TUESDAY, MARCH 22: SOUTH REGIONAL, FIRST ROUND >>>
Short of ice cream, Guinness and bourbon, there's no better comfort food than pizza. A good pie will glisten with a sheen of grease over a thick layer of cheese and the meat of your choice (vegetables may be present for color and a hint of flavor, but they should really be relegated to the appetizer or salad), and you won't care that the cheese burns the roof of your mouth, leaving you gnawing at the burned flesh for the next week. Apparently comfort was on your mind during Monday's rain and wind as it was the second largest voting day for the Tournament of Pizza behind Thursday's opening bell.
Tides Tavern vs. Terry's Office Tavern
We're still not quite sure if Terry's Office Tavern is a real and true dive. It certainly looks as though it would be classified as a dive, but it sure doesn't feel like one. Instead, Terry's feels like the neighborhood hideaway. The tavern where local homeowners escape dinner duty and local DINKS go to feel unpretentious comfort. During dinner, the joint will load up with bright-eyed couples aging from 25 to 85 - most chowing on Terry's pizza. Terry's grabbed 64.5 percent of the votes over the popular Tides Tavern in Gig Harbor. DINKS represent.
Nick-N-Willy's Pizza vs. Fondi Pizzeria
It's rare to find a pie where the cheese really does stretch, flow and cling like mozzarella is supposed to, but Fondi's does: The cheese is molded from cheese curds by hand every morning. They also have a house-made Quattro Gatti Mozzarella Fresca. We have no idea if that cheese factor, or the fact that Fondi has 25 times the seating of Nick-N-Willy's, but Fondi nabbed 70 percent of the votes and moves on to battle Terry's Office Tavern March 27 in the Second Round.
Blue Cannon Pizza vs. Lakewood Pub & Grill
Blue Cannon Pizza is a newcomer on the pizza scene, slinging pizzas, sandwiches, salads and vegetarian dishes tucked into a newly developed Gig Harbor shopping center that is filled with every imaginable retailer selling pretty much everything under the sun. The Lakewood Pub leans more toward the neighborhood hangout where the game or your daily meeting with your old friends is more the focus than pizza. In terms of comparing the two joints, at least in regards to the pizza, it's a dead heat with Blue Cannon nudging the Pub with a mere 50.2 percent of the votes.
Stonegate Pizza vs. The Fan Club
"If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you." That famous quote comes from the beloved Winnie the Pooh. That quote could have easily comes from a regular at The Fan Club speaking on his or her love for the Lakewood joint's pizza. It doesn't matter that Stonegate Pizza has a historically famous, awesome crust. And while The Fan Club's pizza is good, we imagine if this were the Tournament of Corner Tables, The Fan Club would still have gathered 58.9 percent of the votes. Don't mess with The Fan Club, at least until March 27 when Blue Cannon Pizza gives it a shot.
The following four pizza joints will advance to the next round:
Sponsored by al Forno Ferruzza Traditional Sicilian Cuisine
OK, time to move on to today's pizza battles.
(CONTEST CLOSED. SEE WEDNESDAY'S SPEW POSTS FOR RESULTS.)
Oldschool Pizzeria vs. Chuck E. Cheese
A good pizza experience owes as much to the atmosphere as the actual pie itself. And what we've discovered in our travels is that arcade games and vintage posters from the '70s and '80s in the restaurant usually signal that a pizza feast of epic New York City proportions is at hand. Be lucky enough to find a joint with an old-school pinball machine, and - mama mia - you're in for a treat. You'll be happy to know that Oldschool Pizzeria in Olympia fulfills such criteria, as well as grabbing Best Pizza honors in our 2011 Best of Olympia readers' poll. We'll be honest, Chuck E. Cheese kind of scares us. Beer, loud noise, thick crowds and the high emotions of children's birthday parties make this restaurant a breeding ground for family disputes. Listen, we never said weren't going to show our bias.
Brewery City Pizza vs. Apollo Pizza & Pasta
Brewery City Pizza would love to have you dine in one of their three Thurston County locations, the oldest being Tumwater, which opened in 1982. But if you can find your Crocs, they'd be more than happy to deliver their thin crust, thick or flatbread pizzas right to your lazy ass. They claim to have one of the largest delivery areas in the county. Specialty pies o'plenty, with options such as the cool ranch chicken pizza. Apollo Pizza & pasta, known for great soups, experiment with the pizza toppings, which is a good thing. Their Mediterranean pizza has been know to change lives. Bonus: Trivia Pursuit cards on the tables.
al Forno Ferruzza vs. Dirty Dave's Pizza Parlor
Spawned from Portland's street vendor culture, al Forno Ferruzza shares a wall and window with the popular Eastside Club, serving pizza slices through a late-night window. Gone are the picnic tables installed by the short-lived A2 restaurant and replaced with comfy booths and a new mural of scenes in Italy and Olympia. While al Forno is the new kid on the block, Dirty Dave's has been serving pizza in Thurston County since 1972. They have built a large, loyal following with their yeasty thin crust and crazy-ass posters and bric-a-brac on the walls.
Mercato Ristorante vs. Infernos Brick Oven Pizza
Located across from the Olympia Farmers Market, Mercato melds sophistication with casual, often with a lively crowd. The fare is Italian with Northwest touches with six pizzas on the menu, including the tasty molto carne with soprasetta salami and pepperoncini. Infernos Brick Oven Pizza offers pizza prepared in, well, a wood-burning oven. The gourmet, thin crispy crust pies carry traditional toppings as well as specialty items such as spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, jalapenos and cherry peppers.
Game 1: Aversano's (6015 Parker Road E., Sumner) vs. Big Nick's Pizza & Pasta (63527 McKinley Ave., Tacoma)
Game 2: Big Wheel Steakhouse (11401 Steele St. S., Tacoma) vs. Powerhouse Restaurant & Brewery (454 E. Main, Puyallup)
Game 3: Flying Tomato Italian Grill (10224 198th St., Graham) vs. Vince's Italian restaurant & Pizzeria (32411 Pacific Hwy. S., Federal Way)
Game 4: Rollies Tavern (2404 112th St. S., Tacoma) vs. Right Spot (5119 Pacific Hwy. E., Fife)
LINK: What's up with this pizza tournament?
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