I've never met a fresh pizza I didn't like. (Frozen are another matter; I don't much care for the crust).
But pizza from most pizzerias could be my dinner of choice once a week, followed by leftovers for breakfast the next morning. The mixture of tomato sauce, gooey melted cheese, onions, peppers, mushrooms and meat-or no meat-layered on a yeasty crust makes my mouth start to water.
Every year, WorstPizza.com comes up with a list of best pizzas in the country. This past year's list encompasses pizzerias from around the United States, but really nothing from the bulk of the South.
Pizza expert Craig Agranoff, the founder of the Web-based review business, told me he simply doesn't get down this way. Too bad, because he's missing out. However, the website welcomes your thoughts and critiques about favorite pizza places, he said. Be sure to log on to let the world know that good pizza can be found in so many places around town.
For instance: Hill City Pizza on the North Shore, Lupi's downtown and in Hixson, Crust on Signal Mountain Road and Broad Street, Pizza Italiano in Flintstone, Ga.
What's your favorite place, and what pizza do you recommend? E-mail me at abraly@timesfree press.com to let me know, and we'll start a "best pizza" list.
Here are worstpizza.com's picks of the best places for pizza in the country. It's pretty obvious they don't get around very much, as the bulk of the list is centered in the North, though I will say that the North is better known for its pizza than the South. But I think we're getting close.
• Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix.
• Johnny's Pizza, Mount Vernon, N.Y.
• Sally's Apizza, New Haven, Conn.
• Tacconelli's Pizza, Philadelphia.
• Great Lake Pizza, Chicago.
• Lucali's Pizza, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• L&B Spumoni Gardens, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Buddy's Pizza, Detroit.
• Frank Pepe's Pizza, New Haven, Conn.
• Tucci's Pizza, Boca Raton, Fla.
While we're talking pizza, do you ever make your own? My Latin teacher at GPS, Mary Stewart Smith, made some of the best pizza I've ever had, starting with her homemade crust. What's your recipe? How about sending it my way?
To quell a recent rumor ... English Rose, the authentic British tearoom at 1401 Market St., is not closing. Reader Jim Sparks wrote to say that he and his wife were enjoying lunch at English Rose, one of their favorite eateries, and noticed a sign advertising the fact that the restaurant was not closing.
"As we were paying for our purchases, I asked the lady who runs the place what the sign was all about," Sparks wrote. "She said there is apparently some rumor that her place is closing ... and was totally puzzled how this rumor got started and speculated that people might have it confused with something else."
Now you know. If you go, I recommend the scones with lemon curd. They were an outstanding part of a delightful lunch I enjoyed there.