By the way, Corey brings up a interesting point, and there are some who feel the SE family of sites are a bit snobby, but I have found that's mostly a bad-rap. I myself discovered Adam and AHT before S.E. so he was my first close-look at a serious New York eater. It was obvious he had been around the burger block more than I had, and he talked kinda funny, and he loved his city more than any other, but I always felt like he was talking TO me, never DOWN at me. He's just a regular dude.
Now, when I first hit S.E. I did start to feel a bit 'simple'. The large range of topics, and editors /contributors... almost guaranteed that each day there would be something I had never heard of, being served in a place I had never been to, and probably grown, cured, raised or manufactured in a way that was new to me. And words I had only seen on rare ocassions when flipping thru my mom's old cookbook after knocking it off the dusty counter reaching for the box of Captain Crunch.
But once the initial shock wore off -- I realized the stuff that seemed so scary at first, was actually what made S.E. so GREAT.
Sure, there are still moments when I'm reminded that I'm a simple man from Texas, and all the constant S.E. buzz of activity and NY references can get a bit intimidating... and it doesn't help when I make a comment in a thread, and then NOBODY EVER POSTS AGAIN...lol...
But that's ok.
I figure I probably scare them just as much as they scare me. :)
FFC: Thanks for that insight. Probably the only food I'm snobby about it is pizza. And who knows how that happened, seeing as how I'm not a born-and-bred New Yorker. I was born in Milwaukee, lived all over the country for the first 10 years of my life, and then settled in Kansas City with my family, living there for the next 13 years. Then did 3 years out in Oregon before moving to Brooklyn in 2000.
I think this is the first time I've ever been called an "East Coast elitist," and I actually find it kinda funny, because I have a huge chip on my shoulder on behalf of my Midwestern compatriots.
Honestly, I don't mind being called an elitist when it comes to pizza. If you've had really good pizza—and there are lots of examples of it in all parts of the country—then you'd know it trumps anything the chains are putting out. Pizza Hut may (or may not) be the best of the chains (I think their Pizza Mia is actually pretty good, myself), but it can't hold a candle to good mom-and-pop shops putting out pizzas they really care about.
As far as the rest of the site goes, I'm sad to hear it comes off as snobby. When we founded it, that was the exact opposite of what we wanted. But I'd like to think that when you come around, hang out, read stuff, and comment in Talk and on threads on S.E., that the community treats you with respect. We've worked hard to foster that much, and to keep the conversations around the site civil.
FWIW, I don't think you're a "thread killer," it just may be that the conversation has run its course by the time you comment? I don't know. I certainly enjoy reading what you have to say.
Well, I've had good pizza. I'm lucky enough to live in the Phoenix metro area and we have several Grimaldi's for my coal-fired oven fix & Pizzeria Bianco for when I simply have to have a supremely divine wood-fired pie and damn the two hour wait. There are also two local chains I love - Nello's with their amazing and hard to classify thick crusted circles of wonderment and Barro's for when I want a classic mom-and-pop pie. However, if I just want a pizza and I want it to be good and not a bready, crusty nightmare like PJs or Domino's, a Thin and Crispy Pork Topping & Mushroom pizza from good old Pizza Hut hits the spot every time.
And I want to emphasize that point to others out there like me who might be reading this... if things seem a bit overwhelming at first, DO NOT leave. Stick around, it's ok to be a lurker without posting. Heck, I did it for months before finally getting enough courage to post.
Just with any other chains, some of them are better than others. Generally I shy away from chain pizza. I prefer to patronize those mom & pop places. But some of those are even worse. BTW has anyone ever had PH's new pasta???
Haha, I didn't mean to insult anyone! I love pizza and I like this site, and I wish there was a section that covered our pizzas here in LA. I don't think this is a snobby site, but I do hate New York and the people who live there and how they're all high-and-mighty about their pizza (among other things), and I really don't understand why they badmouth Pizza Hut. It's not bad at all. Sorry to raise a ruckus. It must've been the "priss" part. I thought it was nicer than using a profanity. Keep up the great work!
