Stop 012: Slices (South East)

Slices

Location: 7155 E. Hampden Ave.  Denver, C0 80224

The first thing that hit me about the locally owned and operated Slices was how damn friendly the staff was.  When they told me to have a nice day and comeback sometime I really took it to heart and believe they would really like to see me again at some point in my life.  There are 2 things that make Slices kick some ass and take some names.  1.  Pizza slice drive thru, they are my very first pizza by the slice drive thru experience, and for their location it is a practical pizza survival tactic.  2.  Frozen by the slice, they offer frozen slices for $1.25 each!  That is a fantastic idea, and they blow their supermarket competition away.  The manager explained the win/win scenario to me like this.  Well, we sell it by the slice, but we don't want to sell our customers pizza that has been sitting around all day waiting to jump in the oven because after a certain amount of time the quality of the slice is compromised, so.... To prevent throwing away potential income, and in order to prevent customers from getting a lousey slice, the pizza is flash frozen and stored in a freezer until purchased for the economical price of $1.25 per slice.  Despite the amazing frozen slice price, their pizza is tasty and well worth purchasing at full price.  They have a constant special running which is 2 slices and a beverage for $5.55.  The pizza is thin, and a tad greasy.  The crust was crispy and had some flavor.  It was painted with a sauce that manages to hold its own taste despite the cheese and toppings.  My personal favorite topping combo was the mushroom and spinach which I consumed like a pig at a red light.  It was funny because I hate eating while I drive, and somehow I had an empty Slices box before I got home.  Later that night I fired up a couple of frozen slices, and they were just as good.  Frozen pizza heavyweights like Red Baron might as well get used to a longer stay then expected at the grocery store, because Slices is the new king of my freezer!

* Slices can be warmed up at 400 degrees for 3-4 minutes

Stop 011: Anthony's (LoDo)

Anthony's Pizza & Pasta

Location:  1780 16th St.  Denver, CO 80202

First off, Anthony's slice will be hot and it will be of a decent length and width.  The problem with Anthony's  lies in the 3rd dimension.  There is only a slight difference in the thickness of a picture of a slice of Anthony's pizza and an actual slice of Anthony's pizza!  The first descriptive term that comes to mind for this pizza is "flimsy".  To attempt a slice from Anthony's, the fold method is essential for any success in consumption. Even with using the proper method of consumption, I still dripped grease on my chin and winter jacket.  That in mind, a slice from Anthony's is not too shabby.  The sauce is passable and the crust has a good crunch, with enough flavor to hide the flour.    I will continue to patronize Anthony's, it's just nice to know what to expect; a slice that will sway back and forth in a light breeze, decent flavor, and hot greaseness. 

 

Stop 010: Infinitus Pie (Auraria)

Infinitus Pie

Location:  Auraria Campus- 900 Auraria Pkwy, Unit 229  Denver, CO  80204

This has to be the most average pizza I have consumed since arriving in Denver.  Starting as a food truck, they now sling pies out of 3 stable locations with the hopes of turning into a franchise.  I think this idea proves that they are already to concerned with the financial side of the pizza business when they should still be concerned with putting more  energy into  improving this average pizza.  With that in mind, they definitely have the potential to be successful because if their goal is to be a national pizza chain, the quality of their product is not important as long as it is "passable", which it certainly is...  Infinitus Pie only offers 8" personal pizzas, which is perfect for lunch, and they have a decent selection of toppings, hence the name Infinitus Pie.  Now more about the pizza... it has a cornmeal dusted crust, which can be a nice change of pace, the problem lies within the mundane flavor the infinitus pie kicks toward the consumer.  This cute 6 slice pie got boring by slice #2.   I'll admit my first slice was agreeable, but after that, eating this pizza felt like being in a stale relationship.  It was easy enough to continue, but I asked myself why am I still doing this by the time I consumed my 4th slice.  It was easy enough to finish, but I will continue to look for better pizzas.

Stop 009: Enzo's End Pizzeria

Enzo's End

Location:  3424 E. Colfax Ave.  Denver, CO


Enzo's End is a true pizzeria with a simple dining area and basic pizza shop decor.  Eating at Enzo's End equates to listening to a classic Rolling Stones record, while dining in one of its trendy contemporary pizza shop competitors is comparable to listening to Kenny G. on Pandora.  Enzo's End makes some of the best thin crust style pizza in Denver.  I am confident that their pizza could travel down I-70E and battle any thin crust pie in the Midwest.

Enzo's wants its customers to understand 3 key points
1. The Sauce: They use a California vine ripe tomato sauce- no sugar added
(they use plenty of sauce, and it has just enough zest to make you wipe up any excess sauce that drips onto your plate with whatever remaining crust you have)
2.  The Crust:  Is homemade thin crust, with the richest hearth flavor
(no argument here, nice and crisp yet hearthy)
3.  Cheese/toppings:  They offer 33 premium toppings and the finest natural mozzarella
(the variety of toppings sampled all met the Denver Pizza Train's standards for quality, and I was guilty of pulling a little cheese off a neighboring slice which I only do if the cheese is worth a damn)

If you want an adult beverage with your pizza, you are in for a treat, unless you are a snob...  Enzo's has a secret passageway which leads into a charming little dive bar called the PS Lounge.  This dimly lit lounge features an intimate atmosphere, cheap drinks, decent jukebox, and is famous for giving out free roses to customers of the female species.

