Beto's Pizza, Banksville Road

1473 Banksville Rd
Pittsburgh, PA 15216
(412) 561-0121

Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time, and today we were lucky enough to be at Ron's store when his father came by with a tray of pizza from Beto's and gave us a slice.  I've heard a lot about Beto's and know that it's a "love it or hate it" kind of pizza. 

First of all, if you don't know about Beto's, they have an unusual way of preparing the pizza.  They bake the crust with sauce, then add the toppings - they are extremely generous with the toppings - after the pizza comes out of the oven.  That method results in cheese that is half melted.

We loved Beto's pizza sauce.  It was fresh and chunky and had excellent flavor.  The crust was crunchy and flavorful.  The mound of half-melted cheese was quite tasty and very fresh, and it's an unusual idea and combination of textures.  Overall, the flavor brought back happy memories of a favorite pizza from my childhood.  The only downside to me was that it was way too much cheese for my personal taste and my current cholesterol level, so it would have to be a very special and only occasional treat.

Beto's does have a large menu that includes sandwiches and some interesting menu items.  Sharon especially likes their hoagies and recommends them.  One small taste of their pizza was not enough, so we definitely plan to pay Beto's a visit in person.

Savory Breakfast Pizza Recipe from the 2010 Pillsbury Bake Off

I recently bought a container of Maison Le Grand's wonderful pesto from McGinnis Sisters and needed to find some recipes using pesto - I came across this recipe for Savory Breakfast Pizza when looking for ways to use it.  Bake-Off finalist Adrienne Davis of Highland, Maryland, calls her recipe a breakfast pizza, but I think it would be good any time!   Adrienne's recipe uses basil pesto, bacon, provolone cheese, eggs and tomatoes to create a pizza that sounds good ... and looks absolutely beautiful in the photo.    The only change I think I might make personally is to use a small amount of my leftover ham from Easter instead of the bacon.

Pizza Roma and Pasta House, Cranberry, PA

20315 Rt. 19 Cranberry Township, PA
1-724-776-1577

Pizza Roma and Pasta House has been a fixture in Cranberry for over 26 years.  It's easy to see why they have been in business for such a long time - the pizza was excellent and the staff was very friendly.

We ordered a traditional crust pizza with red pizza sauce.  The sauce is homemade; it is deep, rich and flavorful.  The cheese for the pizzas is shredded on the premises and it is very fresh tasting.   We especially liked the crust - it was thin, but sturdy enough to hold up to the extra sauce that we ordered.  The pizzas are baked in Pizza Roma's "old-fashioned stone ovens".

Pizza Roma has three new varities of Specialty Pizza - Spinach Feta, Steak Ranch and Onion, and Buffalo Chicken.  Other pizzas include Sicilian style, Seafood Pizza (with red or white sauce), White Pizza and Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza.  In addition to the pizzas, they serve eight types of hoagies, six different types of calzone, Sandwiches and Burgers, wings and wing wings, salads and appetizers.   Dinners are also available, and include pasta, gnocchi, veal and chicken parmesan, eggplant and more.  We are especially interested in trying their Stuffed Hot Pepper Calzone and some of their homemade soup on our next trip.

Pizza Roma has a fairly large and comfortable dining area and a small bar.  They also offer take-out and delivery to the Cranberry area.

California Pizza Kitchen is coming to Pittsburgh!

Yesterday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that there is going to be a California Pizza Kitchen restaurant inside the Ross Park Mall - the first location in Western Pennsylvania.  

Although our perennial favorite is a classic Margherita, I'm looking forward to trying some of their innovative and unusual pizzas - Pear & Gorgonzola,  Vegetarian with Japanese Eggplant, and Goat Cheese with Roasted Peppers are just a few that caught my eye.  California Pizza Kitchen pizzas are all available with a honey-wheat with whole grain crust, too.  We loved the CPK frozen pizza that we tried, so it will be fun to try to the real deal!

Hawaiian Ham and Pineapple Pizza Recipe

Today I found myself with a lot of leftover ham and decided to experiment with a pizza recipe!

1 prebaked 12" pizza crust (I used a Boboli crust)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup shredded pizza cheese (mixture of mozzarella and provolone)
1 cup cubed baked ham
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained and chopped
1/4 cup minced green pepper
1 green onion, minced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees or according to package directions for crust.  Place pizza crust on a pizza pan or cookie sheet and brush it with the olive oil.  Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of crust, the top evenly with ham, pineapple, green onion and green pepper.  Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and toppings are heated through.

Slice and serve!

Pizza Paradise and Pizza Wars Today on the Travel Channel

The Travel Channel is airing two pizza shows this week:  Pizza Paradise and Pizza Wars:  New York vs. Chicago.  It's a little late notice for today - Pizza Paradise is on at 4 p.m. and Pizza Wars at 3 p.m - but they are both on the schedule throughout the week.

Glutino Gluten-Free Spinach & Feta Cheese Pizza

My favorite sister called me this week to rave about Glutino's Gluten-Free Spinach and Feta Cheese Pizza - she said it is absolutely the best frozen pizza she has ever tried, gluten-free or not.   She reports that the crust is light and crispy with a good crunch, and that the filling is luscious, cheesy and absolutely delicious.  My sister has a sophisticated palate and is an awesome cook, so when she says something is good ... believe it.

Glutino's website describes the pizza as "topped with spinach and a blend of feta, mozzarella and ricotta cheese" with a "crispy, flakey" crust.  Glutino has three other varieties of gluten-free pizzas:  Spinach Soy Cheese Pizza with Brown Rice Crust,  3 Cheese Pizza with Brown Rice Crust, and BBQ Chicken Pizza.   Glutino products are available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s among other stores.

Sis also reports that Mom's Take and Bake Pizza offers a gluten free crust, and we plan to do a taste test when we visit her a little later this spring.  
 
In the Pittsburgh area, Mandy's and Pizza Fusion both offer gluten free pizzas, but I have not yet tried either - both menus look wonderful, so I hope to try them soon.