Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint

I've noticed that over the last few weeks, the time between when we actually visit the pizza places I write about and the time that I post the reviews is getting longer and longer.  Be not afraid, it isn't because I'm losing interest or that I somehow forgot to have pizza one week.  The reason?  March Madness.  No, not basketball.  It's become crunch time at school, and much unlike senior year in high school, the end of the year does not mean we get to coast to the finish line.  Why does grad school have to be so much work?  Stupid engineering.

Alright, now that I've got that off my chest, how are you?  I assume you're doing well.  How can you not be?  March Madness (the basketball kind) is here!  I don't root for any schools other than my own, but I do fill out brackets.  I've got the TV set on basketball right now while writing, and I'm not doing much more than keeping an eye on the score.  I only keep it on to watch when the upsets start to happen...everyone loves a good upset!  (Unless it ruins your bracket and you lose your office pool by a slim margin, that is.)

I digress.

Pizza!  Specifically, Uncle Maddio's Pizza Joint! (Love the name.)

Mid-Week Pizza News and Notes

Happy March Madness, everyone!  I'm currently watching the Big East tournament, and I love this time of year.  Here are some pizza-related news and notes for you to read between games.

California Pizza Kitchen

To make up for a delayed post, I'll give you this article that lists the top 10 pizza cities around the country.  I won't ruin it for you or anything, but it's total blasphemy that Louisville isn't #1....or any other number in the top 10.  However, if you'd like to start a nationwide pizza blog, I'm all for it.  Just give me credit for your inspiration, and I want a cut of your profits when you write a book based on my ideas.

The following post is the result of a rookie mistake on my part.  This week's pizza visit was supposed to be at Perfetto's on Hurstbourne Lane.  (For future references, they open at 4 PM.  Not open for lunch at 1. I'll remember that, Perfetto's.)  Because we were starving and sitting in front of a closed pizza joint three hours before they opened, we had to improvise.  And while I typically don't like to go to a popular pizza place two weeks in a row, we had little to work with on empty stomachs.  We decided to visit the California Pizza Kitchen in Oxmoor Mall.

My review of CPK will be relatively short, I believe.  As I'm writing this, I'm still not feeling well, and Duck Dynasty comes on later.  I need my rest so I can compare my life to the Robertson lifestyle down in West Monroe.  I typically don't come out well in those comparisons.

I Think I Just Found My New Motto

See what positive thinking and confidence can help you achieve?

(Credit goes to Imgur.com)

Papa Murphy's

If you think for a minute that I'm going to talk about my broken foot again, then you have underestimated me.  I wouldn't dare try to milk having a broken foot and not being able to drive, walk, or go an entire day without falling and Katie jumping up faster than someone saying "free diamonds!"

The fact is, I'm a humble, humble man, and I always put others before myself. (A broken foot is a tragedy, why aren't any of you sending me gifts or funny cat pictures to brighten my mood?)  I would never try to feed you anything other than the raw, real truth.  The truth is....casts are uncomfortable, and it's beginning to make me cranky.

Because of my current predicament, and my lovely wife driving me literally everywhere I need to go, we opted to have pizza in our most comfortable environment:  our apartment.  Instead of taking the lazy way and ordering one of the Big Three (Pizza Hut, Papa John's, and Domino's), we stopped by Papa Murphy's on the way home yesterday.

I almost didn't have a picture to give you....I'll explain below.

Old Chicago

Anyone who's ever written anything knows that one of the hardest things in creative writing (not that I'd call my writing "creative" by any means) is looking at the blank page (or paper) and deciding how to begin.  I often try to pull something from my previous week that may be funny or easy to relate to; I try to make you feel warm and welcome when I start my writing.  (Can I get you something?  I've got water and milk.  I'm sorry, I didn't know I'd be having company today.)

My introduction to this week's post on Old Chicago was going to talk about some of the times I've actually gone to Chicago and the time we had REAL Chicago-style deep dish pizza.  However, I have a more important story to tell.  I injured my foot yesterday, and like an idiot, tried to walk around on it all day (including limping into Old Chicago).  Today, a visit to the doctor revealed a broken bone in my foot.  (I'm currently on crutches for an indeterminate amount of time.)  All of your pity is both expected and gladly accepted.  I'll give you my address if you want to send me "get well soon" baskets or macaroni art to hang on my fridge.

Enough about me (for now), let's talk about pizza!  I'll talk (write), and you read.  That's how this works.

Pizza Place at Hikes Point

Just last week, a close friend was telling me that none of my reviews were very negative.  I realized that he had a point, but I wasn't sure if that was because I'm always the optimist, or because I've genuinely enjoyed all of the restaurants Katie and I have visited so far this year.

The more I thought about it, I couldn't help but wonder if I was being too nice or letting things go that might annoy other patrons of these pizza joints.  I ultimately decided to rely on the fact that I am an optimist; I've only written about things I've experienced, and that's all I can do without bringing speculation into the equation.

Luckily (or not, depending on how you look at it), I don't need to worry about that anymore.  This week's visit was to a place that I will probably not visit again:  The Pizza Place at Hikes Point.