Stop 024: Ian's Pizza (Five Points)

Ian's Pizza

Location:  2210 Blake St.  Denver, CO

Located by the ballpark and a couple decent breweries, I was bound to stop and smell the pizza of Ian.  On this particular spontaneous pizza experience, I was simply on my way to meet a friend for a couple beers and some food, and I thought... Hell, I'll just snag a slice to hold me over, after all its a 20 minute walk, it will take at least another 20 minutes to get our food order, and by then this slice will be evenly spread out throughout my digestive track and I will be hungry again.  Anyways... I noticed that they offered mac n' cheese pizza, so I realized I was in for at least 2 slices.  Rule #1:   Always try an exotic slice when given the opportunity.  Rule #2:   One cannot pass judgement on an establishment without having something measurable, like cheese or pepperoni pizza.  Let's start with the mac n' cheese slice!  Love the idea, but the results were blah blah bland.  I mean don't get me wrong, it was not torture to eat this slice, it just required a fair spray of hot sauce to keep my interest.  When I lifted the skirt on the mac n' cheese slice I was not able to detect any sauce underneath the cheese.  I would like to suggest a spicy Alfredo sauce or a thin paste of hot sauce underneath the mac.  I do believe in Ian's doughy dough, but the sauce was pedestrian.  My peperoni slice was a bit greasy, which I would not have noticed if they were a little more generous with the cheese.  When I found out Ian's was based out of Wisconsin, I was shocked that they did not lay it on as thick as thieves.  Ian's recently opened this shop and it is their first outside of Wisconsin. I applaud their ambition, and with a few adjustments they just might impact the Denver pizza scene, but its too early in the game to tell.  The people who worked there were nice and I feel awful for this unnecessary parting shot, but they offer the consumer tiny napkins that are not worth a damn.  I got some hot sauce on my shirt and used about 20 napkins to wipe it off  (You know the little cocktail napkins you get at a gyro cart where you need to grab 1/4 of the stack in order  to wipe some Tzatziki sauce off your lip) 

Stop 023: Cosmo's Pizza (Baker)

Cosmo's Pizza

Location:  550 Grant St.  Denver, CO 

I have a friend with a really good palate back in Ohio that frequently sported a Cosmo's Pizza t-shirt.  I never asked him where it was, but discovered that it was hiding in a little strip mall about 1.5 miles from my house all along.  I would say that Cosmo's served me the best pepperoni by the slice I have had yet in Denver.  If you look at the photo you can tell that the size of the slice is more than fair.  I have always considered myself a guy with average sized hands, and you can see by the photo that the size of my slice was more than fair.   Cosmo's uses a quality grade of cheese and puts the perfect amount of pepperoni on their pizza.  The perfect amount is when you can pick a few pieces off and snack while you are waiting for your slice to cool down, and still have plenty of pep to flavor the slice.  This peperoni slice has the perfect ratio of grease to surface area.  You get enough hot grease to believe that you are eating real pizza, but it does not end up giving your slice a soggy bottom side.     Cosmo's has a decent crust with a puffy finish like a quality bread stick.  This crust is a perfect co-pilot to  a cup of dipping sauce.  Oh yeah!  They offer a tremendous spicey ranch dipping sauce that is well worth the $.50 price tag.  If you think that sounds too fattening, then why the hell are you eating pizza anyways? They are open every day until 2am, a perfect end to a night on Broadway! 

Stop 022: Sexy Pizza (Capital Hill)

Sexy Pizza

Location:  1018 E 11th Ave, Denver

In my opinion, Sexy Pizza has an awesome name and product.  I really liked the pizza, and I ate it like a pig.  Hence, I didn’t  give myself much time to dissect the flavors, but here is what I got…  Their crust is hand tossed, my slices  were slightly charred and well done.  They actually put what I consider to be  a fair amount of sauce on their pizza, and the sauce is tangy and red.  Yes, Sexy Pizza is greasy and somewhat floppy, but those are common characteristics of real pizza.  The cheese and toppings were at the level of quality that constitutes a thumbs up.   At Sexy Pizza, slices of cheese go for $2.50, while specialty slices are $3.  Bonus!  Buy 2 slices get a free Boylan’s soda fountain drink (during certain times) like the time I was there.   If you are not creative enough to choose your own adventure, they offer plenty of decent specialty slices/pizzas.  On 4 of their signature pies, they donate $1 to non-profit organizations, so consumers like me can justify how their pizza consumption actually helps make the world a better place!