What is this sappy pizza love fest? Pizza Hut Sucks. The best chain pizza is Papa John's hands down. Pepperoncini, garlic butter sauce? There's no competition. Forget about the Pizza Mia. One speciality pie isn't enough to make Pizza Hut the best. Papa John's has the basics down and that's a lot more important.
If you want to see some more delicious NYC pizza, click here.
Been to a Pizza Hut outside of the US? That's how they stay in business. Every trip I've made to Morocco or Indonesia I try to find a way to eat at Pizza Hut, they're just so good overseas...
I liked Pizza Hut when I was growing up. Tried it again a few months ago, and not as good as I remembered. Ah well, if the only option was pizza from a chain, I'd still choose Pizza Hut.
I've had Pizza Hut pizzas all over the world, and it tastes exactly the same as the U.S. Maybe it tends to taste better than crappy local food stands and therefore people assume its better overseas. Who knows ?
I think that even though Pizza Hut doesn't serve an authentic pie, it had revolutionized the way America and the rest of the world perceives pizza. People don't care about authenticity, they care about triggering those childhood brain synapses that gives them that elevated levels of joy. I personally hate Pizza Hut and all the other major chains. I've had far worse so called "authentic neapolitan" pies in Italy. Finding good pies is not an easy thing travelling across the globe. Pizza Hut redefined & hijacked pizza and succeeded. If it hasn't, there would have not been organizations such as VPN.
Hi, This is my first post on here and I love this site. I think that Pizza Hut sucks. I have had it in NY, CT, FL, Budapest and Costa Rica - which was by far the WORST! Now, I have not come here to complain yet to share with you all my thoughts...Pizza Hut survives in areas like CT/NY where there is great pizza b/c it's family friendly, they have 'deals'/coupons, etc. There's this little pizza chain though down south called CiCi's - perhaps you've heard of it??? It's a pizza buffet - all you can eat and made to order. Now, I will never eat at a Pizza Hut again but you can be sure that as a NY native I will go to my local pizzerias and if I'm ever down south again I will frequent a CiCi's....which should hopefully, one day replace Pizza Hut. Wanna check it out: www.cicispizza.com - they've started with commercials in NY but no actual restaurants...one day!
Thanks.
Pizza Hut is not what it used to be. Growing up, it was my 2nd favorite, only following a local pizzaria. Was fortunate to be able to make my own pizzas at the Hut when I worked there in the early eighties. Then something happened. The quality I was used to evaporated when they did away with the manual ovens and started using those chain driven automatic ones. Sure, sometimes a pizza would get a little extra crispy the old way, but it still tasted great! Not any more.
I will occasionally get a pizza from them, but it is becoming more and more seldom as I search for another excellent thin and crispy pizza provider. I'm to the point where I prefer DiGiorno's to Pizza Hut. :-(
Good lord. The debate of Pizza Hut vs. Papa John's just makes me cry. I don't think there's a point on the continental US map that's not within driving distance of a good mom & pop pizza shop. The reason Papa John gives you garlic butter & pepperoncini is to cover up for their terrible pizza, and Pizza Hut is no better. What it comes down to is what Adam wrote in the open: the biggest deal isn't that chain pizza generally sucks, it's the utter bastardization of one of the most wonderful culinary treats known to man.
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22 Comments:
Of the pizza chains, I like the Hut the best, at least the sit down places and not the pizza-hut expresses in pitt-stops and airports.
OneEyedMan at 11:49AM on 05/30/08
Pizza Hut is the best chain pizza, you elitist East Coast priss.
corey at 2:10PM on 05/30/08
...with your fancy/disgusting artichoke pizzas and cockroach-infested restaurants. Haha, that's right!
corey at 2:12PM on 05/30/08
@corey: http://www.ubersite.com/m/47705#863259
Adam Kuban at 2:25PM on 05/30/08
Adam is not a priss.
I've seen pictures of him.
No way a man with that beard, could be a priss.
FastFoodCritic at 2:47PM on 05/30/08
I don't understand how Pizza Hut can survive in areas like Connecticut, which are chock full of good, independent, real pizza places.
Wally East at 3:20PM on 05/30/08
By the way, Corey brings up a interesting point, and there are some who feel the SE family of sites are a bit snobby, but I have found that's mostly a bad-rap. I myself discovered Adam and AHT before S.E. so he was my first close-look at a serious New York eater. It was obvious he had been around the burger block more than I had, and he talked kinda funny, and he loved his city more than any other, but I always felt like he was talking TO me, never DOWN at me. He's just a regular dude.
