From the sounds of its not cheese. Usually vegetable oil thats been treated to resemble cheese.
Cost effective i guess. These guys wouldn’t get more than 1 visit from me.
On this, I will whole-heartedly agree. Pizza, along with beer, is proof if not of God, of some benevolent force in the universe at least. And pizza with beer…sublime.
Your link doesn’t back up your statement. It suggests that addition of a small amount of vegetable oil to cheese to improve chewiness and meltability. That said, I wouldn’t disbelieve that major pizza chains would use faux cheese that contains 0% real cheese and is just treated vegetable oil. Especially if it was cost effective. I’d just want to see evidence of that.
Not sure about major chains, but triggercuts mom n pop stores (and our kebab/pizza/chicken equivalents in the UK) I can see it being used. The caesin and vegetable oil stuff mentioned here.
I used to occasionally get Pizza Hut because I was lured in by their stuffed crusts and pasta offerings and I invariably regretted the decision. I actually think Little Caesar’s makes better pizza than what Pizza Hut used to offer. But this new menu convinced me to give them another go and I don’t know how much of it is the new stuff and how much is being served by a different branch of the chain (I moved in the interim), but it’s dramatically better. I’m still not sure I’d rate it super highly - it doesn’t seem to cool very well, and being edible on the next couple days is key for me - but the sauces are all great and the crusts so far have been worth eating, whereas I normally discard them.
And FWIW, my pizza options here are most of the national chains (Papa John’s, Domino’s, Pizza Hut), two local chains (Toppers and Pizza Luce), and a couple of solo outfits. The little guys cost significantly more and do very generic thin crust. They also don’t have online ordering, which I consider a must. The local chains are better than the national chains, but… Toppers is only a bit better and while they’re not dramatically more expensive at menu price, the national chains usually have some sort of deal running that’s significantly cheaper than menu price, whereas Toppers hasn’t had a decent deal in quite a while. (They did have a 2 for $20 any pizza, any toppings for a while that was amazing. I ate so much pizza while that was going.) And Pizza Luce is really classy and high end, but they don’t offer large pizzas. It’s medium or extra large and nothing in between. And they never have any discounts at all, as far as I can tell. I order from them maybe once every three to four months to try their seasonal pizza(s) but it generally costs anywhere from 50% more than the national chains up. So I don’t do it often.
I had the same experience - party at my sister’s, and they ordered the “new” stuff. Much, much better than it used to be. Still not my favorite, but certainly above average for chain restaurant pizza.
Very good point. Pizza Hut was the first time I ever reheated pizza the next day and then threw it away after one bite.
Pizzeria Paradiso? It’s been way too long since I’ve been there. I used to frequent the one in Georgetown after hitting the movie theater there years ago, draining a bottle of Chianti one mini-tumbler at a time.
We generally order Stone Hot Pizza or Zpizza for delivery. We aren’t pizza connoisseurs, but we like the crust of the Stone Hot and the toppings for Zpizza. Both seem fresher and more flavorful than the usual chain stuff, though Zpizza can get pricey. I also remember really liking the pizza at Il Radicchio in Arlington, but that may just be because it was the first time I tried prosciutto on a pizza and it was fantastic.
Pi in DC, though it sounds as if Arlington has a few spots (all outside delivery range, but solid for a pizza night out!). Authentic Chicago deep dish, with Schlafly on tap.
Not sure about major chains, but triggercuts mom n pop stores (and our kebab/pizza/chicken equivalents in the UK) I can see it being used. The caesin and vegetable oil stuff mentioned here.
I don’t know about actual restaurants, but I learned abou the existence of cheese analogue when desperately trying (and failing) to find an edible looking frozen pizza at Costcutter a few years back.
Ah, Pi looks good. I haven’t had deep dish in ages. Thanks, Obama!
First off? Never met a pizza I didn’t like, excluding microwaved and frozen pizzas.
Pizza Hut has always been my go to chain - I always ordered the pan pizza and never regretted it. The Peruvian cherry peppers are indeed awesome. So awesome I had to figure out what the hell they were.
Pimentos. That’s right, those little slivers they stick in olives (disgusting) and put in cheese (awesome).
This thread almost made me order from Pizza Hut tonight. I was fevered, hungry, and didn’t feel like making anything. Came across one of their online deals, then discovered with the delivery fee and tip I’d be paying half again as much. Meh. I’ll give them a shot when I’m feeling better and can pick up the pizza.
Funny you say that–it’s the President’s favorite pizza place!
Yeah, delivery fees can be a bummer. One other reason why Domino’s is my current chain go-to is that I sprung for for a ShopRunner sub back in October, and that includes free Dominos delivery. Newegg and a couple of other stores I use enough are on it as well, so it’s been a decent deal so far.
Domino’s is a five minute drive from my house so it’s very easy to do pick-up. I was in the grocery store last night the frozen pizza prices reminded me again what a bargain Domino’s $5.99 pizza is. It’s cheaper than most of the frozen pizzas. There are these specialty frozen pizzas now going for $8.99. DiGiornio’s was $7.99. The only real bargain was the Red Baron 3 for $10 deal.
Do finer restaurants in metro DC comp the President if he visits out of respect or free publicity, or is that considered untoward?
I would think that’s a no-no, based on my experience with Federal Government visits. At Gilbert’s we had a monthly deal with the SDS–they’re the State Department’s Secret Service guys, who get detailed to provide security for visiting heads of state who may not have their own security. They did monthly protection drills in the restaurant that were always kind of neat to see how they set up–knowing the exits, back doors, etc. Anyway, they were always clear: everything had to be rung up, copy of the receipt, etc.
Same whenever someone from the Cabinet would come in to eat. No comps, thanks. Even congresspersons. They look pained like “This isn’t a setup, is it?” Just easier for them to pay the bill like everyone else.
Got two pizzas this weekend from Pizza Hut, pepperoni + salami with the garlic butter crust, and green peppers + Peruvian cherry peppers with toasted asiago crust.
Both good, but the garlic crust is a little too garlic-y for me. Better than plain, but probably wouldn’t chose it again. Asiago cheese crust was good. The cherry peppers are delicious, of course, and the salami was good.
Anybody got any magical combinations of the new ingredients they’d recommend? I probably won’t try any of the new sauces unless someone specifically recommends a tasty combination.
I’ll share one I didn’t expect to like but did–a variation of one they did over the summer.
See, I love good ol’ pizza, but occasionally it’s fun to change things up. I never expected to like a barbecue pizza, but boy howdy…I kinda like Pizza Hut’s.
It’s dark barbecue sauce in place of the tomato sauce. Then cheese, and ham, bacon, and pork sausage. The bacon at Pizza Hut is really amazing. Thick, beautiful chunks that look like they just cooked off a full pork belly and diced it. The cheddar/bbq crust goes really well with it. It feels incredibly decadent to eat, is pretty decent the next day, and yeah. Wouldn’t recommend it as a go-to, but for an occasional changeup it’s solid stuff.
You can build a variation from Dominos too. I like the Dominos cheese and dark BBQ sauce better than Pizza Hut’s, but the toppings from the Hut are superior.