Pizza . . . great party food and a crusty food delivery system

Pizza is the ultimate party food.

Oh sure, if you’re having a fancy pants party it may not do . . . better a more upscale spread, but a bunch pf friends over for  game, and pizza’s perfect. Now the thing is . . . what kind of pizza?

In college, we used to spend some time at The Depot, a re-purposed train station outside Oneonta where they served a great pan pizza, cut into square pieces with a pretty thin crust. Like most college towns, there were plenty of pizza places, though bars were the dominant business in town, so many you couldn’t walk a few steps without passing a couple of them.

Chain pizza joints like Pizza Hut and Dominos make the choice easy, though maybe not the best option when compared to the local joints. Let’s say they are the middle of the road pizza places. Pizza Hut does manage some pretty good wings. I’ve never had Papa’s or Caesar’s. With pizza, delivery is important and though Pizza Hut here doesn’t deliver, they do have a drive-through, so that works if you’re on the go. Dominos just opened a place here (they used to have a place in a different mini strip mall) and they deliver. I like that.

There are a couple of good local places in town, Ramunto’s, Out of the Ordinary, and Tremont Pizza. All have good pies, and Ramunto’s has one of my favorites, a chicken, broccoli, bacon pizza with caramelized onions and a Ranch sauce. It’s a go-to [izza order if Becky visits. (Her regular go-to is feta  . . . anything feta . . . and pepperoni.)  Tremont has a solid pie that I ordered for a group when I was at Valley Regional rehabbing. A few pies and patients and some staff gathered for a little get together. I liked that. As I said, party food. Tremont delivers in town, but not out where I am. Out of the Ordinary does deliver (and quickly) . . . pizza and a pretty full non-pizza-place menu.

My usual pick is a pie with pepperoni, onion and mushrooms. That’s pretty easy for most places and tough to screw up. As I said, Ramunto’s and their new Ramunto’s Fast Fire are both pretty good at showcasing specialty pizzas. A bit pricey, but good. One friend likes the old Hawaiian pizza option from a number of places with chicken and pineapple . . . Barbecue chicken pizza can also be pretty good depending in the barbecue sauce

When I lived in Greenwich, we’d often order a large Sicilian pie with pepperoni and extra cheese from Glenville Pizza. Great thick crust and perfectly cooked every time. It was an eat-in, pick-up place, and parking on the little strip of severely sloped pavement off the road was a bit hairy at times, but that pizza sure was worth it.

Pizza crust has become a big thing over the years. Apparently it’s not enough just to make good dough and crust, but now chains are packing their crusts with cheese or meat, lathering it with garlic oil or sprinkling it with oil and coarse salt. Thick, thin, really thing or hand-tossed pan pizzas are the norm now. They all have appeal depending on my mood, but more often than not, I end up ordering a thin crust . . . more topping stuff and less crust stuff . . .

Yep, no doubt about it, pizza’s a cheap fix even on an important date, or watching a game or filling the house with friends. Take your pick . . . There seems to be no limit to the options.