Slice of heaven: Pizza in the 80s

Yesterday was a banner day here at Stuck in the 80s: The discovery of a 21-inch pizza (albeit with jalapenos and pepperoni) was confirmed by food fan Michelle. I've had to change three shirts just because of the resulting drool.

But this beautiful news confirms one of my long-held beliefs: The '80s was the decade of pizza. (Even though the last "Cup O' Pizza" franchise died in 1979.) We owned it, baby. Don't bother trying to confuse the issue with facts. In my mind, bagel pizza bites, pizza rolls, taco pizza and French bread pizza all came of age during those glorious years. Not to mention that I've never failed to celebrate a birthday with a pie of my own. (This year, an 18-incher with pepperoni, sausage, ham, onions, peppers and 'shrooms.)

Need further evidence? Look at our beloved movies of the '80s. The pizza stains are all over them.

TOP FIVE FAVORITE PIZZA MOVIES OF THE 80s:

5. MYSTIC PIZZA (1988): The only thing worth slobbering over in Mystic, Conn., is the pizza pie ... and Annabeth Gish. "Yeah, well, don't worry about me. I'm gonna slingin' pizza for the rest of my life."

4. LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN (1982): Gary works for "The Pink Pizza," mainly so he can drive the company car. He should have forgotten about Karen and just concentrated on Carmela. "Come to me my big burrito!"

3. LOVERBOY (1989): Patrick Dempsey's forgotten '80s classic. At Senor Pizza, the specialty of the house is a pie with extra anchovies. Too bad the house's gigolo grew a conscience. "I had a letter to Penthouse staring me right in the face, and I let it go."

2. DO THE RIGHT THING (1989): Spike Lee loves pizza so much, he plays the delivery guy at Sal's Pizzeria, the baddest restaurant in Brooklyn. "Stay black, Mookie."

1. FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982): Still the best Sean Penn role of all time. No telling how many people in our generation fantasized about ordering a pie in history class and uttering the famous explanation, "Learning about Cuba, and having some food."

Comments

[Nikki Martinez]

I would have to say that Sean Penn's role in "Fast Times..." continues to carry on through generations. Sad to say, I only had 5 years in the 80's, but even I, and others, can continuousely imagine ordering a pizza and having it delievered to the classroom. In fact, at one time a year or 2 ago, a guy really did come into one of my film classes with a whole pizza, willing to share it with the prof--priceless! Sean Penn would would be proud.

[sparky]

Actually there is so much grease you can do a 5 quart oil change on your car.

Friday's are 2 slices, a soda and a lube specials.

[Marissa]

ah, no low-fat mozzarella for them, eh? The grease just sits on top of the pie like a glistening pool of heart attack?

[sparky]

Actually it's "Arteries clog in 30 minutes or less". Buried in 30 minutes or less in winter up here didn't work.

So they started to give you defib machines with the purchase of a large pizza.

[Marissa]

*snort* Sparky.
"Buried in 30 minutes or less or your money back"?

[sparky]

Above message about Old Forge is mine.

You guys have not had pizza until you come up to my neck of the wilderness.

Heck, Old Forge, Pa. is the self proclaimed Pizza Capital of the World.

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/03/old-forge-pennsylvania-the-pizza-capital-of-the-world.html

In Old Forge you basically have pizza and funeral homes.

But the pizza is out of this world up here. And I hear they give you coupons at the pizza parlors for 10% off your burial plots.

[Bassnote]

The downtown Chicago Gino's East is almost impossible to get in to sometimes. Fortunately there are a few in the burbs, and one of them is less ten minutes from my house

[Clark]

Sherrie,
I've had pizza from that exact same place under almost exactly the same circumstances; long line at Gino's East, nobody (except me) is willing to wait, so let's try this place, it's probably still good, right? Riiiight.

Speaking of good pizza in the bay area and places called Gino's, I highly reccomend Gino's (no relation) on Armenia Ave., north of Busch Blvd. You'll have to hunt for it but it will be worth it.

[Sherrie]

Bassnote...I was just in Chicago this past Wednesday, intent on dragging my crew of relatives to Gino's East, but the directions of "two blocks over and a block and a half up" scared them all and we ended up having alarmingly average pizza at some place across from the Hard Rock. Fear of losing track of the tour bus lost me my chance at Gino's East. Maybe next year...
My high school pizza hangout was always Capogna's Dugout on Gulf to Bay in Clearwater- great sports theme, excellent pizza..I've enjoyed the "Capogna Special" for 30 years.

[surfdog]

anytime you get to hollywood Beach FLA and you want REAL Windy city pizza check out:
"Flicker Light" on A1A and the intercoastal waterway with a deck in the back
and a tv at every table
last time I was down there and watched the rays beat the red socks,
authentic chicago pizza

[Blaine]

Good call on the Little Caesars Crazy Bread(TM). They just opened a new LC up by us in the northern suburbs of Indy; when I partake of those sweet breadsticks, they immediately take me back to 1986 and the best summer of my life (I was fortunate enough to spend it on a college campus as a HS junior - it was a nerd camp, but I was in my element, baby).

[Neil]

My girlfriend just sent a text message to see what I wanted for dinner. I think I go will pizza tonight.

[Spears]

Here I am, going ape-nuts crazy in Flash class, and now I'm hungrier than the hounds of hell.

[%]

California Pizza Kitchen has a bacon,lettuce & tomato with mayo & lettuce on top.

