Place: Papa John’s
Item: Barbeque Chicken & Bacon Pizza
Price: $13.99 for a large
We Lunch Guys have debated long and hard as to what constitutes a pizza. You’ve
seen the commercials for the latest Philly cheesesteak or Buffalo chicken
“pizzas” and wrestled with the same existential issue. If it doesn’t
walk like a duck or taste like a duck, is it still a duck?
Our conclusion: If it comes in a square box from a pizza place, it’s
a pizza. With that in mind, we tried Papa John’s new Barbeque Chicken
& Bacon Pizza (which came with a choice of three can’t-give-them-away
DVDs). Does Papa John’s do the right thing in thinking outside the box,
or should this pizza have never left the box?
Tom: Everyone knows pizza has become an American food, but
usually there is at least a hint of Italy in every pie. With this Barbeque
Chicken & Bacon Pizza, Papa John’s severs all ties with the Old
World, but in doing so, it creates something new and certainly worthwhile.
It looks like a “normal” pizza, with cheese, chunks of chicken,
small shreds of onion and a sprinkling of nice-sized bits of bacon. The surprise
comes on the first bite, where instead of tangy tomato sauce you get a sweet,
smokey barbecue sauce. And it’s that sweet-salty thing going on that
kept me
perfect culinary triumph, but like you, Tom, I happened
to be in the right mood for it. On another lunch hour, this wacky fusion might
have been as distasteful as Andrew McCarthy in “Barbershop 3.”
But on this day, I didn't miss the tomato sauce and pepperoni. The barbecue
sauce hit me like Texas candy, with the undercurrent of grilled chicken and
smoked bacon finishing off the flavor fest. I've had other barbecue chicken
pizzas, and this one achieved the best balance of ingredients playing off
each other for a welcome reinterpretation of a classic dish.
Tom: The balance was right and the crust-sauce combo was
almost addicting. Pizza lovers may not agree and barbecue lovers aren’t
going to give up their grills for this – even though I might.
Chris: The only non-traditional pizza I've ever liked more
than this Papa John's offering is the Red Baron Mexican Style Supreme Pizza
from my grocer's freezer. I'm a sucker for Mexizza. But I'd be dialing right
away next time I have a barbecue hankering.
Rating: 4 sporks (out of 5)
Food facts: One slice of large (original
crust): 330 calories (30% from fat), 11g fat. 3g sat. fat, 44g carbs, 16g
protein. 960mg sodium.
E-mail The Lunch Guys:
tomandchris@thelunchguys.com
coming back for more.
I ate a piping hot slice right out of the oven in Papa’s parking lot
that tasted great, had a couple of warm slices back in the lunch room that
were very good, then had a cold slice out of the fridge near the end of the
day that was the best yet. Chris, I didn’t want to like this but there
was something strangely appealing about it. Not that I’d want this every
day, but next Fourth of July, I know what I’m ordering.
Chris: Here's my review, Tom -- this was Andrew McCarthy’s
finest work since "Mannequin" and the voodoo resurrection of Bernie
was a cinematic triumph. But enough about the "Weekend at Bernie's II"
DVD that came free (yes, free!) with my large pizza purchase.
Actually, the "Bernie's" DVD was the perfect coaster for my drink
as I ate this pizza just as fast as you did, Tom. I meant to stop at two slices,
but suddenly three had disappeared (granted, I got the thin crust). I wasn't
so enthused because the pizza was a
