunch, we’ll raise our glasses in honor while we devour our D.O.H.

What’s your favorite pizza?