Dan and Christa bring you the greasiest pizza news and thoughts as we chomp our way through the Pittsburgh pizza landscape. Look forward to pizza news and a new pizza shop featured each week.
An Original Pittsburgh Pizza Play and Musical - Slice Something Slice
There I am starting the pizza show!
I wrote a pizza play called Slice Something Slice (https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/pizza-opera/pizza-opera). Some call it a pizza opera or pizza musical. It’s a stage event about the power of pizza. I put the show on a few months ago with friends and family. It was so much fun we’re doing it again this October 29th at the Brillobox (https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/pizza-opera/pizza-opera), but this time we’re opening this up to the pizza community at large. Tickets are on sale and we’re selling them at a nice clip. At only $10 (no fees!!) it’s a great deal for a truly unique experience.
Buy Tickets to the Pizza Play (https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/pizza-opera/pizza-opera)
Maybe you could be the Pizza Angel??
Something truly magical happens when people get on stage. Obviously the script is very funny, but because we’re all in this together it becomes a safe space where the inner actor comes out. I was blown away by the performances last time we did this and I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone interprets these characters.
The scenes are short - maybe 5 minutes - so you’re not stuck on stage for long. You can see a list of some of the characters here (https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/pizza-opera/pizza-opera).
There’s a live band playing original songs written for the play!
My friend and creative collaborator, Chad, got his band together and wrote a number of songs for the show. They help set the vibe and fill in some of the story beats. Like a real musical! If you ever heard the Pizza Talk With Me theme (below) you’ll love the songs at the show. Once you hear the Greasaroni Stomp, you’ll never forget it!
Pizza Play Theme Song
Chad McMutrie
I’m obviously bias, but having a live band on the stage just elevates the whole experience. Really makes it feel like a legit performance - which it of course is!
There’s a neat visual element
My sister made a nice little animation that, uh, expresses the themes of the show. It’s embedded below. Imagine seeing this on a big screen though - pretty cool!
Get your ticket today (https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/pizza-opera/pizza-opera)
The Story So Far
Here’s the Synopsis:
The story takes place on the Pizza Continent. Over time the citizens have cultivated the land to reflect the beauty of pizza. All citizens of the land love and enjoy pizza pretty much daily. There is an organization who operate a Pizza Priory.
This Priory takes in young children and trains them in the ways of pizza - this is important to their mission of uniting the world under one perfect pizza. They are protected from the outside world, but when the world needs united a Pizza Prophetis sent on a Pizza Pilgrimage to unite the land. These Pizza Prophets make their way to the Pizza Altar and give the ultimate pizza recommendation to the Pizza Angel.
Pizza Shops around the continent must obey the decree from the Pizza Prophet. The hope is that the prophet suggests the perfect pizza and everyone on the continent is united by the one perfect pizza. Yet, none have been successful.
Can the newest Pizza Prophet succeed where others have failed? Or will they be thwarted by the dreadful Greasaronis who haunt the prophets?
Part of the reason I chose to write about pizza is the silly little thing everyone does about pizza: argue about what’s the best. There’s frequently new rankings, pizza awards or pizza brackets in the media. Why? People can’t get enough. If you ever need a spike in web traffic put out a ranking of Pittsburgh pizza shops. Like throwing chum in the water.
This is shaping up to be a very special night, so text your group chat the link to the ticket page (https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/pizza-opera/pizza-opera) and start figuring out what parts you want to sign up for.
Two greasy guys playing the roles of GREASARONI TONI and Greasaroni Sam
Get these Greasy Tickets to the Pizza Play!
26 Jan 2024
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 17: Dan of Mun's Pizza Popping Up Over the North Side
I talk to Dan of Mun's Pizza. He recently quit his job and is going all in on his pizza (and a few other things). He has ambitious plans to carefully cultivate and grow a pizza business. This is your chance to get in on the ground floor of the hype train.
Our discussion is far reaching. We talking about his career that lead him to this point, how he spent time working at Badamo's and Driftwood Oven, what is Pittsburgh pizza and some exciting new plans on the horizon. Super hyped to have him on here.
4 Aug 2023
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 16: Driftwood Oven Eight Year Anniversary Blow Out
Hi there! Back in the feeds. Driftwood Oven is a pizza shop I've been covering since the inception of this website. When they burst onto the scene I knew that my site was perfect for covering the development of Driftwood Oven. It's been eight years, a lot has happened in the mean time. Driftwood Oven hardly shifts anymore, they now have a shop. They deliver. They do a lot of fun events and pastries. Listen to Neil dissect his business and how he got to where they are today.
23 Sept 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 15: Pizza Expo Recap, Spak Buffalo Chicken, Pizza Talia, F&F Pizza
Long time no pizza! Hard to believe we took a bit of a pizza hiatus. Funnily enough I was at the doctor today and they told me I need to “take a break from tomato sauce”! This means nothing but white pizzas for next week’s episode.
