Recent eats: NYC Pizza Cafe, Angelo's, Famous Dave's

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Tradition dictates that taco pizzas be covered in a salty heap ofcrushed nacho cheese-flavored tortilla chips. I for one, prefercrisp lettuce and juicy tomato as the only additions.

I had a delightfully unique Taco Pizza from NYCPizza Cafe recently, once I scratched underneath thesurface. NYC's pizza starts off with their tender crust, then slathers the surface with a savory refriedbean sauce. Topped with ground beef, diced jalapeno andcheese, then baked, and finished with chopped lettuce, tomato and theomnipresent crushed tortilla chips.

After I polished off a slice to sample the full treatment, Iscraped off the chips, lettuce, and tomato and ate them separatelyas a salad, with copious amounts of packet taco sauce as an ersatzdressing.

Then I was able to enjoy the pizza as it had come from the oven.The seasoned bean sauce is quite delicious. Without the lettuce,tomato and chips, more jalapeño and a smidgen more beefwould be welcome, but otherwise a fine pizza worthy to revisit. Infact I almost did recently until social dinner plans forced me tosettle for a plate of Italian Nachos at Old Chicago.

I've heaped enough praise upon personal favorites Mr.Filet and Angelo'sPizza, to the point where some of you are probablylamenting, "Enough already!"

I agree, but first I have to mention the B.L.T.pizza I enjoyed a while back. It's a simplebacon pizza, built on Angelo's thin, crispy, charred crust; toppedwith lettuce and tomato. Sound good enough? But wait… "Where'sthe mayo?", you say. Ah, I will tell you.

Angelo's paints a veneer of mayonnaise on top of the cheesebefore loading on the L. and T. The mayo helps to glue down thelettuce; You can taste the flavor, but its not overbearing.

I have a fondness for FamousDave's Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que's sauces, link sausage, WilburBeans, and their sweet cornbread muffins. On my lastvisit to load up on a double portion of sausage, I also shared aplate of Not’cho Ordinary Nachos with my tablemate.

Dave’s version piles on Wilbur Beans, chili,sliced jalapeños, shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese,chopped tomato, drizzles of sour cream and Rich & Sassysauce, and your choice of beef brisket, chopped pork or pulledchicken. We sampled the tender brisket.

A fun, imaginative build! I could have eaten the whole platealone as a meal, but then I wouldn't have had room for my sausage,and healthy doses of Dave's Wilbur's Revenge hot BBQ sauce.