Ya know what SUCKS about Arkansas?

[Runcible Spoon]

not being able to get a decent freakin' slice of pizza. Let me tell you, as a transplanted New Yorker, this is just a grievous sin. What the fuck were people THINKING here when they decided to charge $2.00 for a slice of what is essentially Saltine cracker, ketchup, and plastic??!!?? THE HUMANITY! I KNOW there is good mozz to be had here, as well as sauce, and crust is as crust does, which is to say it is a deceptively simple thing, sensitive to the craftsmanship of those brave or stupid enough to combine yeast, flour, oil, etc...Sometimes I think there is nothing sadder in this world than badly executed pizza. So until a decent Chicagoan or New Yorker opens a good joint around here, I leave you, gentle readers, eating DiGiorno....and YES dammit I am a bit drunk
:rant:

[ikojo]

1. It isn't any better in St Louis....

I am not a native so I did not grow up on Imo's Pizza but man, the native St Louisans really love Imo's! It's basically pizza on a communion wafer and it sucks!

There is a local pizza place called Racanelli's and they make a good slice of pizza. There is always Pizzaria Uno's as far as the chains go. I love their four chesse pizza.

They also know from bagels around here either, so don't go looking for a real bagel. The bagels around here are basically rolls with a hole in them.

[Runcible Spoon]

2. yeah don't get me started on bagels...

or deli for that matter! :evilgrin: I actually think Uno's does a good job as a chain, but none close to Fayetteville...for deep dish...but for the honkin' ass big slices you buy on the corner and fold over, cheese melting everywhere, tangy sauce...it's just a sad world...:evilfrown: I do declare they can do BBQ here tho...

[YankeyMCC]

5. Ha I was going to say the same thing

I'm from Boston but lived in the St Louis area for a few years and the lack of a decent slice (to put it in perspective the local Collinsville Italian festival had Dominos pizza as the only pizza option) I know there is "The Hill" in the city but getting a decent slice of pizza in the general area is not easy if possible at all - we never found a favorite - we settled for Papa Johns when we absolutely had to have pizza.

That and the lack of decent Chinese food.

[huskerlaw]

38. You're SO right!

One of my coworkers ordered a mini-pizza for lunch...it wasn't Imo's, but the damn thing was sauce, cheese, and pepperoni on a communion wafer. It was like Lavosh, with pizza sauce.

I had Uno's for dinner. It wasn't as good as I remembered it (I've eaten at Uno's in Chicago and Denver). There was an absolutely insane amount of cheese on it.

I grew up in Nebraska, so my pizza sensibilities aren't that finely honed (although most native Lincolnites will claim that Valentinos was the best thing that ever happened to pizza). I haven't found a great pizza place in LA yet either...though I'm assuming one exists somewhere.

[chaska]

3. this is not a minor complaint....

Pizza nearly everywhere now is just shit! I finally found a good place here in Pasadena (it's hard to find places that have good food and aren't too fancy pants or expensive).

I hate this inch thick foam rubber pizza they sell virtually everywhere now. It's gotten to where I won't even try a pizza with a thick crust. Invariably, it sucks.

And yes, why is it so damned expensive???

[Cannikin]

4. Everything about Arkansas sucks.

[chaska]

6. Not these guys...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x5337341

[chaska]

7. Okay, maybe a little.

[tjwmason]

47. Ya know what really doesn't SUCK at all about Arkansas?

DUer Cannkin. :loveya:

[TommyO]

8. The best thing to do is to get a pizza stone

a good recipe for crust, and bake your own - it won't be NY pizza good, but it will be far better than most of the dreck that I've found outside of the Northeast.

[Runcible Spoon]

30. my mom always cooked pizza on a stone

I've had pizza from NY to Chicago to LA and there's something about Mom Pizza that just makes me feel warm and fuzzy after the first cheesy bite!

[everythingsxen]

9. Seattle has no pizza

its all garbage.

[Aristus]

10. You mean, besides everything?

In the spirit of John Bolton, I'd like to say that there have got to be ten states or so, including Arkansas, that we could lop off with no harm to the country. Hell, we might even be better off. We should have let the Confederacy go, except that it would have meant leaving 4 million African-Americans to the tender mercies of a nation of white supremacists.

I spent a month or so in Arkansas on maneuvers in the Army at Ft. Chaffee. I'll never get that time back.

[Runcible Spoon]

25. welll.....

I'm in Fayetteville...not exactly the liberal Mecca of the universe, but it's pretty here and I've found a lot of kindred spirits...I HAVE ventured into untold territories in this state which have scared me..someone told me the biggest KKK headquarters are in HArrison :scared:

[Shell Beau]

51. Well jeez, that is not nice!

[GOPisEvil]

11. Blytheville.

That place is an armpit. Hell, I was 4 when we moved there and I could tell it sucked.

