In Search of the Perfect Slice

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"There's no better feeling in the world than a warm pizza box on your lap." - Kevin James

I have been on a search for the perfect slice of pizza in America for quite some time. In fact, my blackberry actually has a list of my favorite nine places to grab a slice to remind there is always room for one more. 

Debate all you want, but this is a definitive list, in no particular order:

Pizza Place, Parkersburg, WV; perfect serving-one slice of thin cheese, one slick of thick.  Anyone who lives within 50 miles of P-burg knows this iconic eatery. Not a week in high school went by that I didn't spend $2.12 for the perfect two slice lunch. All ingredients shipped from Brooklyn, it's the best New York style pizza west of the Appalachians.



Imo's Pizza, St. Louis; perfect serving - eight tiny slices with extra provel cheese. Super thin crust, made with a white velveeta cheese-like topping, it's easy to consume a whole pie yourself.

Giordano's Famous, Chicago; perfect serving - personal meat lovers. Chicago style pizza, made with cornmeal crust, stuffed with meat and cheese, and with the top layer covered in sauce, is like no other. In fact, I can only eat this every six months or I will overdose of deliciousness.

Riccio's Pizza, Charlotte; perfect serving - one giant slice of eggplant parmesan.  Serving the Queen City since 1962, I stumbled upon this delicacy in a friend's basement. The aforementioned style is out of this world, crispy and greasy. And surprisingly, no calories.

Little Stevie's House of Pizza, Boston - perfect slice, two thin pepperoni, luke warm. After a five mile hike in the middle of the night  due to missing the last train in Boston, Little Stevie's was like an oasis in the desert for my buddy Darren and I. Only a few blocks from Fenway Park, it could have tasted like cardboard, but that night it it tasted like heaven. Darren and I have found some imitators in Montreal, Tampa, and Asheville, but never duplicated.

Pizza Town, Elmwood Park, NJ - perfect slice, two thin cheese. I mentioned that Pizza Place was the best west of the Appalachians, well here is the best. Since I was a child, we have made it a point to come to the little shack off the New Jersey turnpike. Add extra oregano, parmesan cheese, and red pepper.

Brixx, Charlotte, perfect slice - Spicy Shrimp - Next time you go to Time Warner Arena, park at the 7th Street garage, stop at Brixx after the game, get a beer sampler for $4.00 and a $5.00 pizza, which is classic brick oven style. Then get your parking validated for free. 

Pi, St. Louis - pefect slice - Veggie Chicago style. In the heart of the Delmar Loop, Pi is another homerun for deep dish. In fact President Obama has caused quite an uproar with his Chicago contingent when he has requested the Pi staff come make their pies at the White House - twice.

Simonetti's, Belmont, NC - perfect slice, a large white. Right off of beautiful Wilkinson Blvd near the gateway to Gaston lies a three booth Pizza shack. Only place to hit New York style in the area. Plus the lunch special can feed a small school.

Disney Mistakes Avoided

Roy Walley:  Once I drove all the family to Florida. The smell coming out of the back seat was terrible.
Clark: I know that smell, Roy; but what if you had driven all that way and Florida was closed?


A road trip with the family to Florida is bound to lead to some mistakes. However, here are five missteps you too can avoid.

5. Coordinate a Road Race with Your Trip - The Disney Half Marathon and Full Marathon was held this weekend and 50,000 crazies took to the challenge. Tourists and athletes alike walked around the parks with their medals in tow, beaming with pride of their accomplishments. It only makes sense to coordinate a planned race with a weekend at amusement parks, right? Wrong.  According to a study, the average person walks over 12 miles during a full day at the Magic Kingdom. Now tie that into hours of driving, unfamiliar beds, on-the-go eating, and pushing a stroller.

4. Stick to a strict schedule - A friend of ours sent us her family's perfect Disney itinerary, from picking the right parking lot to coordinating all the "fast pass" rides most efficiently. As soon as we began to make plans at the Magic Kingdom, a "Dancing in the Streets" interactive parade with Toy Story's Woody & Jessie erupted for the next 20 minutes. It was probably the most fun we had as a family and it could not have been planned.

3. Trust Your GPS and Not Road Signs - Those ginormous signs directing traffic are for the topographically challenged, not us tech-geeks, right? Let's just say when you plug in Disney World into a Tom Tom, you get the scenic route of orange groves and lakes. Also, you end up in the cast members parking lot nine miles from the park as your final destination. Okay, so maybe we didn't avoid every mistake.

2. Act Like an Adult - Ice cream sundaes before lunch? Sure.  Naps for the kids? Who need 'em? Spinning your three year old round and round on the tea cups til he almost pukes? That's called making memories. So is pretending to propose to your wife in front of Cinderella's castle, baby in tow, just to see her blush.

1. Save the Best for Last - With all the options of entertainment to choose from, why not save the best for last? End it on a high note, get settled in? This time, choosing our "must see" spot first was the best avoided mistake. Our trip was cut short due to the great blizzard of 2011 and we had to leave early. Regrets? We had none.