Editor's Note I: About a month ago, someone "liked" an old blog I posted to my personal Facebook page and once it appeared in several news feeds, it received dozens of new comments. Because of that, I thought I'd revisit my blog on the best slices of pizza I've had with one new addition - a place in Pittsburgh that is better every time I go there. And I forgot the new local entry - Mia Margherita. Been there more than a dozen times at the pizza has been spot on every time and as unique as anything I've had or on the list below Enjoy the blog and, as always, please comment below with your own thoughts.

 

Until you’ve actually been away, or until you’ve talked to someone that’s been away, you may not appreciate just how good the food is here in Bridgeport, Harrison County and North Central West Virginia. In particular, you’d be hard pressed to find an area with the same type of population figures that house the number of high quality Italian eateries you can find within a few miles driving distance in just about any direction.

Not that there isn’t incredible eateries offering different ethnic offerings around as well, but for purposes of this blog, it’s about Italian food. Actually, it’s about a specific Italian food.

 

A friend of mine is visiting this weekend that grew up locally and has been away for most of the last 20 years. This is his first visit back home in about five years, and as we talked about his impending trip home we discussed food.

 

As we reminisced about so many places we hit in the past, we got on a discussion about pizza. As it turns out, we spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out just who has the best pizza in the area. Instead of talking politics or figuring out a way to solve the woes of mankind, we spent the better part of our conversation trying to determine where the greatest pizza could be found.

 

Since it was of interest to us, I figured it may be of interest to you as well. After eliminating restaurant chains that either offer pizza exclusively or as one of their main choices, a continually came up with the same places. Of course, you can’t mention pizza in Bridgeport without a pie from Twin Oaks.  You can’t mention pizza in the North View section of Clarksburg without talking about Smitty’s Pizza. There was a place in Summit Park, Lucente’s Pizza that was one of the area’s true hidden gems.

 

There are more; many more. You can get a good slice at Oliverio’s, at Vito’s and – before fire closed its doors – Roberto’s had a nice pizza pie. Although they closed in Bridgeport, King’s Pizza in Clarksburg isn’t too shabby.

 

Yet, the greatest slice of pizza I’ve ever had was a one shot deal and it's something I've actually mentioned before in a previous blog where several folks suggested I do a blog more detailed on pizza and my experience. Rehashing that brief mention in a blog past, the best slice ever came back before I had a driver’s license and before delivery was a standard pizza option. Although the business is still in operation today, it was under a different name and I never saw the offer that led me to this moment in culinary nirvana again.

 

It was likely the mid to early 1980s and I happened to spy a coupon for a “Buy One, Get One Free” pizza at Sonny’s Restaurant. For those who have been around, they know that Sonny’s today is Oliverio’s Ristorante. It really didn’t matter what the name of the restaurant was because we had a coupon and myself and three of my friends were able to scrape together enough money to fund not only the cost  of the two pies, but  also to provide a couple of dollars  in gas.

 

You see, this was back in the days when parents didn’t freely give out $20 bills. Money amongst all of my friends was a scarce commodity so to have the finances in order was a big deal. With that hurdle cleared, we piled into the small car and headed out onto Route 50 toward Sonny’s.

 

We placed the order when we got there. I still remember ordering “extra cheese” and my brother Tim telling them to “make sure there’s a lot of cheese on there,” that drew a smile from the lady taking our order. After playing around outside for 20 minutes, the pizzas were ready and since I was the youngest in the group, I went after the pizzas and after picking them up immediately noticed they weighed quite a bit.

 

I didn’t think anything else of it as I piled into the car and we headed out on Route 50 East to the picnic shelter that’s still in place just past the Alfred Complex and just before the Reep Graphics building alongside the roadway. As we exited out of the car and got ready to eat, I opened the box.

 

It was as if we had stumbled on buried treasure.

 

There inside the pizza box was nothing but wall to wall cheese. There was so much cheese that you couldn’t clearly delineate where the pizza had been cut into slices; not that it stopped us.

 

The thing that makes this, though, is that the pizza was cooked perfectly. The crust was crisp and the pepperoni under the cheese flavored the cheese perfectly. I’ve had multiple double and even triple cheese pizzas since that day decades ago and I’m always left underwhelmed; usually because the pizza is undercooked for whatever reason and because it can’t top the bar set for extra cheese pizza that day from my youth.

 

That was nearly 30 years ago. I’ve had hundreds, if not a few thousand, slices of pizza since then. And many have been excellent and memorable. Yet, I’m still searching for something to once again meet that moment of pizza perfection provided courtesy of Sonny Oliverio.

 

As for afar, the closest thing I've found to my "out-of-state Pizza nirvana" is still relatively new.  It's in the Strip District in Pittsburgh and is called Bella Notte. My wife and I get the pizza with pepperoni, which is ironically both sliced and shaved and literally covering the whole pie, and roasted red peppers. And unlike many places that give you just a few toppings, the Bella Notte Pie is covered from crust to center with the peppers. Trust me when I tell you it's worth a visit.

 

I’d be curious to find out. Part of it is because I truly want your feedback. Part of it is because I want to try it.

 

Editor's Note II: Top photo is a new picture of a slice of Bella Notte pizza from the Strip District in Pittsburgh. Middle photo shows a pile of fresh cheese, which can make or break a pie, while a picture of a double cheese slice from Twin Oaks is shown at my home from recent years.