New year, new posts - Denver Eats - Two Fisted Mario's Pizza

Oh man, I have not blogged AGES! And since it is the new year, I suppose I shall start up once again with the first trip of the year: DENVER. What exciting eating places did my friends and I encounter there? Well, I shall start with day 1 - late lunch at Two-Fisted Mario's Pizza.

1626 Market St
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 623-3523

Atmosphere:  The place had a hole in the wall feel to it and was decorated sort of like a basement (at least that is the vibe I got from it).  There were the retro game tables, which, though novel, I found to be a little confusing because I felt like I should not order food and sit there to eat for I feared spilling liquid on the game table and messing it up...but they seemed to be using them like tables, so I don't know.  They placed them right by the booth seats, which was a great spot for our luggage, but (1) our bags took up too much space and (2) the whole eating over electrical tables was quiet worrisome.  

Some people watching the football game on the TV which did not have the best clarity.

Also, there was this curtain that separated the restaurant from the other place next door that looked like a bar (I believe it was called Double Daughters)?  I didn't take a look, but I thought it looked interesting.

But for me, the most interesting part was watching the guy spinning the pizza dough.  I cannot say there are a lot of places in LA were I can see that, but then again, I don't go to many pizza joints either.

Okay, so about the food...

The Look:  Mushroom and Spinach Pizza (I seriously cannot remember the name the gave it, but that was basically what it was).  Looked like a really fresh out of the oven pizza.

The Smell:  I love the small of fresh baked bread and that is the smell that I noticed the most.

The Taste:  So,  I really do just eat pizza for the bread and I have to say it was pretty good.  Thin and crisp, but soft on the inside.  I did like the fact that there was no corn meal at the bottom of the pizza like some other places have.  I don't care for that added texture.

Next, the sauce.  It was sweet, but the most interesting thing about it was the fact that there were slices of garlic in it.  I did not know there was supposed to be garlic in the sauce until my friend said that he got a chunk of garlic in that bite he took.  Then later, in one of my bites, I got a chunk of garlic and so did my other friends.  I have to say, I really did love the slices of garlic because it gave it some bite, but then again, I really love garlic.  It was a nice surprise.

And lastly, the toppings.  Mozzarella cheese, spinach, and mushrooms. What else can be said about it other than those are basically my favorite toppings.  If there were artichoke hearts on it, it would have been like heaven.

The only thing I did not really care for was this sign they had up by the pizza cook.

Dollar to talk to the cook

Why not just ask for a tip guys?  It is kind of funny, but kind of not at the same time and I am sad to say it, but the tone I got from it was Douchebags.

Don't get my wrong, the pizza was actually pretty good and I am pretty sure  I am not just saying that because my friends and I had almost nothing to eat until about 4:30/5:00 pm, but that sign really did bother me.  Would it bother me enough to not go there again?  If they gave me attitude about it, then maybe.  If I go back to Denver, would I eat there again?  Maybe not, but that is because I would like to try different places, though Spicy Pickle was pretty impressive, so I think I would eat THERE again.

Hungry Howie's Pizza, Covina

Okay, so I am back from my hiatus more or less and I will start off with this amazing place.

Hungry Howie's Pizza

958 E. Badillo
Covina, CA 91724
(626) 966-3333

Surprised? I know I was. As I have said before, I am not a fan of pizza at all, but I have to say that this pizza was pretty amazing. Why? The bread. This pizza crust was really really amazingly fresh and crispy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside. I have to say the cheese was really good and stringy too because they use 100% mozzarella cheese.

Here what the inside looks like. About 3 2 seater tables and 2 4 seater tables. (not and incredibly large place, but there were many workers delivering pizzas)

The reasons my friends and I tried this place other than the fact that one LOVES pizza...

...why of course it was the COUPONS! AHAH though seeing that mascot made me NOT want to try Hungry Howie's. We got 2 medium pizzas and free bread sticks.

Pineapple and mushroom pizza with a garlic herb flavored bread crust.
I do not like hot pineapples on anything, especially pizza, but I overlooked it because I loved this bread. The bread was awesome and the garlic herb bread crust was pretty amazing too.

Me eating my stringy delicious slice of pizza.

Sausage and mushroom with a Cajun bread crust.
I liked the toppings and the bread and the cheese, but I cannot say that I loved the Cajun seasoning on the crust. It did not seem to go that well together. If it were the garlic herb it would have been awesome though.

Free garlic butter bread sticks. Yum. Too bad the Parmesan cheese makes it smell so bad.

So how good was this place? Well, for someone that does not really like pizza to eat 4 slices, I have to say it was pretty good. But then again, I really like fresh bread and that was the most enjoyable part of the pizza XD This was really the only pizza I have ever really enjoyed that much.

Check out their menu and for a location near you.