[Tom]

Miguel,

Yes, yes it would...;

[Miguel]

Top 5 pizza toppings according to this site called top 5 tribe.
1-Buffalo chicken
2-tomatoes
3-feta cheese
4-olives
5-ham

[Miguel]

Have you guys ever had those shrimp pizza,tuna pizza.Horrible stuff!

Would funyuns pizza be completely insane?

[joe]

My girlfriend likes the deep dish, heart-shaped pizza at MY PI on Clark Street.

[Michelle]

Don' worry
About a thing
Cause every lil piz-
Za's gonna be all right

[Jeff in Cuba]

The thing about the Bob Marley is that after you eat a slice, you get the overwhelming urge to eat 6 more slices.

[Walter Cox]

Jerk chicken, sundried tomatoes, jack cheese.

[Neil]

Yeah, they also put a lot of "oregano" on the Bob Marley.

[surfdog]

Bob marley Pizza has shrooms

[joe]

What's on the Bob Marley?

[Walter Cox]

Soulshine in the Jackson area has great pizza. One of my Iron Laws: Hippies Know Pizza. I always get the Bob Marley.

[joe]

If you think strips of pizza are weird, the bakery next door sold 18" round "pizza~coffeecakes" Each slice was a different flavor, peach, blueberry, apple, cherry, choc chip & cheese. Everybody ordered them for holidays & parties.

[Walter Cox]

*waves his naughty finger at all you girls*

[Neil]

Bassnote, I never had Jake's but nothing goes better with a pizza than RC Cola. It is the king of Colas. Joe, never heard of strips of pizza, that seems sort of weird, they have a place called Pompei on Taylor street that has Pizzicotto which is like a pizza stroodle. It is really good and you can buy it in really long strips.

[joe]

Anybody remember Tony C's in Oak Park where they rolled out their thin crust pies in strips & sold them by the inch, foot, yard or strip? A whole strip was 6ft long x 5" wide.

I think St pete needs a Breakfeast borrito place

[Michelle]

I had the good fortune to partake of a New York pie at John's Pizzeria in Greenwich Village a couple of weeks ago. Meatballs and mushrooms, yum!

cappys was very good ,close to chi-town style

Dominoes...EEEEEEWWWWWWWWW

[Bassnote]

Joe is correct about the free RC Cola, and saving the coupons for a free Jake's pizza. Sadly, the most of the Jake's Pizzas are gone. Neil brought up Lou Malnatti's Pizza; AWESOME!! Deep dish or thin crust, you cannot go wrong. Gino's East is another great Chicago pizza place.

[joe]

Steve, I don't get it. When I GOOGLED CAPPY'S St Pete, that First Ave address came right up ???? Maybe they are opening up another one just for you.

[Spears]

The cafeteria downstairs in our building does make pizza every day. I had it yesterday after all the pizza talk started.

[Miguel]

Oh,Jeff i`m so sorry if you took my comment in a wrong way.That was 5 year old Miguel speaking.You know i don´t think that! I humbly apologize,my dear friend!

[Rosa]

One of my fondest 80s memories is Domino's giving away free pizza every Halloween.

[Jeff in Cuba]

Steve,

I would think that a pizzeria in the Times building would do pretty good business.

And Miguel, that "papa Jeff" stuff needs to go away quickly.

Listen to your elders!

[Marissa]

...and that would leave you in heaven, eh, Steve?

[Spears]

I think Cappy's Pizza is at 2900 1st Ave North in St. Pete. (because the other address above would put it inside the St. Pete Times building.)

[Miguel]

"Charmingly cheeky" is a good one papa Jeff!

[Jeff in Cuba]

Miguel,

While I have moved beyond the point where I can cite "immaturity" as an excuse, I'm not quite at the point where I need to worry about "dirty old man"-dom.

I consider myself "charmingly cheeky".

[Neil]

Thanks Joe, I will give it a try when I go back to Florida. I moved back to Chicago so I eat way too much pizza now, but I go back to St. Pete's about once a year.

[Marissa]

Thanks for making me feel a tad bit better, Miguel. I think. Maybe.

Back to my days of working at the pizza place: I learned how to answer two phones simultaneously while running the front/register/orders on the weekend.

[Miguel]

Riss,it´s not exactly a KNEE-jerk reaction!
It`s only partially your fault.The rest comes with immaturity.I have excuse thow,i`m just a young lad.Jeff,i don´t know if he has one.

[joe]

Neil, try CAPPY'S PIZZA, 490 First Av S in St Pete. Closest to Chicago Pizza in FL (so far)

[Neil]

One of my biggest disappointments when I moved to Florida from Chicago was trying to find some good pizza. The pizza in Florida tends to be more New York style than Chicago style. Although Orlando had Giordanos and Unos. I found some OK pizza but nothing as good as Lou Malnati's or Ricobene's. That scene from Fast Times where he orders the pizza in class was something that Cameron Crowe observed when he actually sat in a class to get material to write this movie. The students ordered pizza, but it was actually during a shop class and the teacher allowed it.

[Marissa]

Ok, choo-choo. Guilty as charged. It's a knee-jerk reaction. Is it my fault that Spearsy's blog does that to me?

[Miguel]

"It`s not the size it`s how you ladle the sauce".Hahaha! Jeff,that`s the best I´ve heard in days.

I`ve always heard,the simpler the pizza is,the better it is.And it´s not the size,indeed."It`s not the size,it`s how the mushrooms blend in the sauce".

Pizza and a bottle of red wine.Great way to start an evening.