The "Pizza Atlanta Totally Loves" Social Club!

The Pizza Atlanta Totally Loves (PATL) Social Club! consists of self-proclaimed pizza critics on a mission to taste every pie inside the Perimeter. Each week, PATL will review the city’s best pizzerias to provide you, dear reader, with a comprehensive guide to the most scrumptious slices in the Dirty South.

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Our results: You are the God of Pizza. Everyone around you is in the presence of pizza greatness. No one can beat your pure pizza passion. Others might say you are TOO into pizza, but you have the right to say, “Silence, fools! Do not EVER question the God of Pizza.” And they will cower at the brilliance of your pizza power.

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Surprising choice for Georgia!

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Happy Friday, everyone!

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We had a good time at the Mammal Gallery last night! Hipster watching, freaky pizza art, free slices, and music from TV Dinner, La Femme, and The Pizza Underground. It was an interesting night for all and $10 well spent (well... maybe.)

Reviews will resume next week! 

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The Pizza Underground TOMORROW, ATLANTA! Take a bite of the wild slice and come with us to see the Pizza Underground at the Mammal Gallery. Tickets: http://www.ticketalternative.com/Events/26128.aspx

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PATL gets saucy at Nancy's Pizza

The PATL team received a request last week to try out Nancy's Pizza. This was our first Chicago-style Atlanta pizzeria. We visited the Midtown location on a Wednesday, and after nearly blowing away because of the high-speed wind outside, we settled in and ordered a meaty deep dish, a cheese deep dish, and a veggie traditional pizza. 

We had very mixed opinions.

Paul says:

I like Nancy's. I went for deep dish; I got deep dish. Sauce good. Check awesome neat. Cheese good. Check awesome neat. Crust deep. Check awesome neat. There were toppings. Check awesome neat. Maybe it just appeals to my strongly self-destructive nature. This pizza is clearly worse for me than normal pizza, but I think it's damn good. Not something I would get all that often, but when I do I know what I'm getting.

It's like watching a 3 hour film. You're either in it for the long haul or you don't even try. The other week I tried re-watching Blue is the Warmest Colour and gave up 20 minutes in. It's a really good film (my favourite from last year, or at least tied with Spring Breakers), but it takes a lot of effort. It's hard to secure a 3 hour block to watching something. I once watched Kurosawa's Ran and thought it was amazing and bought a copy and everything, but I still haven't watched it again. What if my blu-ray is defective? It's far too late for a replacement. That could really sour a viewing experience. Bloody hell.

So most days you can just be like a normal person, eat regular crust pizza and watch Korean junk. Occasionally though, you can clog your arteries with deep dish pizza. As far as I'm aware, Nancy's is the best place around for that. Thanks Nancy.

8/10

Jennifer says:

I like to think that pizza is the perfect food; that even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good. Nancy’s crushed my mantra Wednesday night. My northern Italian veggie pizza was, in short, nasty. I’m convinced the menu is a lie – basil wasn't fresh, garlic was MIA. Crust tasted previously frozen, sauce might have been from a can. I think there might have been cheese on the pizza, but I couldn't tell because it had zero flavor. If I didn't know better, I’d assume I paid $15 for a DiGiorno pizza. Being naively optimistic, I tried a few bites of Paul’s deep dish. Surprise, surprise! That sucked, too.

Cutting pizza into squares is a stupid idea.

2/10

Debbi says:

I don't have a lot of experience with Chicago-style pizza. I've tried Gino's East deep dish, but I didn't really like it. Nancy's stuffed pizza was new to me (unless you count stuffed pizzas from Sbarro).

I skipped the toppings and went au naturel, but this may have been a mistake. I don't know how the cook managed to pack THAT much cheese into my tiny personal pizza. To some, that would be a delight. To me, it was like a pizza fell on top of another pizza, and then the conjoined pizzas were thrown around in the backseat of the delivery guy's car, removing the top layer of cheese and spraying sauce everywhere. It was truly a mess to eat, and there really wasn't a pay off when it came to the taste. The crust, although fairly flaky, needed more of a savory flavor to balance out the gallons of sauce and cheese coating my pie.

In general, whether it's deep dish or stuffed, I don't think Chicago-style pizzas are for me. But if you're seeking an uber-saucy, pizza pie cheese monster... I think Nancy's is worth a try.

6/10

Nancy's Pizza 265 Ponce De Leon www.nancyspizza.com

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PATL Goes to Slice & Pint

Slice & Pint is the new pie on the block, replacing Everybody's Pizza after it closed in Emory Village. Although their own brewery is not yet up and running, Slice and Pint still offers dishes from the food groups: "Beer, Pizza, Chocolate, Other Stuff."