PS LOUNGE IS CASH ONLY!

ENZO'S END IS CLOSED ON TUESDAYS!

Stop 008: Patxi's

Patxi's "deep dished"

Location:  185 Steele St.  Denver, CO  80206

Hey Chicago natives, let's set one ting straight, I am not an "expert" on "getting deep dished"!   I also do not need certification to talk about a style of pizza that originates in the land of Lincoln, but I will offer you a slice of my deep dish background.   My first deep dish encounter was at a Pizzeria Uno connected to a mall outside of Cleveland, Ohio.  However, as I grew to be a man I had traveled to Chicago many times and tried some of your deep dish heavyweights like Giordano's, Lou Malnati's, and Gino's East...  therefore I understand what to expect from a Chicago-style deep dish.  With that said, I don't see deep dish getting much better in Denver than Patxi's.  It had a crisp yet flaky crust, and a  heavy base of quality cheese lying underneath a solid chunky tomato sauce.  I think the crust could have more butter or seasoning, but at the same time it does not need to steal the show from the hefty innards that define a Chicago style deep dish pizza.  Please don't complain about the time it takes to bake, that is what makes it deep dish.  (These pies are not sent down a conveyer belt every 8 minutes) The staff at Patxi's is not hiding anything from you, after ordering a deep dish pizza they will soundly inform you to expect a  40-45 minute bake time...  so try to hold an engaging conversation or ignore the person you are dining with and send someone else a 40 minute stream of meaningless text messages.

*  Patxi's allows dine in guests the opportunity to call in their order to decrease the wait time
*  Patxi's offers a vegan deep dish with vegan cheese

Stop 007: Black Jack Pizza

Black Jack Pizza

Location:  2443 S. University Blvd.  Denver, CO 80210

So unlike most casino blackjack, the house is always gonna win when you drop money on a BlackJack Pizza, because it just isn't very good, and that's fine.  I went into this one looking for a cheap post drinking pizza, and expected the quality to be somewhere in the ballpark of Domino's.  It was, and at $11.99 for an extra large one item pizza, the price was right. The XL was enough to feed a combined weight of 400 lbs. worth of people.  BlackJack Pizza is fine when you eat it, but the time that passes after eating this pizza is closely related to the increase of pizza regret you will feel.  Its the kind of pizza that digests slow enough to make you constantly reconsider how many slices you decided to eat.  The cheese is of a low end pizza chain quality, which helps to keep the price down.  They are quite generous with their pepperoni distribution as you can see from the photo above.  This pizza also has that classic lousy slice that cheap chain pizzas tend to frequently offer.  If you look at the photo above you can see a slice that looks like it was hit with a blunt object prior to delivery.  The crust was of the pan variety, and left a significant grease footprint in the box post consumption.   BlackJack Pizza is capable of being sufficient upon the original time of consumption, but it's value slips as it sits in your stomach.  I will not order this sober, but I will play another hand of BlackJack Pizza at some point in my life.

Stop 006: The Pie Hole

The Pie Hole

Location: 44 S. Broadway Denver, CO 80209

Let's start with a positive...   The price is right!  $2.08 for cheese, $2.31 for pepperoni, $2.78 for slice of the day.... I am tired of seeing mediocre slices going for $3 and up!  This pizza is not going to change the world, but it is priced appropriately.  If it was priced higher, I would have given it a lower rating because my slices were on the drier side of the spectrum, and seriously lacked sauce.  The absence of sauce gave Pie Hole more of a triangular cheese bread feel.  My favorite part about the Pie Hole was the atmosphere, it gives off a rare vibe in the late night slice scene.  Most late night slice places want you to get your slice and eat it as you walk away.  Pie Hole offers plenty of seating and a chill atmosphere, which enabled me to sit down and relax with my slices.  For that reason alone, I will drop into the Pie Hole again.

Stop 005: Two-Fisted Mario's

Two-Fisted Mario's

Location:  1626 Market St.  Denver, CO 80202

I believe you can judge a pizza place by it's mushrooms.  It's quite simple, if they use canned mushrooms, the pizza is going to be lazy and uninspired, luckily Two-Fisted Mario's passed the mushroom test.  TFW has a good assortment of toppings, and as stated earlier they passed the mushroom test, so the topping quality level is set high enough to try any combination your heart desires.  This is a good slice to walk and fold, and TFM includes enough flavorful sauce to avoid being confused with cheese bread.  The crust was decent, but nothing I would spend extra time discussing.  After consumption, my slice left an acceptable  pizza grease print on the paper plate, just enough to know something tasty had once been there.  Plain and simple, I had one slice and wanted another, but the line was long and full of zombies, so I opted to walk away wanting another.  If you choose to consume beverages downtown, TFM is open late for the downtown bar scene.  (10am- 2am Sun/Mon/Tue/Wed and 10am-3am or as late as needed on Thurs/Fri/Sat.)