In the month or so we’ve been gone, too much has happened. We recap the wonderful winners of Pizza Expo. Winners include Eric Von Hansen who can’t seem to stop making award winning pizzas. Additionally, Pete Tolman from Iron Born placed second to Eric with his forager pie.
Pizzas We Ate
We go through our inventory of pizza and we ate a variety of slices between recordings. The biggest surprise for me was a box of frozen pizzas that arrived on our doorstep. Made in Italy, then put to sleep until they’re ready to be eaten, Pizza Talia is a clever and novel pizza invention. It’s a remarkable product that replicates authentic Neapolitan pizza. Check out Pizza Talia.
We eat Spak fairly often, but hardly dip into their specialty pizzas. We are big Buffalo Chicken Pizza fans so we gobbled up Spak’s take on the legendary style of pizza. It’s quite good!
During a recent trip to NYC, we got pizza from the “under rated” pizzeria F&F pizza. This is a newish shop in Brooklyn and is some of the juiciest pizza I’ve ever had! I’d compare it to a Pizzeria Davide. Very delicious, worth the trip.
13 Aug 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 14: Altoona Hotel Pizza Review
Well, the fates have conspired once again to deliver a majestic pizza miracle to our humble doorstep. That’s right, a few days ago I received a text to “check my doorstep” where there was a suspicious package sitting. I figured we were beyond the days of “see something, say something” so I scooped up the package and unraveled it with excitement. My prize? Two day old slices of Altoona Hotel Pizza, straight from Altoona.
Christa and I couldn’t wait to dig in. We recorded a live episode of the podcast so our reactions are fresh out of the oven. Join us on our journey as we dissect Altoona Hotel Pizza, admire its character and sturdiness.
As you can see from the picture above, the pizza is a Sicilian style slice. There’s a thin layer of sauce, a green pepper and then it’s covered with a few slices of impenetrable American cheese. The cheese forms a protective layer around the pizza, like a tarp covering a classic car from the elements in a suburban driveway.
Our Order
24 hour old slice of Altoona Hotel Pizza
Altoona Hotel Pizza News
Altoona Hotel Pizza via PGH City Paper - Ryan Deto does a deep dive on the origin of Altoona Hotel Pizza, including its origin of creation dating back to 2013.
Join the Pizza Walk With Me Discord to talk about all things pizza with your new pizza besties!
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Our Order
Pizzeria Davide Old World Style Pizza
The Lebanon Sweet Bologna & Hot Pepper Relish Pizza
The house salad
A secret meatball dish!
20 Jul 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 13: Pizzeria Davide in the Strip District
In this episode we declare Pizzeria Davide the official pizza of the Dogs Day of Summer. This is an elusive prize for pizzerias because eating a hot slice of pizza on a sweltering day may be overwhelming. But because Pizzeria Davide uses such fresh, delicious, ingredients their pizza is instantly refreshing. I could blend this up and drink it like a pizza smoothie!
Our Order
Pizzeria Davide Old World Style Pizza
The Lebanon Sweet Bologna & Hot Pepper Relish Pizza
The house salad
A secret meatball dish!
5 Jul 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 12: Caliente Brooklyn Pizza
Christa and Dan devour all that Brooklyn has to offer via Caliente Pizza & Drafthouse in Bloomfield. We even get insight from a real live Brooklander.
7 Jun 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 11: Spak Brothers Pizza in Garfield
Well it certainly was a hiatus, but we are back to bring you some greasy, gooey, ooey takes on Spak Brothers pizza. Spak Brothers is one of our classic go-to shops. With a wide selection of toppings, hoagies galore and salads that will bust your gut wide open.
A couple of items we talk about:
Driftwood Oven is closing for a month for some supreme renovations. We talk about what some of those renovations are and how excited we are for this upgrade.
Rockaway Pizzeria has created a Buffalo Chicken pizza, sans ranch. Is it really Buffalo Chicken pizza?
The international pizza expo is adding an Italian Sandwich category to their championship competition. What hoagie would you submit?
What is up with Altoona Hotel Pizza??
Spirit and the Vandal turned six years old! HBD to them, true staples of Lawrenceville.
Join the Pizza Walk With Me Discord to talk about all things pizza with your new pizza besties!
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Find your pizza date with Pizza Date With Me
17 May 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 10: Wood Fired In East Liberty
Welcome back to another great episode of Pizza Talk With Me! It’s been a while since we recorded so there was a huge back log of news and updates to provide. We talk about:
How Pittsburgh is secretly a world-class pizza incubator.
This extensive Food and Wine article that covers the best pizza in every state.
There is a mini review of Black Lotus Pizza in Lawrenceville.
The star of the show is Wood Fired, a new pizza shop in the old Pizza Taglio location run by the folks behind Lorelei.
26 Apr 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 09: Newman’s Own Pizza
We eat a supreme pizza and a white pizza from the Newman’s Own collection.
