SATURDAY, MARCH 26: ROUND TWO ACTION CONTINUES >>>
Pizza construction isn't rocket science. Take some dough, spread some sauce, throw on a few toppings, serve and enjoy. But hidden within those folds is a complexity that defies the short ingredients list. Making a pizza is child's play; making a great pizza is another thing entirely. Opening a discussion on which South Sound pizza joints offer a great pizza serves as our mission for the Tournament of Pizza - that and trying to score free pizza slices from the competitors.
Before we examine today's pizza battles - only two games due to pre-tournament scheduling conflicts - let's take a look at yesterday's dough-slinging results.
Wow. WOW! Yesterday's voting action saw nearly double the numbers as the previous top voting day, which was March 17.
Cloverleaf Pizza vs. Joeseppi's Italian Ristorante
Back in the '70s, after their Wednesday couples tennis night at the club, parents would head to the Cloverleaf Tavern to discuss their forehands and the craziness that was Tricky Dick. The next morning, their kids would open the refrigerator and steal bites off the Cloverleaf's crispy pizza crust goodness. Today, those kids take their kids to Joeseppi's for their ham and pineapple pizza and a giant slice of that towering chocolate cake. Yup, Joeseppi's smoked the Cloverleaf with 65 percent of the votes, and moves into the Stuffed 16.
Delbrocco's Philly Style Pizza vs. Pizza Casa
We suspect Delbrocco's pushed hard their "Drexel Hill" Jano pie during this matchup. We're talking seven toppings - sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, roasted peppers, black olives and extra cheese - and with free delivery. Pizza Casa, a longtime Italian restaurant so beloved by Lakewood residents that a Christmas morning reservation contemplation wouldn't be considered ridiculous by most of their friends, serves a delicious, square-shaped pizza and has pictures of cocktails on their paper placemats. Delbrocco's plan worked as they grabbed 54 percent of the votes and move on to the Stuffed 16 to battle Joeseppi's March 29.
Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza vs. Ricardo's Ristorante
If you're one of the estimated 3 million Americans who suffer from wheat-gluten allergies, your eating habits might resemble those of Atkins dieters. Farrelli's knows this fact, and offers a "Still Riding Gluten-Free Dough," using separate un-floured pizza peels and keep all gluten-free ingredients gluten-free. The DuPont pizza joint also has honey whole-wheat dough in its arsenal. What Ricardo's has in its arsenal is a cozy setting, local fresh ingredients, the Toni Tony Tone Pizza: Dungeness crab and prawns, bisque, cheese and sautéed spinach ... and a whole bunch of fans. Farrelli's marketing machine was no match for Ricardo's pizzas. The Lacey Italian restaurant secured 64 percent of the votes for the victory.
Casa Mia vs. Vic's Pizzeria
Casa Mia has an atrium. They haven't been really pushing that attribute but we suspect they had to pull it out yesterday to compete with the powerhouse that is Vic's Pizzeria. Enjoy Mia's award-winning vegetarian Pizza Sole, their "pizza of the sun," actually underneath the sun is a smile-producing assembly line. Vic's, which by the way serves a damn tasty hand-tossed New York style pizza, opens at 8 a.m. Monday-Saturday serving baked goods, espresso and boasts free WiFi. These two Olympia pizza joints battled hard all day, trading leads almost every hour. When the polls closed at 11:45 p.m. Casa Mia and its award-winning pies edged out Vic's with 50.4 percent of the votes.
The following four pizza joints will advance to the Stuffed 16:
Sponsored by al Forno Ferruzza Traditional Sicilian Cuisine
OK, time to move on to today's pizza battles.
>>> CONTEST CLOSED. FOR RESULTS OF THE BATTLES BELOW AND NEW MATCHUPS TO VOTE ON, SEE SUNDAY'S POSTS ON SPEW.
Spud's Pizza Parlor vs. Louie G's Pizza
Both of these places have rabid fans and die-hard supporters, as well as great pizza, so this pizza-a-pizza matchup may be the most hotly contested of the competition so far. Spud's piles the cheese on high and you can't find a stool at the bar in the back. Louie's G's throws the dough in the air and hosts riff-heavy RAWK Atomic Outlaws for an all-ages show tonight at 8 p.m. Mobilize your base, Spud's and Louie G's, and get out the vote!
Milton Tavern vs. Trackside Pizza
The Milton Tavern might pull out the Kid Card in this round. The TAVERN welcomes kids until 9 p.m. Saturday through Thursday, and until 4 p.m. Friday (TGIF!). It should also be known the Milton Tavern offers eight pizza sauces including garlic butter, black and blue and a "secret red sauce." Trackside Pizza laughs at those stats as it hosts kids at all hours and offers all-you-can-eat pizza slice bar during lunchtime. Can the kid-friendly sauce factory beat the $6.99 slice fest? Which pizza deserves to move up to the Stuffed 16?
Game 1: Terry's Office Tavern (3410 N. Proctor, Tacoma) vs. Fondi Pizzeria (4621 Point Fosdick Dr. NW, Gig Harbor)
Game 2: Blue Cannon Pizza (4726 Borgen Blvd. NW, Gig Harbor) vs. The Fan Club Sports Bar (8315 83rd Ave. SW, Lakewood)
Game 3: Oldschool Pizzeria (108 Franklin St. NE, Olympia) vs. Apollo's Pizza & Pasta (2302 Harrison Ave. NW, Olympia)
Game 4: Dirty Dave's Pizza Parlor (3939 Martin Way E., Olympia) vs. Infernos Brick Oven Pizza (111 Tumwater Blvd. SE, Olympia)
LINK: What's up with this pizza tournament?
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