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. You probably didn't pronounce it correctly

It's "Blathvul."

My folks came from Warren (pronounced "Warn"). That's not too far from El Dorado ("EldaRAYda").

[GOPisEvil]

13. Yeah, I was mispronouncing it. I always refer to it as...

..."flat, boring nowheres-ville". Silly me. ;)

There are some lovely parts of Arkansas, but Blytheville isn't it...

[Oeditpus Rex]

14. It does have one huge advantage, though

It's about 30 miles from Black Oak. :headbang:

[GOPisEvil]

16. In all fairness, I did leave when I was 6.

So, I might have missed out on the good parts. Plus, when you're 6, you can have fun almost anywhere.

[Oeditpus Rex]

17. Yeah, and you can do it

with a burned-out old car and a couple of barrel staves.

[Hissyspit]

39. My folks came from Malvern and Bismarck near Hot Springs.

(pronounced "Malvern" and "Bismarck" and "Hot Springs.")

[Oeditpus Rex]

40. Not quite

You almost don't hear the 'e' in "Malvern."

It's like "MALv'rn."

[Hissyspit]

41. True, but there is hardly an 'e' in Malvern

I think there's a tendency to let the 'n' drop, too. I don't know what dialecticians would call that.

[Oeditpus Rex]

42. I was thinkin' that as I heard it in my head

You sorta swallow the 'n'. But I couldn't figure out how to write that. :shrug:

[Shell Beau]

52. Elda-Ray-doe!!!!

I say, though, El Da-rah-doe

[greatauntoftriplets]

15. gods, I remember driving through Blytheville eons and eons ago...

I was 13 at the time and my family was returning from New Orleans. It was about 1,000 degrees and the humidity was about one million percent. And I was getting pneumonia at the time. The good thing to come out of that drive was that my mother insisted that we get an air conditioned car. We did. ;)

Sorry you had to live there. Have a :beer: in consolation.

[Runcible Spoon]

32. I'll stay away...

I usually stay in my little Fayetteville bubble, lest the White Hooded Knights see me with one of my black friends and don't take too kindly :scared:

[flvegan]

18. What, is there no Olive Garden around?

Pizza, right? They have that.



















































:hide:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

19. You jest, but their pizza is freaking awesome.

But it's not New York Style. To the OP: There's a great New York style pizza place here ran by people from India (I think). It's freaking awesome...
Duckie

[Runcible Spoon]

22. haven't made it to OKC

but what's the name of the place? :)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

43. Joey's.

[Runcible Spoon]

21. LOL you're talking to a New Yorker!!

you know that, right? :evilgrin:

[flvegan]

26. Yup. I understand the Olive Gardens in NY are THE

place to go for good Italian fare. I assumed that would go for pizza as well.
:evilgrin:

Actually, what I understand is that to suggest Olive Garden in NY is to open oneself up to a flamethrower at 10 paces.

[Runcible Spoon]

28. snarf.

got that right. Altho I must say as far as chains are concerned OG certainly isn't the worst by any means :hide:

[reyd reid reed]

20. Wouldn't it be more practical to just list the things

That DON'T suck about Arkansas?

Take a lot less time, not to mention bandwidth.

[Runcible Spoon]

23. wouldn't NOT responding to threads to accuse people of wasting bandwidth

save bandwidth? :shrug: :eyes:

[NMDemDist2]

24. maybe this will help you out....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x22087

and this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=236&topic_id=22498&mesg_id=22498

[Runcible Spoon]

27. ooooooo thanks :)

damn straight! I'm just gonna make my own! These Arkies won't know what hit 'em when they taste my tomato cheese and crust ambrosia!

[NMDemDist2]

29. see my edit too and good luck! n/t

[Floogeldy]

31. Shucks, Dude. Here is Alton Brown's recipe!

You can make your own:

2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon kosher salt* 1 tablespoon pure olive oil 3/4 cup warm water 2 cups bread flour (for bread machines) 1 teaspoon instant yeast 2 teaspoons olive oil Olive oil, for the pizza crust Flour, for dusting the pizza peel

Toppings: 1 1/2 ounces pizza sauce 1/2 teaspoon each chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, for example A combination of 3 grated cheeses such as mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and provolone.

Place the sugar, salt, olive oil, water, 1 cup of flour, yeast, and remaining cup of flour into the mixer?s work bowl.

Using the paddle attachment, start the mixer on low and mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball. Lube the hook attachment with cooking spray. Attach the hook to the mixer and knead for 15 minutes on medium speed.

Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc. Stretch the dough until thin. Hold it up to the light and look to see if the baker?s windowpane, or taut membrane, has formed. If the dough tears before it forms, knead the dough for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

Roll the pizza dough into a smooth ball on the countertop. Place into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.

