Where is the good pizza in the greater Tacoma area?

 That is the question. And I've got the time, the money, and the nose to do this. 

Now, I don't have any food training, I certainly am not in a position to use my vast experience as a manufacturing plant engineer to apply it to the finer points of pizza construction and taste, I'm just an everyday eater. Maybe that is for the better because I'm like everyone else. Those that cover food and eating out for publications have developed skills and practice to present a product to the readers that are paying good money for their writing and the writers covering other things. It becomes a job. No one is paying me one red cent for my work (which is worth every penny!) and it isn't work anyway. It's fun. 

I probably should put down my biases because we all have them. There is such a thing as pizza bias and here are mine. First, I want meat on my pizza. I've had plenty of pizza without meat and enjoyed it, but to rate the quality of a pizza, it needs meat in order to be properly evaluated. That said, more often than not there will be meatless pizza tasted because Cathy is a vegetarian (pescatarian, actually, but let's not quibble over these designations) and she will be having vegetarian pizza. Second, it must have cheese. Don't they all have cheese to go with the meat, bread, and sauce? Rarely, but it does happen. 

By the way, no one style of crusts, sauces, shape, or baking method has an edge. I haven't met a pizza style I didn't like. 

Now, I will use a series of questions that will narrow down what is good and what is less than good when it comes to the pizza, pizza establishments, and cost. I'm looking for good value, but it is by no means more important than the enjoyment of the pizza. Basically, I'm looking for:

- What components of the pizza taste special (or un-special)

- How messy is it to eat? (this is the napkin quotient)

- Did it take much time to get the pizza?

- What intangibles added/subtracted from the pizza eating experience?

- How well did it heat up for the leftover pieces?

- How many good appetites can be fed by a well appointed 16" pizza? (this may need adjustment if a 16" size isn't available or practical)

And finally, an overall rating is needed. 

0 - Nope, not returning or eating even if it was free

1 - Barebones frozen pizza level quality

2 - Costco level quality. Not bad, but I could get this level quality at most any decent pizza chain.

3 - General restaurant quality level pizza that only suffers from the plethora of other general restaurant places. 

4 - A very good decent pizza that would warrant another visit. 

5 - Outstanding pizza, worth driving out of the way for

Yes, there will be half stars. These ratings are just a way to make it easy to know the quality of the pizza. In terms of value, I will simply state if the pizza represents a poor, fair, good, or excellent value. Sometimes you want to splurge and get the very best pizza possible and cost isn't a factor. 

This blog focuses on the stretch of Puget Sound from Olympia to Everett, with a focus around Tacoma. But, as we travel, some other areas will be sprinkled in just as an interest. Remember, I'm not a pro and don't post this for profit, just an average person that considers pizza a food group.