We visited on a Wednesday.

We ordered:

White: olive oil, roasted garlic, mozzarella, provolone, feta, parmesan Green Thai Curry: basil, thai green chills, chicken, eggplant, zucchini, mozzarella Southern Pie: fried green tomatoes, pork belly bits, pimento cheese

Debbi says:

Sometimes a whole pie is just too much of a commitment, so I love a place that offers slices for dinner. The Slice & Pint menu guides patrons through an easy "1,2,3" process for building slices, pizzas or calzones, however only 10% of it actually applies to slice construction. Read the fine print. Slices only come with red sauce and traditional crust, and specialty pies are only available in 12". Most toppings cost over a dollar per slice. Limited veg options – unless you opt for the seasonal vegetarian pizza. "Whatever the farmer is growing"... I didn't take my chances and ordered a white pizza.

Paul and I split a grilled caesar salad, which involved no Caesar dressing and romaine hearts drenched in butter. My pizza arrived 20 minutes later – VERY heavy on the cheese. After a few bites, I was positive it was just garlic cheesy bread disguised as a pizza. I felt my arteries clogging.

"But Debbi," you say, "is there really a difference between cheesy bread and a white pizza?" Good point, but the difference is simple: cheesy bread should not cost $14.50, even if it does taste pretty good.

5/10

Jennifer says:

Green thai curry pizza? Why the hell not, especially when the rest of the specials looked and sounded fairly nasty. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all about experimental pies, but no part of me wanted to ask my server, "hey can I get the swine pie?" Looking around our table, I noticed that everyone else's pizza was pretty sub par and I selfishly felt vindicated after I was the only one who had a horrible experience at Pizza Bella a month back. Huzzah! Although my pizza was pretty frikkin' delicious, looking back on it I'm failing to remember if it tasted like curry or not. Whatever, I'm mostly just pissed that "brewery" is in their tagline but they don't serve any of their own beers on the menu.

Bottom line: There's better places out there.

5.5/10

Paul says:

Slice and Pint presented an interesting dilemma. The food was pretty good, but I don't feel inclined to go back. I had the Southern Pie and it was a very cheesy affair. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but not really what I look for in pizza. The fried green tomatoes where a nice touch. I didn't think I'd ever want to eat one because of that stupid movie my mom liked so much when I was a kid. I also had half of the Grilled Caesar and it was rather buttery. It wasn't bad, but just not what I was looking for, same as the pizza. So all in all it was a place I went to and that's something.

I feel similar to David Tennant's tenure as The Doctor. I watched all of the episodes and there were some decent ones along the way, but if I never saw another episode of his run I would be just fine with that. So Slice and Pint = David Tennant = once and never again. Suck it Tennant fans.

6.5/10

Ameenay says:

After bending and posing during a long yoga session, then sitting through a mind-numbing marketing class, I wanted nothing more than a slice of pizza. Cue Slice & Pint. It was close to campus, and had taken over the beloved neighborhood haunt Everybody’s. Arriving later than the rest of the group, I ordered a slice with beef, basil and olives – weird I know – and it was just… okay. 100%, wholeheartedly, overwhelmingly mediocre.

I was the only person who ordered pizza with sauce, though it was the most light-handed application of tomato-ey goodness I had come across. The crust tasted like nothing. It didn’t even taste like bread, it was just a spong-ey plate for my toppings. I did appreciate the garlic overtones because I can eat cloves of that raw, but that’s just me. So it had that going for it I guess? 5/10

 Interesting choice, Emory Village. 

Slice & Pint http://sliceandpint.com

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PATL climbs Pizzeria Vesuvius

In our search for pizza with explosive flavor, the PATL team decided to try Pizzeria Vesuvius on a Wednesday evening.

We ordered: 

The Veggie (Heirloom tomatoes, spinach, bell peppers, shrooms, red onion, kalamatas, three cheese blend) The Surpreme (Homemade Italian Sausage, pepperoni, bell peppers, kalamatas, creminis, red onion, San Marzano sauce, three cheese blend) The Funghi (Portobellas, creminis, buttons, goat cheese, white truffle oil)

Jennifer says:

This particular pizza experience was just confusing. There's cartoon volcanoes on one wall and rustic brick on another. Dim lighting, candles at each table ...but funky comic logo on the menu? Is this kooky volcano town or a four star restaurant? I opted for the Neapolitan style funghi. My pizza made its landing at the table and "holy hell that is a ridiculous amount of mushrooms," immediately crossed my mind. I was cool with it; mushrooms are my jam. What is not my jam however, is the borderline gluttonous amount of truffle oil my pizza was doused in. I get it, mushrooms don't have tons of flavor on their own, but damn son you don't have to drown them. Combined with the so-sour-it's-possibly-rank goat cheese, and the it-might-actually-be-paper crust, this pizza was a colossal disappointment. Too bad this place is bogus because I was really looking forward to making a bad pun using "erupting" to describe my pie's flavor. Ah well.