Now, when I first hit S.E. I did start to feel a bit 'simple'. The large range of topics, and editors /contributors... almost guaranteed that each day there would be something I had never heard of, being served in a place I had never been to, and probably grown, cured, raised or manufactured in a way that was new to me. And words I had only seen on rare ocassions when flipping thru my mom's old cookbook after knocking it off the dusty counter reaching for the box of Captain Crunch.
But once the initial shock wore off -- I realized the stuff that seemed so scary at first, was actually what made S.E. so GREAT.
Sure, there are still moments when I'm reminded that I'm a simple man from Texas, and all the constant S.E. buzz of activity and NY references can get a bit intimidating... and it doesn't help when I make a comment in a thread, and then NOBODY EVER POSTS AGAIN...lol...
But that's ok.
I figure I probably scare them just as much as they scare me. :)
Live. Love. Learn. Eat Hamburgers and Pizza.
FastFoodCritic at 3:25PM on 05/30/08
FFC: Thanks for that insight. Probably the only food I'm snobby about it is pizza. And who knows how that happened, seeing as how I'm not a born-and-bred New Yorker. I was born in Milwaukee, lived all over the country for the first 10 years of my life, and then settled in Kansas City with my family, living there for the next 13 years. Then did 3 years out in Oregon before moving to Brooklyn in 2000.
I think this is the first time I've ever been called an "East Coast elitist," and I actually find it kinda funny, because I have a huge chip on my shoulder on behalf of my Midwestern compatriots.
Honestly, I don't mind being called an elitist when it comes to pizza. If you've had really good pizza—and there are lots of examples of it in all parts of the country—then you'd know it trumps anything the chains are putting out. Pizza Hut may (or may not) be the best of the chains (I think their Pizza Mia is actually pretty good, myself), but it can't hold a candle to good mom-and-pop shops putting out pizzas they really care about.
As far as the rest of the site goes, I'm sad to hear it comes off as snobby. When we founded it, that was the exact opposite of what we wanted. But I'd like to think that when you come around, hang out, read stuff, and comment in Talk and on threads on S.E., that the community treats you with respect. We've worked hard to foster that much, and to keep the conversations around the site civil.
FWIW, I don't think you're a "thread killer," it just may be that the conversation has run its course by the time you comment? I don't know. I certainly enjoy reading what you have to say.
Adam Kuban at 3:41PM on 05/30/08
Well, I've had good pizza. I'm lucky enough to live in the Phoenix metro area and we have several Grimaldi's for my coal-fired oven fix & Pizzeria Bianco for when I simply have to have a supremely divine wood-fired pie and damn the two hour wait. There are also two local chains I love - Nello's with their amazing and hard to classify thick crusted circles of wonderment and Barro's for when I want a classic mom-and-pop pie. However, if I just want a pizza and I want it to be good and not a bready, crusty nightmare like PJs or Domino's, a Thin and Crispy Pork Topping & Mushroom pizza from good old Pizza Hut hits the spot every time.
DrewGrgich at 4:10PM on 05/30/08
Hey Adam!
"thread killer"... hahaha... my new name!
I love this place. :)
And I want to emphasize that point to others out there like me who might be reading this... if things seem a bit overwhelming at first, DO NOT leave. Stick around, it's ok to be a lurker without posting. Heck, I did it for months before finally getting enough courage to post.
There are a few barkers here, but nobody bites!
(unless you ASK them too nicely)
FastFoodCritic at 4:18PM on 05/30/08
Just with any other chains, some of them are better than others. Generally I shy away from chain pizza. I prefer to patronize those mom & pop places. But some of those are even worse. BTW has anyone ever had PH's new pasta???
