Table of Contents
- In Search of Lucio – Serino Part 4
- Nebaletan Word of the Day – A SALUTE!
- Pizza Review – Joey D’s, Venice, FL
In Search of Lucio – Serino Part 4
In September 2023, I had a “cup of coffee”, actually a pizza, in Serino, Campania the ancestral home of my father’s side (Grandpa Tony’s family). That brief stop was on our way from Puglia to Napoli, just before catching a flight.
Despite the brevity of our visit—only an hour—Serino left an indelible impression on me. So much so that I felt compelled to write three blog posts about it then! You can find them here:
- Serino Part 3: https://femike99.wordpress.com/?p=5220
- Serino! Part 2 – FeMike’s (aka IronMikes) Blog (wordpress.com)
- Serino Part 1: https://femike99.wordpress.com/2023/09/29/serino-part-1/
During that fleeting September 2023 visit, two things struck me deeply:
- The Sculpture: I describe it in detail in Blog #2 (linked above). It’s a memory etched in my mind—a visual representation of the place and its history.
- The People: The heart and soul of Serino. They feature prominently in the previous posts, and even more so now!.
After that initial encounter, I vowed to return. And return we did, in April 2024. This time, the experience was even more moving for me. Now, I’m eagerly anticipating my next visit. Serino has woven itself into my heart, and I can’t wait to be back again! 🍕🇮🇹❤️
More about Serino to follow….in my search to find my Bisnonno (GGF) Lucio!
Nebaletan Word of the Day – A SALUTE!
My father (Grandpa Tony) rarely drank, and I only saw him drunk once. The thought of witnessing that lone drunken sighting of Grandpa Tony still makes me smile today!
Grandpa Tony would go to Union Meetings for Ashtabula Postal Carriers monthly. They were either held at the East Ashtabula Club or the Sons of Italy Lodge. Yearly, the Union would have a steak dinner for the members. The Union always fed its members well, but the Yearly Steak Dinner was extra special.
I must have been about 10 or 12 when I witnessed my drunk father. By then, I was old enough to know “drunk”. As with most self-respecting Italian descendant, I had my share of whiskey rubbed on my gums when I teethed, Dago Red at lunch and dinner, and warmed Whiskey & Honey when I had a cold or sore throat.
So, when I saw my father returned from one particular Union Meeting steak dinner and stumble as he walked in front of the TV, I was stunned!
I can remember my mom (Grandma Joanne) saying, “Tony, are you ok?”
In his typical, understated Grandpa Tony fashion, his reply, “Why? Sure!”
This leads me to a Grandpa Tony-ism as my Nebaletan Word of the Day, A SALUTE!
A SALUTE! is used as a before drink toast – pronounced both as “Ah Saw-LOOT” or “Ah Saw-Loo-Tay“, definition – Cheers, but not in a wimpy, British sort of way, but with some real Italian gusto…A, SALUTE!
Grandpa Tony was the first that I’d heard say this phrase, and it sticks with me. It’s one of ONLY TWO salutations that I used when toasting (the other phrase will be in my next blog post)
In the YouTube video Learn Napoletano from The Sopranos, you can see:
Pizza Review – Joey D’s, Venice, FL
Recently, our Sarasota newspaper published this article: Winning restaurant announced for Best Pizza of Sarasota, Bradenton (heraldtribune.com). The article included the following graphic:
BTW – WTF – Oak and Stone (see this) is in this list and actually had a win???? It beat Lucile which then must really be CRAP….but I’ll try Lucile when we return in the fall!
I’d been craving a Chicago style pizza, and friends had mentioned that they enjoyed Joey D’s which makes Chicago Style. So, off we went!
I have eaten pizza in Chicago several times, but admittedly, that was several years ago. Therefore, Pizzeria Uno is the Chicago Style that comes to my mind. But Pizzeria Uno is likely to Chicago Pizza what might be like comparing McDonalds to a wagyu ground steak burger! It’s been a while since I’ve been to Uno’s since their prices are OUT OF CONTROL.
As I recall, I actually liked Pizzeria Uno…don’t judge me! I enjoy the texture of Uno’s crust immensely. I recall that Uno’s crust seemed to combine to have a somewhat flaky texture and buttery flavor of pie crust but in a pizza crust. That bakery flavor stays in my mind.
