I've eaten a lot of pizza this year. I went into the year with what my current top 5 pizza places in Baton Rouge were, and it was definitely fun to see that some of the places I thought would definitely stay in the top 5, didn't make that cut once I stepped out of my pizza comfort zone.
In no particular order, my top 5 going into this challenge to eat all the pizza were:
You may notice that Datz Italian was not on the list of places I ate at this year. That's because their spot in White Star Market (along with the entire market) became no longer earlier this year. There were many times I debated driving out to Walker but their schedule and my schedule never worked out in a way to make that a possibility.
Fleur de Lis is such an iconic spot in the city, and it was one that going into this year I thought maybe my feelings for it were related more to my memories I made there than the actual pizza itself. It's the main reason I opted to get my pizza to go and eat in my car versus eating in the restaurant. (I tried to make this somewhat scientific)
LIT and Rotolo's are pretty much my go-to spots as they are closest to me and I feel that proximity put them higher up in my feelings than they should have been.
I love Rocca. Prior to going on this carby, saucy, cheesy adventure, I would have told you that Rocca would definitely be in my top 5 at the end of the year. There is no way that it couldn't be. In my mind prior to this year, it was literally the best pizza in the city.
My feelings changed. I'm not sure if it was my feelings or just me taking the risk of being more open minded. So, since many of you have asked, in no particular order, here are my new top 5 spots to grab pizza in the city.
I was shocked that when I looked back over all of the pizza I have eaten this year that my heart knew I couldn't put Rocca back on that list. I'm a mixture of sadness and excitement over this. Will I still go to Rocca for some slices? Absolutely! (Preferably on your dime if you are reading this.) But 3 of these 5 I had never been to prior to this year.
Fleur de Lis solidified that there is a reason it is consistently ranked one of the top pizza places in the city. It's not because you get nostalgic over the dim lighting and having to remember how to count cash money. The pizza really is just that good. At first I didn't think there was any pepperoni except for the one little one that was cut up across the slices in the middle, but the toppings under the cheese made for a nice surprise. And their sauce is killer.
Pastime is one that I have not had in probably 10+ years prior to this challenge. I'm going to be honest by saying this is a place that I just don't think about. And when I do think about it, it's never about pizza. That changed this year, as I've realized it really isn't THAT much farther from me than the places I normally go to. The pizza is slightly more of a pan type crust (which I really like) and was loaded down with cheese and super yummy. (Technical terms only here)
And now for the 3 newbies to me that baked their way into my heart ...
Bistro Italia ... of course I went with friends, which some could say is making me think more fondly of it. It was the final stop, so it's fresh in my mind, some may say. I say, go eat the pizza. It's a little thinner, but a good amount of toppings with an appropriate topping to sauce ratio. And lots of cheese (did I mention that's a plus for me?) I was mentally prepared to be let down by this one because I had built up so much hype surrounding the final spot, but it came through in a big way.
Isabella's was the place that started the idea of this resolution. Passing by, but never stopping. 225 Dine just happened to put out an offer earlier in the year. Fate is a thing, y'all, and I knew that all of that was fate leading me to this spot. The pizza was good. It was a regular crust (not too thin, not too thick) with an appropriate amount of toppings. A true quality pie that I would like to have over and over. I may have even said, I could have this pie at my wedding. (If that is ever a thing that happens.)
New York Pizza & Pasta ... the place that I wasn't supposed to end up at that day. There is one place I tried to eat at that refused to serve me (long story that I won't get into now) and it led me to driving to the completely opposite side of the city to here. I'm not an overly big lover of thin crust pizza, but this was delightful. The crust was thin...so thin that it was so light. I planned to bring leftovers home, but wound up eating the whole thing because of it being so light. It had an amazing cheese pull, so it was obviously fresh from the oven, and even with all the cheese (it was a multi-cheese pizza) it still did not feel heavy on my stomach.
Well friends, this journey has come to an end. Will I eat pizza again any time soon? Absolutely! I'm going to Rotolo's for dinner tonight, actually. There are a few more pizza places slated to open here in the near future, and I cannot wait to dine and tell you all about my thoughts on them!
Stay tuned for what 2021 will be the year of! I've had some great suggestions - burgers, salsa, coffee, pastries/baked goods, pocket foods (dumplings, empanadas, hand pies), and tacos. Some have said to do something non-food related, like local parks or museums. Let me know if you have any suggestions, and we'll see what I pick come New Year's Eve!
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