By NATHAN ANCHETA,
MAUREEN LODOEN and
LAUREN MASTRO
A staple of any college student’s diet, pizza is enjoyed almost anywhere: from the dorms to the dining halls, from floor programs to fraternity parties. With all five food groups stuffed in one slice, pizza has been the ideal college food for generations. In search for the perfect piece, 15 Creightonian staff members sampled and rated half-pepperoni, half-cheese pizzas from four separate area pizzerias. Tasters ranked the pizzas on a 1 to 10 scale in four categories: crust,
cheese, topping and sauce. They also rated how well they liked the pizza overall.
Mama’s
Mama’s Pizza is a family owned restaurant that has been in Omaha for over a quarter century. More than a pizzeria, Mama’s offers pastas, sandwiches and “Mama’s House Specials.” Mama’s Pizza uses trans-fat free oil in all its dishes. The restaurant is located at located at 715. N. Saddle Creek Road. Call (402) 553-9672. Visit http://www.mamaspizzaomaha.com/ for their menu.
Mama’s pizza was our lowest rated pizza out of the four.
“I thought the crust was really doughy compared to the others. The cheese was really salty. There wasn’t really any sauce on the slice I had,” said Arts & Sciences sophomore Hillary Miller.
Crust…………………..7.2
Cheese………………..6.1
Topping……………….6.3
Sauce………………….6.1
Overall…………6.1
Zio’s
Zio’s Pizzeria brings New York-style pizza to the Midwest. Zio’s opened its first restaurant in 1985 at Beverly Hills Plaza. Since then, they have opened two more locations in Baker’s Square and the Old Market. Their specialty is hand-tossed, New York-style pizza with “the freshest toppings.” Zio’s is at 1213 Howard St. Call (402) 344-2222. Visit http://www.ziospizzeria.com/ for more information.
Zio’s Pizzeria received third place in our rankings.
“The crust was rather dry and the pepperonis didn’t add to the flavor,” said Arts & Sciences junior Jim Scariot.
“Great sauce and lots of it,” said Arts & Sciences junior Jordan Mapes. “The cheese was not so spectacular. Kind of greasy.”
Crust………………….7.3
Cheese………………..6.8
Topping……………….6.5
Sauce………………….6.5
Overall…………6.8
La Casa
Joe Patane opened this quaint restaurant with his family in 1953. With a seating occupancy of 50 people, Patane ran out of food midway through opening night and had to close early. Over half a century later, La Casa has expanded its restaurant on Leavenworth Street and opened another restaurant off of 82nd and Grover Street. It was awarded the Blue Chip Enterprise Award in 1999 and was used in a question on the popular game show “Jeopardy!”
La Casa is located at 4432 Leavenworth St. Call (402) 556-6464 for orders. Visit the website at www.lacasapizzaria.net.
“Strong cheese, fresh-tasting and very thin crumbly crust,” said Arts & Sciences sophomore Lauren Mastro.
Crust…………………..6.6
Cheese………………..7.8
Topping……………….7.7
Sauce………………….8.6
Overall……………8
Orsi’s
And the winner is Orsi’s Italian Bakery and Pizzeria. Built in the 1920’s, Orsi’s is one of Omaha’s oldest Italian restaurants and home to some of Omaha’s best pizza.
“The crust was just right, medium thickness and slightly chewy. It was not burned. It was not as thick as a loaf of bread. The sauce is sweeter than average, but still very flavorful. The cheese topped off the pizza nicely. There wasn’t too much of it and it didn’t taste like a grease ball. It also didn’t taste like the kind of cheese that your parents might like to eat with their wine – that is a good thing,” said Arts & Sciences sophomore Maureen Lodoen.
Located at 621 Pacific St. in the area known as Little Italy, call (402) 345-3438.
Crust……………………..8
Cheese………………..8.6
Topping……………….6.2
Sauce………………….7.8
Overall…………8.4