Stop 004: Beau Jo's "Colorado Style Pizza" Buffet

Beau Jo's "Colorado Style Pizza" Buffet

Location:  2710 S. Colorado Blvd.  Denver, CO 80222

First of all, I suggest if you are going to try Beau Jo's, you take advantage of their all you can eat buffet.  The buffet is every day from 11-2pm and it costs $8.99, now lets dissect the buffet...  To start, the service is friendly to the point where I felt like they were legitimately happy that I decided to have lunch there.  For a pizza shop, they have a decent salad bar that sports a nice variety of seemingly fresh veggies and salad extracurriculars.  Now let's talk pizza.  The buffet has a good rotation of meat and meatless pies coming out of the kitchen at a rate that kept pace with the consumption of buffet goers.  There was never a point where I was just flat out refusing to eat the picked over pizza they had to offer.  (I feel like at any given Pizza Hut buffet I spend 50% of my dining time waiting for a better offering than what they have on display)  They offer 2 basic types of pizza, "Mountain pie" which features heavy toppings/often infused with the cheese, and a puffy honey kissed crust to which they encourage consumers to add additional fresh mountain honey on by placing a bottle of fresh mountain honey at each table.  The pizza was tasty, and the Beau Jo pizza sauce complimented the honey touched crust nicely.  When it comes to the mountain pie, Beau Jo's will not skimp on cheese or toppings and the buffet had a variety of agreeable topping combinations.  Mountain pies are not measured in typical fashion, they come by weight, you can order from 1-5 lbs.  If puffy crust if not your thing, they offer "Prairie pie" which  is their way of saying thin crust and less toppings.  As far as crust goes, what makes them unique is the honey white or honey wheat, but they also offer gluten free crust if you are trendy or actually have a glutton allergy.  No buffet would be complete without dessert pizza, and even though I was full, I can't finish a pizza buffet without a slice of dessert pizza. After trying their dessert pizza, I have concluded that Pizza Hut's dessert pizza was a caterpillar, and Beau Jo's dessert pizza is the butterfly!  I'm pretty sure they just made up the term "Colorado style pizza" but the result of this buffet was satisfaction!

Stop 003: The Garlic Knot

The Garlic Knot

Location:  2553 S. Colorado Blvd.  Denver, CO 80222

First off, there are many locations, and they have begun to franchise off their name, therefore the quality will not be consistent.  I believe the original was splendid, but when you have more than 10 locations the quality level has nowhere to go but down.  With that in mind, they still put out a decent New York style pie,  although at nearly $16 for a 6 slice medium half cheese/half pepperoni and pepperoncini, I'd have to say they came out on the better end of the deal.  The sauce was good, you could tell it was based off a legitimate  recipe, although it was spread out too thin, making me wish for more.  The hand tossed crust had just enough flavor to avoid being bland, and was cooked just right in a stone deck oven.  They also use premium cheese and the toppings I had did not come from the bottom shelf.  Overall I think it was pretty tasty and slightly overpriced,  I honestly worry about  quality control as I see franchise opportunities arise on their website.

   

Stop 002: Fat Sully's

Fat Sully's

Location:  141 S. Broadway,  Denver, CO 80209


There is another location at 3237 E. Colfax, but I grabbed my slices at the Broadway location.  Fat Sully's is a solid New York City style slice that adjusted to Denver's altitude nicely.  The slice was big and the sauce was tasty and evenly distributed.  Fat Sully's is crafted on a crust that can hold its own in any borough.  The cheese and toppings are of high quality, which range from $.40 to $.60.  They have plenty of meatless toppings, my personal favorite was the *sauteed green peppers.  Two slices is plenty to eat, and it was my pleasure.

Stop 001: Marquis Pizza

Marquis Pizza


Location:  2009 Larimer St.  Denver, CO 80205

As I approached Marquis Pizza my companion told me this will be an "average" slice.  A hostile Marquis Pizza customer overheard our discussion and angrily inquired, "Did you just call this pizza average?"  His interrogation was fierce, but the pizza whisperer was able to move forward and order 2 slices.  It is true that this pizza is average in some aspects, however their crisp crust was well above average.  They know just how long to cook a slice because it had the perfect amount of crisp, with just enough char to satisfy anyone.  The sauce was nothing to tell your mom about, and the cheese was spread a bit thin.  Overall it's not a bad late night slice with plenty of toppings to offer.  The 2 biggest assets  of Marquis Pizza are their ability to crisp a crust, and their late night slice-ability.

handy rating system

All aboard!

All aboard!  The Denver Pizza Train is here to lay down some tracks across the mile high pizza pie scene.  May no slice be left behind!  Chew Chew!