Should Joey D’s be compared to Uno. In my book, yes, Joey D’s is a chain, and if you include their original Minneapolis location, Joey D’s is a national chain like Uno. Although, I’m not a fan of chains, I’ve eaten at a few, like Jet’s Detroit Style (see here), that are good. Maybe you need to cook these Midwest “oddity” pizzas such that a chain is acceptable?
| Date | April 2, 2024 |
| Pizzeria | Joey D’s Pizza |
| City/Neighborhood | Venice, FL (North Venice) |
| Website | Joey D’s Pizza – World Famous Chicago Pizza, Original “Chicago Style” Hot Dogs, and much more. (joeydsfl.com) Venice – Joey D’s Pizza (joeydsfl.com) |
| About Us | Chicago’s Taste Authority About Us Page (chrisandrobs.com) There is little information about the people who founded the chain and little information why they got into pizza, AND it seems that they are not of Italian ancestry (how dare they). However, a lengthy explanation exists for why they are called Joey D’s. Despite being a Chicago Style joint and having a MASSIVE COLLECTION of CHICAGO SPORTS MEMORABILIA, the chain began in Minneapolis! My Capo, Donnie, will not like this! |
| Style | Chicago Style |
| Ambiance | Sport Bar (but did take out since we were still packing to leave) |
| Beverage Pairing | Athletic Beer IPA |
| Rating Criteria | |
| Shape | Round |
| Dough/Crust | Tickness – Tick Cook – Soft & Crispy (not an easy feat!), Bubbly, Chewy Flavor – Buttery likely the cheese, Yeasty Excellent, crispy but not hard. Bubbles under the dough? WOW!!! I don’t know how they got air between the dough’s top and its crispy bottom! That’s really a great trick! It is delicious, similar but different from Pizzeria Uno. As I recall, Uno had a more of a pastry taste to its crust like it had lard or Crisco in the dough. However, its tickness caused some undercooked sections of dough, not raw but not completely cooked, making it much heavier! Chicago Style is not known for its digestibility, Joey D’s “weight” follows that. |
| Cornicione | Crispy, Chewy |
| Toppings | Pepperoni – on 1/2. It was both above and below the cheese! The pepperoni had a little bite Cheese Fresh – unsure |
| Sauce | Tangy, Savory, Chunky Tomato chunks. Excellent tomato taste |
| Cheese | Cheese Type – Moozedell, but there also must be some Provolon! Some sharpness was beyond just muted moozedell taste, also, I think there was a hint of Pecorino Romano too Cheese Distribution – All over Greasy, Stringy, Salty |
| Cheese to Sauce Ratio | Sauce = Medium Cheese = Medium to a lot Balance = good but slightly too much on the cheesy side for me, but not horrible |
| Value | Not very good, unless you opt for a large pizza. But for me, that’s the best choice… yum, leftovers! Their pricing breakdown: – 10″ Personal $15 which is $22 for a 12″ equivalent – 14″ Medium $27 which is $20 for a 12″ equivalent – 16″ Large = $29 which is $16 for a 12″ equivalent If you’re a reader of this blog, I typically find anything over about $12 for a 12″ equivalent to be on the pricey side. Some might argue that Chicago Style pizza, being thicker and harder to bake, justifies higher costs. However, thickness doesn’t necessarily equate to higher production expenses. The ingredients like sauce, cheese (possibly more if generous), and dough remain similar, with dough being the least costly part. Regarding the baking process, making a Chicago Style pizza is actually simpler compared to crafting a Neapolitan pizza. A special oven isn’t needed for Chicago Style; it’s more about technique, and that’s easier than Neapolitan techniques also! Therefore, I don’t believe that just because it’s Chicago Style, charging a premium price is justified. |
| Overall Rating | Good, but not great It’s easy to see why readers of the local newspaper voted for Joey D’s as one of the best in the Sarasota/Manatee region. The taste is pretty good. But, in my opinion, taste is only one factor in a pizza’s rating. Although I enjoyed the taste, each piece of Joey D’s pizza is a boat anchor! An entire pie would stop a steamship dead in its tracks as soon as that pizza-pie-anchor hit the ocean floor. One of the hallmarks of the original, Neapolitan, pizza is digestibility. Unfortunately, Joey D’s boat anchors just sit in the bottom of your belly just waiting for many, many hours to “pass”. This boat anchor digestibility makes it hard for me to get fully “on board” with Chicago Style and thus Joey D’s. But, if you want to taste what I believe is authentic, try Joey D’s BTW – The boat anchors were excellent as day old, cold, and directly out of frig too! |
| Would I Go Back? | Maybe – given that I did take out, it might be nice to eat inside, although, the Teddies (Bears), White Sucks (Sox), and Cubies (Cubs) motif is very much disgusting for this diehard Cleveland fan…tho, better than the Burgh!!!! |
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