The Great Oklahoma City Pizza Hunt - Continued

Out of all the e-mails I've received, HIDEAWAY PIZZA appeared in as many as any other place. It frequently wins awards from various metro publications as being a top pizza location, so I already had it penciled in as a contender.

I've been to Hideaway before of course but went again with the intention of scrutinizing every aspect. The result? It grades out really well for me. The toppings are some of the best I've had as far as flavor, and I'm a big fan of the Hideaway sauce. The crust is chewy, not typically my favorite kind, but have the waiter give you a side of their "red sauce" for dipping.

Pros:

• Great topping flavor
• Some of the best sauce you'll find
• Great service and atmosphere at any of the metro locations

Cons:

• Crust is better when dipped
• For some odd reason, Hideaway is just not good leftover, not near as good as some other pizzas can be.

Verdict: Even with my strict "pizza critic" tongue in place, Hideaway has some of the better pizza in town. I'd say it's not a question of whether it'll appear in the top 10 but rather what rank it'll receive.

Rolling Through the Recommendations

Thanks very much to all the readers who are offering recommendations. I've received a better response than I ever anticipated, and it has allowed me to try more pizza than I thought humanly possible. Some have lived up to their billing, and some have not.

One that certainly did for me was J-TOWN PIZZA in Jones, just a few miles northeast of the metro. Nicole and Stu and many others recommended this place that is apparently owned by a former NFL player. I have to be honest that I didn't really pay attention to the history, only the pizza.

And the pizza is quite good. The thin, almost buttery crust just tastes like true New York-style to me (this of course comes from a lifelong Oklahoman who has only been to the Big Apple once). J-Town earns high marks because it's just all-around delicious, not a negative I could find holding them back.

Pros:

• Buttery, flavorful crust
• Plenty of hot and delicious cheese
• Toppings won't disappoint

Cons:

• Any con I could find isn't even worth mentioning, which says a lot coming from a picky guy like me.

Verdict: J-Town Pizza is another that appears to be an early lock for my eventual top 10. It won't necessarily blow you away as the greatest in history, but I'd be surprised if you can find much to pick on.

While J-Town lived up to the recommendation, another just didn't quite do it for me. GAETANO'S PIZZA in Edmond came highly recommended from several readers. It was hailed as a great example of New York style in the metro area by some city publications, including the Gazette. So I drove up and ordered a large pie.

Well, I must have had a bad pie. It very well may have been the greasiest pizza I've had in some time. Now, don't get me wrong. A little bit of grease is part of the pizza experience sometimes, particularly with meat toppings, a lot of cheese and thinner crust. But mine was just dripping, so much so that the entire thing turned soggy after ten minutes.

Pros:

• Big pieces that make you feel like you're in NYC
• Good topping coverage

Cons:

• Grease, grease, grease
• Dense, chewy crust that seems like a throwaway
• Cheese seemed slightly clumpy

Verdict: I'll give Gaetano's the benefit of the doubt and assume I just had bad luck. But not only was I not impressed, I can say quite easily this one will not be in my top 10.

I had two or three places on my list from Edmond, so I went ahead and tried to knock a couple out. The next reader recommendation in Edmond was quite a bit better. THE GARDEN PIZZA was recommended by several people who commented on the restaurant's selection of Mediterranean food as well.

But I was in town for pizza, so I ordered a medium. Thanks to Melissa's suggestion, I also ordered a calzone. And I'm glad I did. The pizza at Garden is good, though nothing to rival the best places from Chicago or NYC. But the calzone... With fantastic flavor, delicious bread and cooked grated parmesan on top, it's too bad I'm not ranking metro-area calzones.

Sorry. I got side-tracked. Back to the pizza.

Pros:

• Good, mild tomato flavor to the sauce
• Toppings, particularly the meat, are quite good
• Good combo of Mozzarella and another cheese, possibly American or Cheddar

Cons:

• Not a lot of cheese or sauce
• End crust is a bit bland

Verdict: The Garden Pizza is solid. The pizza itself won't wow you, but the calzone certainly will. Since it's a list based on pizza alone, I'd put Garden on the fringe of a top 10 at this point.

Next, it was my chance to evaluate the take-and-bake concept...