Category: Pizza

AlbuquerqueItalianNew MexicoPizzaRating: Outstanding

Seemo’s Slices Pizzeria & Market – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

College students are known for their poor and unhealthy eating habits. Without mom to ensure they get some semblance of a balanced and nutritious diet, students indulge in copious amounts of cheap foods such as burgers, ramen and pizza. A recent study found that 13 percent of Americans consume pizza on any given day. Right now college students are at the top of that list. About 20% to 22% of children and teens eat pizza on any given day, according to studies published in the medical journal Pediatrics. That doesn’t mean every single student eats a slice every 24 hours.…

ColoradoGuy's Grocery GamesItalianPizzaRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Red Gravy – Colorado Springs, Colorado

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

There wasn’t much ethnic or cultural diversity in Peñasco where I grew up. Our little village was overwhelmingly (probably 98% if not more) Hispanic. One of the only other ethnic groups in the area were non-Hispanic white residents, most of whom worked either as teachers or for the forest services. Other whites were “left overs” from the years in which a hippie commune set up camp nearby. We also had a couple of families (Sahds and Owens) of Lebanese descent. Everyone referred to them as “Los Arabes” because Arabic is the principle language in Lebanon. Los Arabes were (and still…

AlbuquerqueItalianNew MexicoPizzaRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Pazzi Ristorante Italiano – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

In Italian, pazzi is the masculine plural form of pazzo, which means “crazy,” “mad,” or “foolish”. The feminine plural form is “pazza.” In either case, it translates to “crazy people” or “madmen” when used as a noun, or simply “crazy” for masculine plural nouns/adjectives. Interestingly, the name “Pazzi” is derived from the Latin word “pax,” which means peace.  So why would an upscale Italian restaurant in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights name itself for a crazy person.  Surely, it’s not because owners have been inspired by the crazy officiating of WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) games in which physicality and dirty play…

ArizonaDiners Drive-Ins and DivesItalianPizzaRating: OutstandingUnited States

Fat Olives – Flagstaff, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Several years and a couple of tons ago, my friend “Macho” Mike Moretti and I were the type of trenchermen that all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurants feared so much they established strict time limits.  When a German restaurant on San Mateo offered a free dessert to any diner who could finish a gargantuan combination plate, we easily surmounted the challenge and asked for seconds.  Perhaps our most impressive culinary conquest transpired when Pizza Inn offered a “order one pizza, get the next size free” deal.  We ordered an extra large pizza and a large pizza then polished them off.  That was the…

ArizonaGelatoItalianPizzaRating: OutstandingUnited States

Gelato Dolce Vita & Italian Grocer – Mesa, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“La Grassa” (The Fat One) is the nickname of Bologna, Italy.  While that sobriquet may seem unflattering, Bologna bears it with honor.  This city in the north-central region of the country is considered the “gastronomic heart of Italy,” a place where food is an art form and a passion.   This may be best exemplified by one of the foods born in Bologna.  I’m talking, of course, about gelato.  Throughout “Lo Stivale” (the boot, a nickname bestowed upon Italy because the shape of the peninsula resembles a high-heeled boot) gelato is revered.  Not surprisingly, Bologna is not only the home of…

ArizonaGelatoItalianPizzaRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Il Forno Bello Pizzeria – Mesa, Arizona

Gil Garduno3:01 AM

Culinary history is rich with examples of proteges who surpassed their mentors.   Gordon Ramsay, for example, has become a restaurant impresario with nearly 100 restaurants bearing his brand. He was mentored by legendary English Chef Marco Pierre White, an intense and volatile personality who helped shape Ramsay’s approach to leading a kitchen. Chef Grant Achatz, perhaps more well-known for playing himself during a guest cameo in the season three finale of The Bear, led Alinea in Chicago to three Michelin stars. He was mentored by demanding culinary visionary Charlie Trotter. Chef Horacio “Lacho” Hernandez earned his stripes under the tutelege…

ArizonaPizzaRating: N/R (Not Rated)United States

Bill’s Pizza – Prescott, Arizona

Gil Garduno12:02 AM

According to the city’s Chamber of Commerce, “Prescott, Arizona is a highly popular and nationally recognized retirement destination. Known as “Everybody’s Hometown,” it appeals to active adults and seniors looking for natural beauty, a relaxed lifestyle, and a strong sense of community.”  Prescott isn’t only popular among retirement-age personnel.  Many of my former colleagues at Intel Corporation in Chandler and Ocotillo (Phoenix suburbs) bought second homes in the Prescott area, not necessarily for retirement but to have an relatively nearby escape destination that is somewhat cooler than The Valley of the Sun’s triple-digit summer temperatures. Prescott was founded in 1864…

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Tony’s Pizzeria – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Why is it so hard to convince others to change their minds and hearts? That’s a question philosophers, psychologists and even curious hoi polloi like me have pondered over for millennia. Perhaps never has that question been brought to the fore as during recent political events. Sadly, the question takes on even more of a personal bent when you believe someone else’s views betray something inherently rotten about their character—or when someone else believes the same about yours. Rightly or wrongly, we’re wired to believe people’s views are barometers of their moral conscience. Psychologists have long posited the existence of…

AlbuquerqueGelatoItalianNew MexicoPizzaRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Johnny’s Pizza – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

“He’s been helping make pizza since he was three.”  Johnathan Khalil’s mom beamed as she confirmed she’s not the “Johnny” for which Albuquerque’s newest New York style pizzeria is named.  Johnny is her soon-to-turn-18-year-old son.  Can you imagine how cool it would be to be a teenager with a pizza parlor named for him?  Johnny must very popular.  The pizzeria named for him certainly is.  On the day of our inaugural visit–two weeks and one day–after its 29 May 2026 launch, the line was literally out the door.  Johnny’s is scantly 1,200 square-feet so accommodating throngs of diners will be…

AlbuquerqueDog FriendlyNew MexicoPizzaRating: OutstandingRio Rancho

Thicc Pizza Co. – Albuquerque & Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

As you’ve read on the tagline for Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog, your humble blogger fancies himself somewhat of a sesquipedalian (a person who tends to use big words).  My logophilia (the love of vocabulary) is a lifelong affliction, both in English and in Spanish.  Despite my “affair” with words, one word-related term which just doesn’t always describe me is neologist (someone who uses new words). This is especially true about slang terms in fashion among the pop-culture-oriented youth.  When it comes to such terms, I’m not far removed from groovy, bread and copacetic.  It’s certainly not that I’m not…

AlbuquerqueNew MexicoPizzaRating: ExcellentSandwich

Slice & Dice – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno5:37 PM

You might remember a 2004 documentary called Supersize Me in which writer-producer Morgan Spurlock explored the consequences on his health of a diet consisting solely of McDonald’s food for one month.  Spurlock has nothing on Dan Janssen who as of 2019 had eaten almost nothing but pizza for nearly thirty years.  That’s pizza for lunch and dinner every day of the year for just about three decades.  Janssen is certainly no believer in the old adage that variety is the spice of life because the only spice with which he tops his pizza is oregano.  Nor does variety extend to…