Bizarro pizza. 5/10

Paul says:

This pizza was pretty mediocre. I would not recommend this place. I had the supreme in New York style. There wasn't anything special about it. The flavours didn't really meld together. That's all. Don't go. Not good.

Now let me tell you a story. One time I went with my high school FBLA group (I was vice-president, I really kicked ass in high school, what the hell happened?) to Macon, GA for a state meet-up. Then we went to the county fair. So I was at the top of the stairs for a ride and I was looking up and had my hands up for some reason (I have rather gauche hand movements from time to time). When I moved my hands down I touched something so I looked down and I had touched the face of the next person in line. I was like uh, sorry and turned around. That's it.

5/10

Debbi says:

Considering its location, I expected Pizzeria Vesuvius to be a grungy, "grab a slice and go" kind of establishment. I was totally wrong – Vesuvius has embodied the quintessential Edgewood date night scene, complete with PBR and the indie soundtrack to match (cue the Two Door Cinema Club "Something Good Can Work" remix. You know the one.)

I'd like for Pizzeria Vesuvius take their attention away from the ambiance and back to their food. The menu looked promising and offered both New York style and Neapolitan style pies. After consulting with our waitress, I ordered the NY-style Veggie. While the veggies were plentiful, the cheese was a total letdown and the crust tasted like semi-cooked Pizza Hut breadsticks. I added parmesan, pepper flakes, and salt to power through.

Skip the food and go straight to the speakeasy in the back.

5/10

Conclusion: Pizzeria Vesuvius kinda blows (ba dum chk).

Pizzeria Vesuvius http://pizzeriavesuvius.com/ 327 Edgewood Ave SE Atlanta, GA 30312

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Turn Pizza Flavored Snack Foods Into Meta-Pizza Artificial pizza taken to the next level!

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A perfect gift for all your pizza-eating-fixie-riding friends! (via Bicycle Pizza Cutter | Incredible Things)

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When it comes to pizza, NPR says go big to save!

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PATL Goes to DaVinci's

We visited DaVinci's in Midtown on a hoppin' Friday night.

We ordered:

The Bella Noche (Tomatoes, spinach, artichoke, garlic, red onion, mozzarella, provolone) The Veggie Deluxe (Mushrooms, artichoke, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, green pepper, red onion, black olives) The Soprano (prosciutto, salami, pancetta, red onion, green pepper, mushrooms, mozzarella, provolone)

DaVinci's goes down in PATL history as the first place to fully satisfy all of our pizza dreams and wishes. Read on for the full, cheesy details!

Jennifer says: 

All the pizza I have eaten for this blog up until this point has been wood fired ass compared to what I experienced at Da Vinci's Friday night. I ordered the Bella Noche, loaded with artichokes, tomatoes, spinach, garlic, red onion, provolone, and mozzarella. You order at the counter, sit, and wait anxiously until your pie makes its way out of the kitchen (where I'm assuming the chef has sold his soul to Satan himself in exchange for otherworldly pizza skills).

I took a bite and it was all over. Somewhere around my second piece I think I saw God. Although, I must have come to at some point that night because I vaguely remember being in pain from eating three slices of pizza.

Worth it.

9.75/10

Debbi says:

DaVinci’s was a delight for my taste buds last Friday night.

It was tough to decide what to try; half the vegetarian pies were eerily similar to one another – all variations of a white or margherita pizza, plus or minus artichoke hearts. I eventually settled on the Veggie Deluxe, which looked like a crust with a delicious cheesy garden on top. Tons of broccoli, tomatoes, ‘chokes and spinach. Fork and knife definitely required. The crust was painted with garlic and seasonings. I tried to only eat half but ended up finishing off most of my 10 inch and a slice of Jen’s Bella Noche. I can foresee a DaVinci pizza party in my future.

If you decide to dine-in, don’t be fooled by the pay parking lot! There are free spots available for DaVinci customers next to the patio (one less opportunity for Park Atlanta to ruin your night out in Midtown.)

9/10

Paul says:

I feel like Da Vinci's could be the T-ara of Atlanta pizza. Right now it is at the top of the list of the places we have visited but I feel that that could all change quite quickly.

