For roughly three and a half years now, I’ve been searching for a really great pizza down here. There’s a local joint with good pizza, a couple of places with decent pizza, but nothing close by is really exceptional.
When I travel to other cities, especially cities known for their pizza like Chicago, Detroit, and New York, it’s must see TV. And don’t forget about that time when I was in Bologna, Italy, and instead of ordering two slices of pizza, I accidentally ordered two entire pies. (Oops.)
Long story short, I love my pizza, and it was time to do something about it.
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Monday night in New Orleans, Pelicans versus the Thunder is about 75% less expensive than Friday night in New Orleans, Pelicans versus the Celtics. I had a free day, my son was dying to go, and I had a hankering for some pizza.
Once I saw that tickets to the game were only a nickel and a dime, I decided we would bebop over to The Big Easy, enjoy the evening, and splurge on dinner. A big pizza dinner. And NOT an arena pizza dinner.
Deciding where to eat in one of the greatest food cities in the world is both very easy and deceptively tricky. So, so many incredible options.
I took out my phone and Googled best pizza slices in New Orleans, and then I let the games begin. Read the descriptions, look at the pictures, get a feel for the vibe. Make sure the neighborhood is safe (very important in The Crescent City) and that the place is kid friendly, although Banks has been eating at nice restaurants since he was a baby.
After perusing about ten spots, I made a firm decision. It was off to New Orleans for pizza and Monday Night Basketball.
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From the moment I laid my eyes on the menu, I knew what we were having. Banks would enjoy the place’s take on a cheese pizza, and I would sample the pork meatball pizza.
I am not exaggerating when I say both 12” pizzas were completely gone in under ten minutes. I don’t think we breathed. After Banks proclaimed that this was the best pizza he had ever eaten, he and I swapped slices (he wasn’t lying).
The cherry on top was that we still had room for dessert, and much to my surprise, Banks ordered the in-house made olive oil and black pepper ice cream. It was smooth as silk, with a little burn in the throat.
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As we drove from the restaurant to the game, he asked me if we could get popcorn at the game. I giggled while thinking to myself that this kid’s appetite is going to bankrupt me.
The game was fun. We got to see Zion Williamson bounce around. The Pelicans won. I won my Under 232/Thunder +5.5 parlay.
But as I drove home, as I recapped the night to my family, friends, and colleagues, I found myself thinking about the pizza. A simple cheese pizza on a Monday night in New Orleans.
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Have a great week.-Benj
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