New York vs. Chicago

We recently visited a couple of Pizza Joints in town that I've been hearing good things about.  Our first stop was at Bongiornos Pizza in Poway.  My friend, Howie from the Scripps Ranch Dog Park has been telling about this place for Months.   I've been meaning to try it for a while now and since we were just preparing to move out of the Ranch, we jumped at the chance to check it out.

Bongiorno's is a funky little dive in a non-descript strip mall in just off of Poway Road.  I would never have tried it without the recommendation.  I wasn't disappointed.  It's a fine example of a decent New York pie.  Thin crust, crispy, good sauce and cheese....definitely worth it if you are in the area.  Eat it there if you can.  I don't know how well it would travel.  They sell by the slice.  Very good but I'm not sure how far I would travel to eat there.  Great find for a local inland north county spot tho. 

The restaurant is decorated with all kinds of New York City decor.  Friendly staff.  Try it if you are in the area.

 We recently moved to Mission Hills area and are thrilled with the abundance of eateries in the area.  Another friend, also from the dog park, recommended a place in Hillcrest called Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria.  You may recognize the building.  It is the location of the original Phil's Barbecue before he relocated to the Sports Arena area.

As a New Englander, I never thought much of Chicago Style, deep dish pizza.   I figured it would be too filling and never had the desire to try it.  I'm not sure, but I may have tried it in a mall or an airport one time, but either way I've never been a fan.

So we go in...there's a huge line.  A long wait to be seated.  The place was abuzz with eager diners.  We gave our name and placed our order and hung out, enjoying the energy and ambiance.  We ordered slices.  I didn't want to risk buying an entire pie since I probably wouldn't care for it any way.  They also have New York style, thin crusted pizza and a large pasta menu.  We ordered 1 of each slice and a pasta dish to share.

I was amazed at how good the deep dish slice was.  The New York slice was really good and easily comparable to most of the decent pizza we've found in our quest.  I would order it again.  But the Chicago style was a complete surprise.  Even though it was deep dish, the crust was surprisingly tasty and not too filling.  What delighted me the most was the chewy cheesy filling and tomato sauce topping..it was amazing.   Notice the sauce is on top, covering the cheese.  I'm looking forward to another trip soon.  I'm still a New Haven pie junkie, but this was damned good pizza.