A Tradition to be Proud of (no not football related)
This week for my pie adventure, I chose Yia Yia's. This a local delicacy. Having only had it once, it was pretty amazing. Unfortunately though, due to the game in town and the location of this place being in the downtown area, we put the name back. A breaker of my own rules, however I have a family to worry about here.
So, next choice......(drum roll please)
I meant the all caps on this one. Valentino's is a Lincoln favorite. Having started in Nebraska, this franchise is one of the constant tops. Then again, so was Pizza Hut, so let us hope they do not get drunk before the party (a metaphor for not bringing their best game, however I do hope the employees stay sober while on shift at least).
Alright in my research aka Google Search for a little bit of trivia I came across an article that I read earlier in the year however has some relevancy now.
http://journalstar.com/news/local/cindy-lange-kubick-the-hangry-hordes-a-pizza-and-a/article_65529bb1-3e8b-5cb3-b572-210dac91db8c.html
The article involves some history but in regards to a $6 large pizza deal, which inevitably sold out. A huge deal here in this college town where everyone wants to save a buck, and the typical pie definitely costs a couple of them. Today's was closer to $40.
My theory, you pay for what you get in the world of ZA. Let's hope this stands true today.
My daughter and I load up a vehicle on our 90 degree, autumn day. We drive to an establishment we are familiar with right next to the version with one of the grandest buffets in town. We are here for something much simpler. We do not need the endless desserts. We are purists on the road for a pie worth shipping across the country, no matter the cost.
I must add here that the two people working on this day Saturday the 23rd at the 70th and Van Dorn location were for so nice. They talked to my daughter and made some jokes. Being a father that stuff touches me.
Now, on to the stars of our show, for which it was a Cheesy film (get it?)
At first glance, one can see the decadence. The rich blots of cream cheese on Mr. Sorelle ( a man with all the right meats), the color variation of different cheeses for Miss Forgmaggi.
Look, for those of you whom live where there is no Valentino's I do apologize. I apologize that you cannot easily experience such a consistently rich, flavorful pizza, with a solid crust capable of holding all the specialty pizza sauce and equally special amount of toppings. This place doesn't miss. This, my wife can attest to having had the pizza throughout her adult life.
Valentino's claims that the sauce is there own. They sell it here in the grocery stores, unaware if they sell it elsewhere. I've looked at the nutrition label, just curious, and there does seem to be a higher-than-normal sugar content. However, this does not off-set the robust flavor, or the consistency of the sauce. Plus on these two pieces there is enough sauce to mix perfectly with the again, sturdy crust, rich toppings, and added spices for which Mr. Sorelle is known for.
The cheese on both pieces is evenly distributed, great flavor, for which Miss Formaggi took the cake on this one. Her four cheese blend was equally interesting and yet satisfying. I could actually taste all four different cheeses. This, unlike other 5 or 6 cheese pizzas elsewhere that all tastes the same. The cream cheese on Mr. Sorelle, well, you get the picture (right here lol).
Mr. Sorelle's meats (not really intended to be that strong of a pun) are nicely sliced, evenly distributed, the sausage was a little spicy, however neither was overwhelming. Again, it combined nicely with the sauce and crust without any need to add extra pizza sauce for flavor.
Overall consistency is key here. All the toppings, sauce, crust, they go together better than any other pizza place. There is no one key ingredient here that makes the pie better than or worse than others. Consistency, flavor, quality ingredients for which are obvious in taste and texture, are appreciated.
I would not personally recommend this pie for a gathering of people due to price. This stuff is consistency pricey. They usually have deals, however today's deal on 2 jumbo pizzas (for comparison we ordered 2 smalls) but they were only one topping. The specialty ones are where it is at. Also, sadly, when the pizzas get bigger at Valentino's, they do the square cuts, which I do not like.
Overall, the rating is a good plus-like an A (I have decided excellent would be A+). The reason it is not as high as it could be, honestly has to do with cost. For the 2 smalls and 3 extra bread twists, cost was around $40 with tip. Now, this isn't bad for a family of 3 because we could not finish, however again, for large get-togethers, maybe like a football game, I personally would choose something a little more economical and save these for a more intimate night at home.