19 Apr 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 08: Driftwood Oven in Lawrenceville
After a week hiatus, we are BACK to go deep on Driftwood Oven. If you’ve been following Pizza Walk With Me, you’ll know that we’ve been covering Driftwood Oven since their inception as a mobile pizza unit. They would travel from brewery to brewery and Christa and I would trace their path willing to brave the wait to get a bite of their Archer.
Now Driftwood Oven has a brick and mortar spot on Butler St which has allowed them to expand their offerings, experiment with the majestic power of sourdough and churn out an assortment of quality pies, salad, desserts, baked goods and more. They are constantly improving and evolving, so I’m excited to see what they accomplish in the next few years.
Our Driftwood Oven Order:
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Red Top Omni Slice with Pickled Peppers
Blanca Omni Slice
Kale Caesar Salad with Anchovy
Other Discussions and Pizza News:
Connecticut lawmakers propose making pizza the official state food.
Kevin Konn is experimenting with personal round Roman pies.
Spirit Pizza Update: Their round pies are about to get better.
Can anyone get through this paywall about frozen pizzas in the Wall Street Journal?
5 Apr 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 07: Monte Cello’s in the North Hills
On this week of Pizza Talk With Me, Christa and Dan take a trip down memory lane and revisit a pizza place that was a keystone in their lives. Monte Cello’s, previously on McKnight road and now on Babcock Boulevard, has played host to after-football game hangs, family outings and after church meals. Their pizza buffet is state of the art, offering up a variety of pizzas to satisfy any pizza craving.
In this visit, Christa and Dan devour a plain pizza, dip into their Sicilian and grab a small buffalo chicken to round out the pizza trio. A Monte Cello’s meal isn’t complete without zucchini planks and, yes, there is some crunch with our munch via a house salad!
Other Items:
We talk about the winning pizza from the Pizza Expo 365, the virtual version of the legendary Pizza Expo. The overall winner was The Sweet Canuck, a pizza by Joe Leroux from Amadio’s Pizza in Ontario. Recipe here.
The people’s choice was a meaty Charcuterie Pizza by Paul Basset from Montebella’s in New York. Make it at home with this recipe.
We also talk about the beta run of Pizza Date With Me, new ranch / hot sauce hybrid, and more!
29 Mar 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 06: DiGiorno Croissant Pizza
Growing up DiGiorno was the premier frozen pizza. It broke new ground in the freezer aisle and transformed the frozen pizza landscape. While it couldn’t compete with the local shop, it was a solid substitute in a pinch. Years later the pizza industry has never been more competitive and DiGiorno has evolved to meet the needs of their constituency by creating a product that goes beyond the traditional pizza: Croissant Crust Pizza.
In this episode of the podcast Christa and Dan devour a three meat croissant crust pizza from DiGorno, a standa
22 Mar 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 05: Spirit in Lawrenceville
Well we had to get to Spirit eventually and why not celebrate our fifth episode in style? In this episode we gobble down the infamous Butt Patrol pizza from Spirit as well as a sheet of their fabulous grandma pie. Crunch Meets Munch as Christa waxes poetic about their simple, yet sufficient, Caesar Salad. We also discuss a variety of other incredible pieces of pizza news and topics.
Only 21 more weeks until our live show at Spirit!
15 Mar 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 04: Cappello’s Almond Flour Crust Frozen Pizza
In this Grand Opening SLICE episode, Christa and I delve into the world of Cappello’s frozen pizza. These pizzas aren’t your traditional gluten based pizzas, no way, these are almond flour crust. If you’re looking for an alternative crust pizza tune into today’s episodes for our thoughts! Plus we talk about a bunch of other things. Like:
Driftwood Oven is hiring! We talk about why their compensation package is exciting for workers and the community.
The grinch!
Christa goes deep on a kale Caesar salad in the Crunch with My Munch Corner.
Pizza questions we answer:
What’s the deal with pineapple on pizza anyways?
What’s up?
What are some healthy items you’ve seen at pizza places?
And more!
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8 Mar 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 03: Pizza Lupo in Lawrenceville
Christa and Dan do a deep dive into Pizza Lupo in Lawrenceville. And maybe Dan get’s cancelled?? Then we answer your grease bag questions..
1 Mar 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 02: Eat Pizza Wild Mushroom Pizza
Join Christa and Dan for a SLICE episode where they open up the grease bag to answer your burning questions and chomp their way through a frozen pizza from Eat Pizza.
20 Feb 2021
Pizza Talk With Me Episode 01: Badamo’s Pizza on the North Side
Christa and Dan devour Badamo’s pizza, deliver you the freshest pizza news and pull out the grease bag to answer your burning questions like is Hawaiian pizza a sin, what is the pizza of the pandemic and what kind of pizza would David Lynch eat?
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.8 / 5
16 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
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