Sammy's Pizza-Lakeside

Did I mention Sammy's Pizza is the best pizza in the known universe?

Pictured left is my second 'sampling' of Sammy's Pizza, from the Lakeside location: 16" (!) pepperoni & sausage.

It could only have been better, had I had some sugar sweetened Coca-Cola, rather than the high fructose corn syrup crap.

I would have posted a photo of the complete pizza, but I couldn't wait to taste it. That's how good it was.

UPDATED: Added photo of Sammy's Pizza Lakeside (top)

Pizza in Duluth

Today I visited one of my cousins and had a nice chat. He filled me in on some family stuff and the usual 'what are you doing now'. I also managed to get three recipes for Coney Island sauce that he managed to acquire through his career as a cook & Chef. I believe one of them to be a rather famous one, but we'll see. He also told me a 'secret' not on any of them regarding the sauces. Apparently, he does not list all of the ingredients on any of his recipes. He gives those secrets out only to family & the closest of confidants. They were duly noted for posterity.

I also met up with my life long buddy, Kerry. I've known him from 5th Grade and we have been in constant contact, ever since. We decided to go out on a pizza fact-finding mission.

Now I know, Sammy's Pizza is the best, but there used to be another pizza joint that made kick-ass pizza called Mr. Frank's Pizza. They are long gone, but according to my pre-trip research, the recipe was transferred to another place called Lee's Pizza. So, we had to check the place out.

The Findings:

We both agreed that hey are not exactly like the old Mr. Franks, but very, very close. Close enough to satisfy the craving for the old pizza we remembered. The odd thing is, the difference was that it tasted a bit more like a Sammy's pizza!...a sort of hybrid. The Sammy's crust is a bit more stiff. The Lee's crust is a bit more flexible. Of course the sauces are slightly different too. The 'new' Lee's seem a bit less greasy and gooey than the old Mr. Franks. Not a problem, but noticeable.

The old Mr. Frank's Pizza, East (they had two locations) was the place we'd hit after barhopping, in my youth. Load up on grease to settle the remaining alcohol and the obligatory debrief of the evening's carousing and wenching. No matter what week night or hour, the old jukebox somehow managed to play a few songs that became part of my life's soundtrack for that era and that place:

• "Layla" Derek and the Dominos
• "Sweet Home Alabama" Lynyrd Skynyrd
• "Roundabout" YES

The photo illustrates me with a stomach full of pizza, and my co-pilot, Aleksandra.

Minnesota Part 1

I rolled into my destination, Duluth, MN, for my High School reunion early on the morning of July 29th....the first day of the reunion. After unpacking and chasing my cat down the motel hallway, I took a long nap, then got ready for the festivities. More on the reunion later. I am still recovering.

On the following day, I took the time to scrape off the dead bugs accumulated thus far on this odyssey. The photo shows the front end while just leaving North Dakota. It was worse when I finally got to Duluth. I hope a killed a zillion mosquitoes. I hate those bitches. As soon as I stopped in Moorhead, I got my first mosquito bite in decades. I was instantly reminded of another reason why I emigrated out of that state. It took all of five minutes for one to sneak through the gap in the sunroof. Bastards. I really hate them. One of the first questions I'll ask of God in the afterlife is why he created those things. He better have a good answer.

The roads in Minnesota really suck, too. Like I said on a Facebook status post, as soon as I crossed the border, it felt like I was driving in Soviet Russia. (In fact I was being generous. The roads in Moscow [c. 1989-90] were much better than in Minnesota. I know this because I drove them.) Those that blame the Minnesota climate for the road conditions are lying. Moscow's climate is just as bad, if not worse. I think Minnesota Communists are just inept. I would say Minnesota's roads are on the level of Nicolae Ceauşescu's Romania, but even he could build a decent highway .

On the plus side, Minnesota has invented the combination gas station/convenience store/pizza joint. And not just any pizza but Sammy's Pizza! I will do a separate post on this icon of Northern Minnesota later. Sammy's Pizza is the de facto standard of pizza excellence worldwide. I am not kidding.

I am burning daylight, so that's enough for now.

A reminder: to see the posted photos in their full glory, click on them.