RichardCrystal at 4:40PM on 05/30/08
Haha, I didn't mean to insult anyone! I love pizza and I like this site, and I wish there was a section that covered our pizzas here in LA. I don't think this is a snobby site, but I do hate New York and the people who live there and how they're all high-and-mighty about their pizza (among other things), and I really don't understand why they badmouth Pizza Hut. It's not bad at all. Sorry to raise a ruckus. It must've been the "priss" part. I thought it was nicer than using a profanity. Keep up the great work!
corey at 6:15PM on 05/30/08
What is this sappy pizza love fest? Pizza Hut Sucks. The best chain pizza is Papa John's hands down. Pepperoncini, garlic butter sauce? There's no competition. Forget about the Pizza Mia. One speciality pie isn't enough to make Pizza Hut the best. Papa John's has the basics down and that's a lot more important.
If you want to see some more delicious NYC pizza, click here.
NYC Food Guy at 7:02PM on 05/30/08
@corey: ASCII thumbs up! And apologies! Sappy pizza love fest, w00t!
Adam Kuban at 8:46PM on 05/30/08
Been to a Pizza Hut outside of the US? That's how they stay in business. Every trip I've made to Morocco or Indonesia I try to find a way to eat at Pizza Hut, they're just so good overseas...
seadkdc at 10:15PM on 05/30/08
Yeah. I've heard the Pizza Huts overseas are super nice.
Adam Kuban at 11:07AM on 05/31/08
Pizza Hut = ick
ronzoni at 2:40PM on 06/02/08
I liked Pizza Hut when I was growing up. Tried it again a few months ago, and not as good as I remembered. Ah well, if the only option was pizza from a chain, I'd still choose Pizza Hut.
Kerosena at 4:21PM on 06/02/08
I've had Pizza Hut pizzas all over the world, and it tastes exactly the same as the U.S. Maybe it tends to taste better than crappy local food stands and therefore people assume its better overseas. Who knows ?
I think that even though Pizza Hut doesn't serve an authentic pie, it had revolutionized the way America and the rest of the world perceives pizza. People don't care about authenticity, they care about triggering those childhood brain synapses that gives them that elevated levels of joy. I personally hate Pizza Hut and all the other major chains. I've had far worse so called "authentic neapolitan" pies in Italy. Finding good pies is not an easy thing travelling across the globe. Pizza Hut redefined & hijacked pizza and succeeded. If it hasn't, there would have not been organizations such as VPN.
Q80 BurgerBelly at 8:38AM on 06/03/08
Hi, This is my first post on here and I love this site. I think that Pizza Hut sucks. I have had it in NY, CT, FL, Budapest and Costa Rica - which was by far the WORST! Now, I have not come here to complain yet to share with you all my thoughts...Pizza Hut survives in areas like CT/NY where there is great pizza b/c it's family friendly, they have 'deals'/coupons, etc. There's this little pizza chain though down south called CiCi's - perhaps you've heard of it??? It's a pizza buffet - all you can eat and made to order. Now, I will never eat at a Pizza Hut again but you can be sure that as a NY native I will go to my local pizzerias and if I'm ever down south again I will frequent a CiCi's....which should hopefully, one day replace Pizza Hut. Wanna check it out: www.cicispizza.com - they've started with commercials in NY but no actual restaurants...one day!
Thanks.
bruno at 9:28AM on 06/03/08
Pizza Hut is not what it used to be. Growing up, it was my 2nd favorite, only following a local pizzaria. Was fortunate to be able to make my own pizzas at the Hut when I worked there in the early eighties. Then something happened. The quality I was used to evaporated when they did away with the manual ovens and started using those chain driven automatic ones. Sure, sometimes a pizza would get a little extra crispy the old way, but it still tasted great! Not any more.
I will occasionally get a pizza from them, but it is becoming more and more seldom as I search for another excellent thin and crispy pizza provider. I'm to the point where I prefer DiGiorno's to Pizza Hut. :-(
ewh3356 at 4:03PM on 06/03/08
Good lord. The debate of Pizza Hut vs. Papa John's just makes me cry. I don't think there's a point on the continental US map that's not within driving distance of a good mom & pop pizza shop. The reason Papa John gives you garlic butter & pepperoncini is to cover up for their terrible pizza, and Pizza Hut is no better. What it comes down to is what Adam wrote in the open: the biggest deal isn't that chain pizza generally sucks, it's the utter bastardization of one of the most wonderful culinary treats known to man.
worldcupfever at 1:29PM on 06/05/08