Christy's Pizza

Our search for the best pizza in Licking County continues.  Tonight, Mrs. Zaaaa and I try another Newark pizza joint.

Christy's Pizza

15 E Church St 
Newark, OH 43055-5512

Christys is located in downtown Newark.  Mrs. Zaaaa had tried their pies before, but I was a Christy's virgin.  I asked the very nice man who took my phone call what Christy's was most known for and what they sold the most of.  I got two recommendations.  The most popular menu pizza at Christy's is the large pep and cheese.  Christy's has a pick up or dine in special on this 16 inch pizza at $11.  Sounded good.  

The second recommendation was for their Big C specialty pizza.  

The kind fellow told us this was his personal favorite from their selection of specialty pizzas.  We ordered a medium Big C.  

I was impressed with the Big C.  I think C stands for Copius toppings.  Piles of ham, sausage, ground beef, and chunks of onion.  Definitely a stout pizza.  The right amount of cheese was combined with a fresh-made, just flaky enough crust.  I'm a fan of this pizza.  My only suggestion to Christy's would be to make sure the toppings are spread from edge to shining edge.  Our pizza was loaded in the middle of the pie but got noticeably less toppings towards the pie rim.  Not a major foible, but a foible none the less (I was determined to use foible today...mission accomplished).   

Meanwhile, the wife became enamored with her post pie snack--white chocolate, candy corn flavored m & m's.  Quote from Mrs. Zaaaa, "These are so good.....want some more.  These would make unbelievable cookies.  These are absolutely stinkin' rotten delicious"  C'mon Mrs. Zaaaa, stay on task here.  

Here is Mrs. Zaaaa's review of the pep and cheese:

" I have to say my second go at the Licking County pepp and cheese wasn't much better than my first. While the overall flavor was better, some of it's individual attributes were lacking. The crust was thin, plain (no cornmeal or seasoning) and chokingly dry around the edges. I had no desire to re-purpose my crust as a bread stick for fear i would run out of my beverage before I was able to get it down the pipes. The pepperoni coverage was consistent and very evenly spaced. There was a hint of Parmesan in the cheese topping, which i found to get cold quickly and peel right off the slice leaving me with tomato coated crust. I would have loved some good gooey, chin dripping cheese to fight with. The seasoning was minimal missing my favorite dose of garlic. Reheating the pizza helped create a more flexible crust and a better melt on the cheese. I wouldn't recommend eating this pizza cold for breakfast unless you plan on soaking it with juice or syrup. Too dry and like cardboard for a cold snack. Back to the M & M's. They make me happy!!"

Mrs. Zaaaa is a tough customer.  When she finally touts a great pep pizza, it will truly be a culinary accomplishment.  Stay tuned...

Our wine for this evening came directly from our "wine cabinet".  This is where Mr. & Mrs. Zaaaa stash their gift wine....you know what that is...the wine given as gifts by well-intended friends and casual acquaintances on holidays or as part of invited visits to our humble abode.  We currently have six bottles in our stash, so we took one down and decided it would be our wine de jour.  We selected Black Swan Merlot 2009.  Very nice.  I went online to find a fancy review of this fine vintage and found one at a website called dirtcheapwines.net.  Very nice.  This is a website that only reviews wine costing $5 or less.  Very nice.  It's wonderful to know that our friends will only gift (or maybe regift) the finest the vineyard industry has to offer.  Now I just wish I could remember which of our generous friends gave us this fine vessel.  I enjoyed the poly-styrene cork.  Much better than the twist off cap I am used to on my Tickle Pink, and it allows me to use a cork-screw to access this nectar.  

I'm thinking this wine can double as a decent balsamic vinegar.  It was a bit on the bitter side, but I shan't complain.  The aforementioned website rated this wine as a five out of five stars.  I will never argue with dirtcheapwines.net.   Great concept...great website...therefore, great wine.  See ya next week.   

  

Dan's Family Pizza

Dan's Family Pizza  -- Newark, OH
400 West Main Street  Newark, OH 43055
(740) 349-8549


You cannot get Dan's pizza without getting a BLT pizza.  This is by far the best BLT pizza we've had in Licking County.  By the way, in case some of you don't know, BLT pizza is a bit of a Licking County specialty.  Many joints offer this artery clogger in some form.  Dan's is the best.  The right amount of bacon, nice and still crunchy lettuce, chunks of diced tomato (fresh), pizza sauce, and oodles of mayo placed between two (count them) two pizza crusts.  If you love bacon, if you love BLTs, and if you love pizza, this is a little bit of hog heaven (pun intended).  Dan's crust is homemade and delicious, amplifying the taste, texture and experience.

We also ordered a standard pepperoni pizza from Dan's. We did this to make sure there is a standard pizza from all places from which we consume.  Mrs. Zaaaa will provide her commentary.  (Mrs. Zaaaa is pure Cleveland Italian.  She knows her pie.  Listen up!)

Mrs.  Zaaaa says:
"Not the best pepp pizza I've ever had, but not the worst. The pizza had a thin crust. At first look, the pepperoni was adequate in quantity but certainly no Donato's Founder's Favorite. The cheese was thin,almost sparse and the pizza was lacking in the spice department. My wish is that this za will taste better cold in the morning."

By the way, we also tried a new wine with our pie.  We'll try to do that each week as well, but don't expect a soliloquy on the woody overtones and a finish that has a hint of nutmeg.  Not happenin' in Lickin' County.  Tonight's wine was Charles Shaw Merlot 2011......yep 2 buck Chuck.  Never had it.  Had to try it.  It was actually $3.79 at Trader Joe's.  It was red wine.  It was wet.  And it was worth every penny we paid for it.  Admittedly, that's not saying much, but I can tell you I was much happier when the bottle was gone than when we opened it.  If that isn't a true test of a wine's worth, I don't know what is.  By the way, I thought I perceived a bit of chocolate and cinnamon in the wine's finish, but Mrs. Zaaaa then informed me that the dog had just farted, so I'm thinking maybe not..... More to come next week.

In Search of Licking County's Best Pizza

                

How many Pizza Places are in Licking County?  30?  50?  100?  I'm not really sure, but I am sure that there are many pies out there in our sleepy little county.  I also have a hunch that the quality of the pizza in this county varies greatly.  My mission (and that of Mrs. Zaaaa) is to try, sample, consume and evaluate pizza from every pizza joint in the county.  Now I am not looking to sample pies from chains like the Hut or Papa's or anything owned by a Grote.  This effort is about non-chain pizzas in Licking County.

Each week, we will try a different pizza.  We'll rate it and share some pithy commentary.  We will keep a running list of where we've been and try to always maintain and publish our Top Ten List.   That way, you'll always know what we feel is the best pizza in Licking County....or at least the best one we've tried so far.

You can help out greatly.  Tell us when we are spot on with our evaluation.  Tell us when we are just plain wrong, and suggest where we need to go next to find that perfect (or not so perfect) pie.   First on our list is an old favorite. Read on....