Archive for Pizza

Krusty Burger & Lard Lad Donuts Coming To Universal Studio Florida’s Springfield

Greetings from Springfield

I’ve never really watched the Simpsons but that might have to do with the fact that when I was in junior high my friend Danny Suarez (yes full name and all) would spend the entire day quoting Bart Simpson. It made me lose any interest in even watching the show but I know I’m in the minority here. It’s been on for an eternity and spawned many pop culture characters.

Universal Studios Florida is finally opening up a Springfield area this summer where you can visit and eat from Krusty Burger, Lard Lad Donuts, the Frying Dutchman, Luigi’s Pizza or grab a cold Duff Beer at Moe’s Tavern. The Duff Beer is being brewed exclusively for Universal Orlando. The concept art looks great and maybe now that many years have passed, I’ll give the Simpsons another whirl.

(click to enlarge)

Concept Art courtesy of Universal (click to enlarge)

 Springfield Press Release

ENTER THE WORLD OF SPRINGFIELD LIKE NEVER BEFORE -
ONLY AT UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT!

ORLANDO, Fla. (May 23, 2013) - Woo Hoo! Springfield, hometown to America’s favorite animated family, The Simpsons, comes to life at Universal Orlando Resort this summer.

The expansive, new area within Universal Studios will be anchored by the mega-attraction, The Simpsons Ride, and will allow guests to enter the world of The Simpsons like never before. It will be the only place in the world where guests can walk the streets of Springfield. It will include a brand-new outdoor attraction, places and foods pulled right from the show and two new Simpsons characters who will make their debut with the new area – Krusty the Clown and Sideshow Bob.

And yes – there will be Duff Beer, brewed exclusively for Universal Orlando.

For the first time ever – anywhere – fans will be able to walk down Fast Food Boulevard and visit the places that helped Springfield stake its claim as “Shelbyville by the Sea.” They will be able to grab a Krusty-certified meat sandwich at Krusty Burger, snatch the catch of the day at the Frying Dutchman, get a slice at Luigi’s Pizza, go nuts for donuts at Lard Lad, enjoy a “Taco Fresho” with Bumblebee Man and imbibe at Moe’s Tavern.

The new attraction – called Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl – will take “foolish humans” on an intergalactic spin designed to send them into orbit.

“This will be a must-see experience for Simpsons fans all over the world,” said Mark Woodbury, President of Universal Creative. “For the first time ever, they’re going to be able to enter a world that they’ve only seen on television – and we’re really excited to bring that world to life.”

“This new expansion will broaden and deepen the already incredible experience at Universal, by bringing to life the iconic landmarks of Springfield that fans have grown to love,” said Jeffrey Godsick, President, Fox Consumer Products. “Fans will literally be able to live and breathe Springfield as they visit the statue of Jebediah, enjoy a Krusty Burger, and have a seat at Moe’s Tavern, which are just a few of the great experiences awaiting at Universal.”

“It has been an honor to bring the world of the Simpsons to life in such a letter-perfect way,” said Denise Sirkot, President, Worldwide Brand, Gracie Films. “Truly this is the Krustyest place on earth.”

For more information, visit www.universalorlando.com.

Mauro’s Pizza by the Slice in Hollywood, Florida

The Chowfather being the Pizza aficionado that he is has mentioned Mauro’s to me on more than one occasion. Now, every Monday night at Arts Park in Hollywood there’s a Food Truck Event I curate. I’ve driven past Mauro’s on my way there for the last year & a half and not even realized it. My brother in law was driving two weeks so I was taking in the food sights on the way there. “MAURO’S!!!” I couldn’t believe I had been so close to it all this time. It was not in the cards that week to hit them up but last week……oh yes.

Mauro’s is Cash only but there’s an ATM so they can still extract some extra moolah from you. It seems from what I read everywhere that service is borderline rude. I didn’t encounter that but I was there at 3:30PM on a Monday, there was no one ahead of us when we walked in and ordered.

I go straight Cheese Slice, my wife Marcela decides on Pepperoni and I also order a Ground Beef for good measure. A Slice will set you back $2.75 and an extra buck for every additional topping.

The full toppings line up: Pepperoni, Mushrooms, Sausage, Peppers, Anchovies, Black Olives, Onions, Pineapple, Ham, Ground Beef & Extra Cheese.

I pay and wait no more than 5 minutes for the slices. There are signs all over the place telling you things you “can’t” do. I don’t take offense to them. I’m sure there’s a good reason for it. I worked in retail for over 10 years and no rules makes for large headaches. I do favor the “POUR ON YOUR PLATE ***FIRST*** THEN ON YOUR PIZZA” sign, lots of intricate stenciling going on there.

Spice Up Your Slice

Warning: Do As You’re Told

These dudes are large and foldable. They are surprisingly big as you can see from the double plating under them.  The crust is crispy, the sauce is sweet and it’s got the right amount of pooling grease to keep the Pizza in the delicious zone. I don’t know that I could tell you I preferred one over the other but if you’re going to eat only one then you should probably go Cheese.

Cheese Slice

Pepperoni Slice

The Ground Beef slice had me in flashback mode. In the early ’80s I would eat Pizza from a joint in Westchester, I think it was called International Pizza. Their Ground Beef was very similar in look and taste to this.  They ended up going out of business when Domino’s started spreading their tentacles around town. That’s one of the reasons why you should support locally owned shops and not those homogenized machines.