Flashback to summer 2012. T-ara is well on their way to solidifying themselves as the number 2 girl group in Korea behind SNSD. Then bam, Hwayoung gets fired and scandal ensues. Suddenly these 6 girls are victimized by netizens and the media, even overshadowing Olympic coverage, all over something that has since proven to be largely baseless. The fanbase divides, T-ara flees to Japan to get what they can out of their moderate success there, and Jeon Boram becomes so thin it's painful to see. Things have gotten a bit better since for the girls but the damage is still evident.

I enjoyed the pizza at Da Vinci's. I had The Soprano, likely in part of my watching the series lately. It was basically a supreme with Italian meats. No gabagoul (capicola) though, which is an odd choice since that's the meat they talk about all the time on the show. The crust was nice, the sauce was sweet, and the atmosphere was tolerable. It's hard to find something to outright dislike. I feel like this could remain a favourite, but I also feel like it could get knocked down a few tiers, depending on how the rest of the pizza journey goes.

Jeon Boram, Lee Qri, Park Soyeon, Hahm Eunjung, Park Hyomin, Park Jiyeon. T-ara Go!

I'll give Da Vinci's 8.5 Jeon Boram's out of 10.

Conclusion: Treat yo' self and check out DaVinci's!

DaVinci's Pizza http://www.davincisdelivers.com/ga/ 1270 West Peachtree St. Atlanta, GA 30309

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We're at Da Vinci's tonight. Stay tuned for a new PATL post!

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One week until the Winter Olympics. Cool Runnings on repeat.

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PATL Goes to Pizza Bella

After hearing some local buzz about Pizza Bella, the PATL social club traveled to the Sage Hill Shopping Center to dine out on a Monday evening (despite the fact that Pizza Bella offers take-out and delivery – but it worked out because we all got to color our own pizza!)

We ordered:

Choke It (spinach, artichoke hearts, ricotta, garlic) Jimmy's Special (basil pesto base, roasted chicken breast, fresh tomato, mushrooms and roasted garlic) The Steamroller (pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, green pepper, mushrooms, black olives, onion)

Debbi says:  Pizza Bella is a shining gem of strip mall pizzerias. I was impressed with their unique specialty pies, even though they don’t have broccoli as a topping.

The Caesar salad was gigantic (even though I swear I ordered a small) and included a tasty triangle of garlic bread. Feeling a little adventurous, I ordered the “Choke It”: a white pizza with ricotta, artichoke, and garlic. It was everything I love in a pizza – the cheese was perfectly savory, the crust was packed full of flavors, and the toppings were plentiful. Bonus tip: the crust tasted awesome when dipped in their homemade Caesar dressing.

Despite the fact that their establishment is best suited for take-out – Pizza Bella is a perfect example of your classic neighborhood pizza joint. When they ran out of slices, the chef brought our friend Deator a small pizza at no additional cost to avoid a longer wait. What other pizza place does that?

If you need me, I’ll be on my couch ordering Pizza Bella for delivery. 9/10

Jennifer says: Eating at Pizza Bella was like having an off day where everything falls just short of satisfying. I had "Jimmy's Special" which consisted of pesto sauce, chicken, tomato, mushrooms, and garlic. Pesto was meh. Crust was meh. Veg was meh. The chicken was the only standout item on the pizza, but only because it was so bland that it trumped the rest of the pizza's components by being the most tasteless topping of all time. Everyone else at the table seemed moderately satisfied, so I'm beginning to think that maybe Jimmy's Special was the dud of the menu. Regardless, I'm in no great hurry to go back. In all honesty, if I had the option of suffering through another miserable dining experience at Antico versus coming back to Pizza Bella, I'd probably choose Antico.

Eh. 5.5/10

Paul says: Pizza Bella presented an enjoyable topping-heavy pizza with a pretty decent crust. Pizza balance is a crazy thing, but it seems like the best way to please people is with a decent foundation and good toppings used in excess. I’m a fan of this kind of pizza, but I know there are better things out there, somewhere. I couldn’t say much about the sauce or cheese on my pizza, as they were mostly masked by an abundance of sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, onions, black olives, and green bell peppers.

Speaking of Canadian bacon, I did a search for it to find out what the differences between it and ham were and I re-discovered the film Canadian Bacon. I watched a trailer and boy does it look terrible. I’m pretty certain I never actually saw it. John Candy looks fat as hell and it was directed by Michael Moore. I guess it was made before he took up bowling. Lessons learned: Canadian bacon and ham are different, and two fatties making a movie may or may not be a good idea.

Pizza Bella was good, not great, but if I lived closer to it I would order out every now and then. The spinach salad I had was quite good. The Diet Coke tap was acting a fool so I had to mix in some Coke Zero, boooooooooooooo.

8/10

Average Score: 7.5/10

Pizza Bella www.pizzabellaemory.com