In addition to the above mentioned article regarding the significance of the $6 pizzas, you can see now why they sold out so quickly. Also, I happened to have a friend that managed a UPS store who would confirm that these babies are in fact, shipped across the country and the cost to keep them preserved, eeeeshhh.
So, next choice......(drum roll please)
OH YEA! VALENTINO'S!
I meant the all caps on this one. Valentino's is a Lincoln favorite. Having started in Nebraska, this franchise is one of the constant tops. Then again, so was Pizza Hut, so let us hope they do not get drunk before the party (a metaphor for not bringing their best game, however I do hope the employees stay sober while on shift at least).
Alright in my research aka Google Search for a little bit of trivia I came across an article that I read earlier in the year however has some relevancy now.
http://journalstar.com/news/local/cindy-lange-kubick-the-hangry-hordes-a-pizza-and-a/article_65529bb1-3e8b-5cb3-b572-210dac91db8c.html
The article involves some history but in regards to a $6 large pizza deal, which inevitably sold out. A huge deal here in this college town where everyone wants to save a buck, and the typical pie definitely costs a couple of them. Today's was closer to $40.
My theory, you pay for what you get in the world of ZA. Let's hope this stands true today.
My daughter and I load up a vehicle on our 90 degree, autumn day. We drive to an establishment we are familiar with right next to the version with one of the grandest buffets in town. We are here for something much simpler. We do not need the endless desserts. We are purists on the road for a pie worth shipping across the country, no matter the cost.
I must add here that the two people working on this day Saturday the 23rd at the 70th and Van Dorn location were for so nice. They talked to my daughter and made some jokes. Being a father that stuff touches me.
Now, on to the stars of our show, for which it was a Cheesy film (get it?)
Mr. Due Sorelle (Old World pinched Italian sausage, droplets of cream cheese, spicy pepperoni, and topped with Italian Spices.):
...and Miss Quattro Formaggi (a four cheese spectacular consisting of Cheese Cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan and Romano cheeses, and fresh Italian herbs and spices.)
...with a guest appearance from comedy legend Cinnamin Spirazzi Breadtwists.
Look, for those of you whom live where there is no Valentino's I do apologize. I apologize that you cannot easily experience such a consistently rich, flavorful pizza, with a solid crust capable of holding all the specialty pizza sauce and equally special amount of toppings. This place doesn't miss. This, my wife can attest to having had the pizza throughout her adult life.
Valentino's claims that the sauce is there own. They sell it here in the grocery stores, unaware if they sell it elsewhere. I've looked at the nutrition label, just curious, and there does seem to be a higher-than-normal sugar content. However, this does not off-set the robust flavor, or the consistency of the sauce. Plus on these two pieces there is enough sauce to mix perfectly with the again, sturdy crust, rich toppings, and added spices for which Mr. Sorelle is known for.
The cheese on both pieces is evenly distributed, great flavor, for which Miss Formaggi took the cake on this one. Her four cheese blend was equally interesting and yet satisfying. I could actually taste all four different cheeses. This, unlike other 5 or 6 cheese pizzas elsewhere that all tastes the same. The cream cheese on Mr. Sorelle, well, you get the picture (right here lol).
Overall consistency is key here. All the toppings, sauce, crust, they go together better than any other pizza place. There is no one key ingredient here that makes the pie better than or worse than others. Consistency, flavor, quality ingredients for which are obvious in taste and texture, are appreciated.
I would not personally recommend this pie for a gathering of people due to price. This stuff is consistency pricey. They usually have deals, however today's deal on 2 jumbo pizzas (for comparison we ordered 2 smalls) but they were only one topping. The specialty ones are where it is at. Also, sadly, when the pizzas get bigger at Valentino's, they do the square cuts, which I do not like.
Overall, the rating is a good plus-like an A (I have decided excellent would be A+). The reason it is not as high as it could be, honestly has to do with cost. For the 2 smalls and 3 extra bread twists, cost was around $40 with tip. Now, this isn't bad for a family of 3 because we could not finish, however again, for large get-togethers, maybe like a football game, I personally would choose something a little more economical and save these for a more intimate night at home.
In addition to the above mentioned article regarding the significance of the $6 pizzas, you can see now why they sold out so quickly. Also, I happened to have a friend that managed a UPS store who would confirm that these babies are in fact, shipped across the country and the cost to keep them preserved, eeeeshhh.
Comments
Post a Comment