Place the pizza stone or tile onto the bottom of a cold oven and turn the oven to its highest temperature, about 500 degrees F. If the oven has coils on the oven floor, place the tile onto the lowest rack of the oven. Split the pizza dough into 2 equal parts using a knife or a dough scraper. Flatten into a disk onto the countertop and then fold the dough into a ball.

Wet hands barely with water and rub them onto the countertop to dampen the surface. Roll the dough on the surface until it tightens. Cover one ball with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes.

Repeat the steps with the other piece of dough. If not baking the remaining pizza immediately, spray the inside of a ziptop bag with cooking spray and place the dough ball into the bag. Refrigerate for up to 6 days.
Sprinkle the flour onto the peel and place the dough onto the peel. Using your hands, form a lip around the edges of the pizza. Stretch the dough into a round disc, rotating after each stretch. Toss the dough in the air if you dare. Shake the pizza on the peel to be sure that it will slide onto the pizza stone or tile. (Dress and bake the pizza immediately for a crisp crust or rest the dough for 30 minutes if you want a chewy texture.)
Brush the rim of the pizza with olive oil. Spread the pizza sauce evenly onto the pizza. Sprinkle the herbs onto the pizza and top with the cheese.
Slide the pizza onto the tile and bake for 7 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Rest for 3 minutes before slicing.

*This recipe's been on the web for some time now and although most of the reactions have been darned positive, some of you have commented that the dough was way too salty. At first we chalked this up to personal preference; some folks are just not as sensitive as others to this basic flavor. And of course salty toppings would definitley change the dynamic. Still, we didn't want to leave it at that. We went back to the lab and found that the flake size of kosher salt differs quite a bit from brand to brand. This could easily result in a too salty crust. So unless you've had success with the recipe in the past, we suggest you cut the salt by one teaspoon, from a tablespoon to two teaspoons. So that the yeast doesn't go crazy, you should also cut back on the sugar by half a teaspoon. Thanks, AB

[Runcible Spoon]

33. thanks everyone for kickass recipes!

:9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9

[checkmate1947]

34. Delta is ready when you are

They can have you home in no time and then we won't have to
listen to you make comments. 

[Runcible Spoon]

35. Gee, what a wonderfully clever statement!

:eyes: so fucking God forbid I suggest that AR has shitty pizza. Enjoy your (hopefully) brief stay. I'll enjoy my longer stay in AR, thanks very much.

[checkmate1947]

36. Two real good places to get Pizza

First one is in Eureka Springs, and the second is in Hot Springs at Pagulachi's I have retired here, was born here and intend to stay here, except for 28yrs in the Army, good luck,,

[DawgHouse]

37. I have yet to meet a NY'er who can find good pizza outside of NY

:) The best thing for you to do is learn to make your own pizza, and embrace the good southern food you'll find in Arkansas.

[sakabatou]

44. I miss having a coal-fired pizza

Mmmm... Lombardi's...

[BluePatriot]

45. Don't know about pizza, but...

My Arkansas relatives say that Tex-Mex there sucks too...they STEW fajitas in Arkansas, what the heck?!?! They come here for decent fajitas when they visit. Maybe they just can't cook there, who knows...

[Shell Beau]

49. What? As a Mississippian, I have NEVER heard of such!

We have Mexican restaurants ran and food prepared by Mexicans. Doesn't get any better than that.

[bertha katzenengel]

46. Sorry you couldn't get pizza. In typical 'Net fashion here's what I think

are the two worst things about Arkansas:

1. that's where my psycho night of the living dead stalker ex-girlfriend was born

2. mosquitoes the size of backhoes

:hi:

[Shell Beau]

50. You are right about the mosquito's. Here in MS, we call them

pterodactyls. I guess its b/c we are on and near the river.

[Shell Beau]

48. That's like trying to get good BBQ and fried catfish in New York!

Just ain't happening! I am sure you could find it if you dug deep, but nothing like in the south.

[Runcible Spoon]

54. you can take catfish right outta my pond in upstate NY

:) AND spiedies were born here, too YUM!

[DawgHouse]

58. are you near Oneonta?

[Runcible Spoon]

59. well, my parents' house is

:) do you know the area well?

[DawgHouse]

60. I am not from there.

I'm originally from Arkansas. But my s/o is from that area and his family still resides there. He is the one who introduced me to spiedies.

It's a very pretty area!

edited because I can't spell speedies

[TK421]

53. I can relate to that somewhat...I was in Florida for better than two years

and went without a cheesesteak ( or decent pizza for that matter ).

[Runcible Spoon]

55. yeah, I haven't ventured cheeseCAKE either

:evilfrown:

[hippywife]

56. I feel your pain, Farce!

And I'm right next door. I moved from Ohio to Oklahoma nine years ago and haven't had good pizza since, except when I go home for a visit. :cry:

[bedpanartist]

57. At least you have Reagan's Polyp

in Arkansas:

http://www.trashfish.com

greatest band - ever.