Ground Beef Slice

If you wanna go the full pie route Mauro’s has Medium, Large and XL. They’re open pretty late too(til 4AM on Sun-Tues & 5AM on Wed-Sat) and deliver locally, what’s not to love?

Check out some of my friends’ thoughts on Mauro’s:

The Chowfather

Jeff Eats

Worst Pizza

 

Eat Late & Great:

Mauro’s Pizza by the Slice
Facebook: Mauro’s Pizza
1904 Hollywood Blvd Hollywood, Florida 33020
954-929-4001

Kings County Pizza – North Miami Beach, Florida

Kings County Pizza wasn’t some place I just discovered driving around town but thanks to the Chowfather. I had put it on my must try list over a year ago and there it laid dormant til Fatgirl Hedonist brought up Kings County Pizza a few months ago.

I was kinda overwhelmed as to what exactly I should order as the Pizza is the obvious choice but I remember CF mentioning the Baked Ziti. I figure I can’t go wrong with some Garlic Knots and a slice of their Neapolitan Pizza to start with.

Garlic Knots

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Joey’s Pizza & Pasta House of Marco Island

My family vacations in Marco Island every year at the beginning of the summer. While everyone is in full relax mode I’m scouring the island and nearing cities for worthwhile places to eat. For the last few years Joey’s Pizza & Pasta House has been my go to restaurant. Everything here is from good to great.

My personal favorites is the Lasagna and the Fettuccine Alfredo (I prefer without Chicken). The Garlic Knots are phenomenal but sometimes over “cheezed” with Parmesan. If you had to twist my arm I’d go with the Stromboli over the Calzone just because it packs a bigger flavor punch and on the Pizza side, Pepperoni won out over ever combination we’ve tried.

Just a sampling of the dishes we’ve had over 2 years:

5 Cheese Slice

Pepperoni Slice

5 Meat Sicilian Thick Crust Pizza

Calzone & Stromboli

Calzone

Stromboli

Lasagna

Fettuccine Alfredo

Garlic Knots

Meatball

Meatball Sub Half

There are also salads for those of you who’d like something lighter. The menu is pretty large and includes a Chicago-Style Dog as well as Burgers for Lunch. I stuck to the Italian dishes just because I liked them so much and was never tempted to deviate, it is called Joey’s Pizza & Pasta House after all.

Eat at Joey’s:

Joey’s Pizza & Pasta House
257 N Collier Blvd Marco Island, FL 34145
239-389-2433

Polo Norte and their Cuban Style Pizza

Most folks think of Polo Norte for 2 things, Ice Cream & Cuban Style Pizza. I’ve never had dessert much less ice cream any of the times I’ve eaten here. Fans of Cuban Style Pizza come here to fulfill their fantasies.

The Croquetas here are divine. They are a bit on the large side and have a certain something that reminds of my favorite Croqueta of my youth, Latin American on Coral Way & 97th Avenue in Westchester (the place is long gone). These are a must order item and a hidden gem amongst Croqueta aficionados.

Croquetas

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I left my Heart at Leo’s Pizza in Miami

Leo’s Pizza has been sorely overlooked on burgerbeast.com. It’s one of the few places that I frequent that I don’t think I’ve ever even mentioned on here. It might be because I’d like to think that everyone knows about Leo’s Pizza since it’s been around since the ’80s.

In the early ’90s there were only 3 Pizza Joints that I ate at: The Big Cheese, Frank’s Pizza (on SW 8th St & 81st) and Leo’s Pizza. I had just discovered how much better the little independent shops were than the Noid and all his corporate friends. The Big Cheese was not as close to my home base of Westchester so it was always a tough decision between Frank’s and Leo’s. Frank’s is now unfortunately closed.

One of the best things about eating at a Mom & Pop shop is the service you receive. You come here often enough and they know you and your likes. You call in to place an order and they recognize you and ask how everything’s going. It’s like that at Leo’s.

The Pepperoni Pizza would be my suggestion for your first time here. It’s delicious and they don’t skimp out on the pep. I like the straight up Cheese or if my wife is not around, the Pepperoni and Ground Beef Pizza. The crust is a little on the thick but I’m OK with that.

On the surface of the Pepperoni Pizza

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You know what’s really good? The Fugazza Pizza at Loven Ovens in Medley

I hadn’t been to Loven Ovens in a few years since I moved. I was hungry and only their Fugazza Pizza would do. I drove over to their location in Doral only to realize they weren’t there anymore. After a quick internet search (not that quick, my cell phone is horrible) off to Medley I drove to fulfill my lunch fantasy. And there in the middle of pretty much nowhere was Loven Ovens, now a larger and nicer space.

I ordered some garlic rolls and a meatball sub too but I was here for only thing, Fugazza. The Fugazza Pizza is double layered thin crust pizza with a triple portion of Mozzarella Cheese and topped with their spiced sauce and thin raw onion slivers. You know what’s really good? You’re looking at it below.

Fugazza Pizza

Slice of the Fugazza goodness

Get Fugazza’d:

Loven Ovens
10505 NW 112 Avenue, Medley, Florida 33178
305-885-1557