Papa John’s Pizza: A Little Change of Heart

I’ve heard about Papa John’s Pizza for quite some time now.  Even before they set up shop here.  They’re the ones that’s been getting air-time with their concession stand in the Miami Heat arena.  They’ve had that cheesy tag line “Better ingredients.  Better pizza” line for the longest time now.  Get it, cheesy jeje?  OK, that was bad.

Moving on… I was kind of glad that they opened up franchises here.  Brooklyn Pizza is not as accessible as I want it to and parking for Gino’s is a bitch.  I’ve been hoping to stay away from the Pizza Huts, the Shakey’s, and the Yellow Cabs for the longest time now and I was hoping that Papa John’s would be my new delivery pizza place.

I have to confess that the first time I had a Papa John’s pie delivered, I was quite disappointed.  It wasn’t Pizza Hut bad¹, but it basically failed to deliver on the hype and expectations.  Kind of like that team they set up the concession stand in.  You know who I’m talking about.  Those Nazgul ring chasers over at South Beach, led by the ringless one.

The thin crust was too firm at the bottom that it seemed like pizza on crackers.  The cheese wasn’t all that gooey goodness I had expected from mozzarella and who the fuck serves butter with pizza?  But my take on Papa John’s changed when I was able to try it out fresh from their oven.

First, a little teaser.  The Diablo Burst pasta is a spicy variety pasta with your choice of spaghetti or penne with Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and crushed red peppers topped with grated Parmesan cheese.  Usually, I’d be skeptical of pasta dishes in places like this.  And for 180 bucks, what are they high?  How can you expect a quality pasta dish for 180 bucks?  BUT we found this to be surprisingly good.  A bit too spicy for my sister, but it was just right for me.  Really surprised the shit out of me… and in a good way.

Now, the pizza is LOADS better when fresh.  I know this is true for most pizzas, but I guess the difference for Papa John’s is pretty significant.

The pomodoro sauce had good flavors, but I still prefer Brooklyn Pizza’s.  The crust was pretty good.  I’d suggest getting the thick crust, which is their signature crust.  It’s even good enough to scoop up the pasta sauce from the Diablo Burst.

We had the Pepperoni Pizza, which is my usual pizza flavor fix.  The pepperoni was actually better than most of the pizza joints here².  PLUS, they fill it up with toppings.  I mean, you get pepperoni with every bite!  That’s rare.

Now what differentiates Papa John pizza’s are the garlic butter and the jalapeno pepper that come with every pizza.  First, I thought the butter made the pizza awkward.  But you know what? It actually works.  Not by much, but makes a little difference.  The jalapeno pepper doesn’t have too much heat, but that must’ve been the case for that one instance.

Overall, I’d have to say that I’m liking Papa John’s.  The fact that the ingredients spoil (for lack of a better word) a lot more quickly tells me it’s fresher than those preserved goods.  I’d still take Brooklyn Pizza over Papa John’s, but it’s good to know I have more options whenever I go out.  I won’t hesitate taking out one of their pies or having one delivered sometime soon, but it’s really good when fresh.  Trust me.

Papa John’s Pizza: A Little Change of Heart 2012-02-01

’ve heard about Papa John’s Pizza for quite some time now.  Even before they set up shop here.  They’re the ones that’s been getting air-time with their concession stand in the Miami Heat arena.  They’ve had that cheesy tag line “Better ingredients.  Better pizza” line for the longest time now.  Get it, cheesy jeje?  OK, …