Stop 021: Slice Works (Capital Hill)

Slice Works

Location:  700 E. Colfax  Denver, CO 80203

I did not realize I was drunk until I had to make a decision on what type of slices I wanted.  I looked at the pizza showcase for about 10 minutes until I snapped out of my pizza trance and ordered the first 2 slices that popped into my pea-sized, whiskey-soaked brain...  which happened to be chicken and veggie and  Sicilian.  The chicken and veggie slice was okay, but I did not care for the sauce.  They either forgot to use any, or they used a bland pesto sauce that had absolutely no game.   The chicken and peppers tasted just fine, but the cheese was flavorless.  They make a decent crust, which held the whole thing together,  but it tasted more like a toasted sub  than a piece of pizza.    I thought the Sicilan slice was good, but the sauce was not as inspired as I wanted it to be.  The crust is crucial with a Sicilian slice, and they were able to get it right and crispy.    Two slices were enough to fill me up, but I did not get as much flavor as I was shopping for.  This pizza has the feel and taste of a mall food court, but since they have so many options, I think I will keep trying to find a slice that works for me! 

Stop 020: Belmonti's Chicago Pizzeria (Santa Fe Art District)

Belmonti's Chicago Pizzeria

Location:  644 Santa Fe Dr.  Denver, CO  80204

As you can see from the photo, I could not resist the classic little corner sample as soon as I received my pizza.  Those corner pizza slices are like tasty little pizza crackers, and I wish they were sold in little bags like chips.  Anyways...  Belmonti's is a quaint little pizzeria with a decor inspired by Chicago.  How Chicago was it?  Well when I happened to stop in the Cubs were playing the White Sox on a TV set in the dining area.  Belmonti's was not busy and they were able to produce my pie in about 10 minutes.  I got a cheese pizza and it was topped off with fresh ground black pepper.   As  I got 2 slices deep I started to accumulate a strong sensation of oregano.   They use a good sauce, but I think they could have put more on the pizza.  Belmonti's provides quality cheese which is cooked just right, as you can see above it has caramelized patches, and that's the way I like it!  The crust was decent, and had a wood fired flare to it.  I was hungry and ate the majority of a 12" pizza.  Hours later I consumed the remaining  slices cold, and they still held their value.  I think Belmonti's  has a good thing going here, and this will not be a one and out.

Stop 019: Frank "The Pizza King" (Englewood)

Frank The Pizza King

Location:  4701 S. Broadway  Englewood, CO  80113

It is time to dethrone the pizza king.  First of all, this must have been one of the saltiest pizzas I have come across in some time.  This sodium fueled adventure made me thirsty and not willing to continue further after my 2nd slice, which is hard to fathom.  The crust was lousy, and the sauce and cheese did not have enough game to make up for its incompetence.  One of my friends had a slice and agreed that it was salty and not something he wanted to continue eating.  Another friend was admittedly hungry and finished the pizza, although he said it was not very good, and if he had other pizza options he would pursue them instead.  I respect Frank the Pizza King because it is a family owned and operated business since 1961, so they must be doing something right if they have been around that long and have multiple locations.  I do not think Frank's is worthy of his title as The Pizza King, and I think he needs to forfeit his crown, or admit that his kingdom is full of pizza peasants who don't know any better.

Stop 018: ParkSide New York Pizzeria (Wash Park)

 

ParkSide New York Pizzeria

Location:  305 S. Downing St.  Denver, CO 80209

ParkSide has mastered the art of making pedestrian pizza.  If I was hungry, I would certainly not refuse a slice of this pizza.   However after having it once, I will not go out of my way to get a slice here.  They sell pizza by the pie or slice, and athough the shop was getting ready to close down the amiable staff were fresh and ready to serve me.  As far as New York style pizza goes, Parkside will meet you in the middle of the road.  I don't feel like saying anything negative about ParkSide's pizza, so  basically, if you have a hankering for pizza, ParkSide makes pizza.