RLandis in Nashville - have you tried Solo Mio down on 1st across from the police station? Went there for lunch the other day and it was more than I expected but it was a good pizza but I will hold final judgement until I get back from Italy in a couple of weeks. <BR> <BR>And as for the mozzarella at Costco, I was terribly disappointed. Made homemade pizzas - had fresh basil, San Marzano roma tomatoes and the cheese ruined it all. Maybe I got a bad batch.

To Jahoulih: Thank you so much. Both sites worked! I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Maybe now I won't have to go into withdrawal and can actually make it to my trip next year. <BR> <BR>To gb: You can get soft mozarella in many places, but it is made with cow's milk and just doesn't make it. The buffalo milk gives it a taste all it's own--wonderful. (By the way, it is only partially buffalo milk--the rest is cow's, or so I've been taught--but that little bit makes it heaven.) <BR> <BR>To Pizzaeater: I feel sorry for you if you got pizza that tastes like cheeze-whiz on a cracker. Obviously, your tastes are much different than mine, and, hey, that's what makes the world go 'round. By the way, the "fake stuff" in Italy is the real thing, since they "invented" it. Everything else is really just a copy. So, you just enjoy the fake stuff better. That's OK. But give me the real stuff any time!

Linda, there's others that agree with your assessment :) I look forward to our eventual Naples trip. <BR> <BR>From the great chowhound board (thank you Caitlin) <BR>http://www.chowhound.com/boards/intl/messages/2772.html <BR> <BR>Still looking for that recipe. Meanwhile, it's fun to talk about ingredients. A pizza stone might just be essential. :)Happy Mother's Day!

Chris, <BR> <BR>Not quite Italian-style (in the literal-sense), but one place I know in the East Bay to get pizzas with thin, crisp crusts and sensible amounts of topping and cheese is Cafe Rustica on College Ave. near Broadway in the Rockridge neighborhood. <BR> <BR>Speaking of the neighborhood, it's pretty funny that someone recommended Zachary's to you. I love Zachary's, and I love thin-crusted pizza, but they are surely apples and oranges (if not apples and papayas!). <BR> <BR>Kalena, glad you're still enjoying ,y favorite web site, chowhound.com. You don't see too many Hawaii queries there, but I hope you'll keep an eye out and add some local input!

RICHARD- Don't feel too bad that the best Italin place in nashville is equivalent to Olive Garden, here in orland the best Italian restaurant IS Olive Garden.. Try lookin up The Mozzarella Cheese Co, in dallas, they ship and their cheeses are really good

Interesting to hear some of you wax so enthusiastically about pizza in Italy. (Of course, as someone aptly noted, tastes are different...and that's what makes the world go 'round.) My girlfriend & I had really been looking forward to pizza in Italy (specifically Rome) and were subsequently disappointed by what we had, for the most part anyway. I should point out that we didn't <I>dislike</I> any of them; they just wasn't as wonderful as we'd been expecting. We did love the wafer-thin crusts, but found the tomato sauces uninspiring, and the toppings as scarce as the sun in Seattle. The best pizza we ended up having was a more Neapolitan-style pizza at a little hole-in-the-wall place in the town of Amalfi: a melt-in-your-mouth buttery-rich crust, delicious tomato sauce, and more plentiful toppings. <BR> <BR>I'm not convinced that just because a country invented a type of food that necessarily means they've perfected it. I've had pizza here in Seattle -- including an out-of-this-world Thai pizza (I imagine the words "Thai" and "pizza" together are blasphemy to some :~) last night at a place called Madame K's -- which I found far more delicious than any pizza we had in Italy. <BR> <BR>By the way, we <I>did</I> love the mozzarella di bufala. Here's an interesting website I found about it... <BR> <BR>http://www.viaitalia.net/mozzarella_di_bufala.htm

Its very interesting to read your comments re pizza in Italy. When I was in Italy (many years ago) the pizza was absolutely terrible. I believe that the actual birth place of piza was in Boston..

I have never been a pizza lover, mainly because most commercial pizzas seem to have a thick crust, soaked in sauce, with greasy toppings. Glad to know that I'm not the only person in the U.S. of A who disliked pizza. My friends tell me it's UnAmerican to hate pizza :) <BR> <BR>THEN, on a trip to Chicago several years ago, I visited a pizza place with a group of friends, and actually learned to love pizza! Well, theirs at least. I had no intention of eating it at first, but when it arrived it had a thin crust, light sprinkling of fresh parmesan and spinach! Certainly unlike any pizza I'd ever seen or tasted, and it was fabulous! <BR> <BR>Now if I could only remember the name of the place! It was NOT Pizzeria Uno, was it perhaps Giardano's, or something to that effect? Anyway, great thin pizza, light toppings - is this Chicago Style?

Chicago ([email protected]), There is a chain in Chicago called Giordano's. They're all over. They DO have good thin crust pizza, though I think they're better known for their stuffed (deep dish) pizza. They're very different, it just depends on what you're in the mood for. Good caesar salad too.

RLandis in Nashville. Try Rossi's in Smyrna. I'm from Staten Island and though nothing approaches the pizza in NYC (haven't been to Italy yet), it's pretty close. Thin, not too much sauce, good spices. When you're dying for one, it helps.