Junk Food Nation, this morning I couldn’t get out the door to work.  I couldn’t post anything on Facebook or Twitter.  I couldn’t figure out what to wear.  I WAS GLUED TO THE TV FOR BOSTON UPDATES.  I was riveted – and don’t take that term the wrong way, I don’t mean I was hoping for more mayhem. I just wanted this thing to end, and was grasping for updates. How could I get on my blog and talk about ice cream and Doritos when there was REAL STUFF HAPPENING??  

Now, hours later, it’s clear that the authorities are still doing their job, trying to smoke this idiot out of hiding.  So, while I have a moment, I wanted to talk about something that occurred earlier this week: the passing of Pat Summerall.  Summerall, for the uninitiated, was the official voice of football alongside John Madden for most of my childhood through college years.  His clear and forceful voice could paint a picture of what was happening on the screen better than most of the idiots color commentating today.  The best part – he was succinct!  “To the 20…the 25….and he’s pulled down at the 30.”  Just plain and simple.  Additionally, Summerall didn’t only do regular season football.  He did Super Bowls.  He did the Masters.  He did college basketball.  This amazing voice was EVERYWHERE.

Pat, you will be missed.  Truly an inspiration for broadcasters everywhere, and the gold standard they can only to achieve.

Today’s junk food: New DiGiorno’s Pizzeria! Quattro Formaggi/Four Cheese Pizza & Primo Pepperoni Pizza!

The good people at DiGiorno asked me to review a couple of their new products from their frozen pizza line.  So, disclosure: YES, THEY BOUGHT THESE FOR ME.

Now I’ll be honest – I’m not a big frozen pizza guy.  Generally, I think all the frozen pizzas I’ve ever purchased (whether they are Freschetta, Red Baron, or even grocery brand) have all tasted exactly the same.  The crust is always too spongy.  The sauce is bland.  And the cheese re-hardens into a tough sheet so quickly. So I was a LITTLE skeptical when asked to try the New DiGiorno’s Pizzeria! Quattro Formaggi/Four Cheese Pizza and Primo Pepperoni Pizza.

But hey, free pizza.  Let’s give it a go.

OK, I just have to say it: this New DiGiorno’s Pizzeria! Quattro Formaggi/Four Cheese Pizza SMELLED GREAT coming out of the oven.  Strong cheese smell, not just a general savoriness.  Could smell the parmesan and pecorino romano cheese so very clearly once the door was opened.  Big points there.

But how did it taste?  I cut a slice, and took a bite: BAM!  Was this better than every single other frozen pizza I’d had?  YES.  Am I just shilling for a corporation who bought me a free pizza?  I swear, NO.

I’m a thin crust guy, normally, but the crust here had a really nice consistency.  Wasn’t hard as a cracker; instead, the top was nice and soft/spongy (but not overly bread), while the bottom had a nice crispness to it.  Honestly, it reminded me A LOT of Pizza Hut crust (and I mean that as a compliment!)

The cheese had a great mix of different flavors – the brightness of pecorino romano and the soft subtle savoriness of the mozzarella.  Plus, the herbs were nice, and accented the cheese.  Not too salty.

And usually the Achilles heel – the sauce.  NOT BAD.  Was it as good as my local Italian shop’s? No. But it was very very tasty.  Nice and herby and full of tomato flavor.

The pizza actually reminded me of the thick Sicilian slices I’ve had in my day from local pizza shops – great crust, nice cheese, hot and herby sauce, and a great parmesan aftertaste.  Honestly, this MIGHT be the best bite of frozen pizza I think I’ve ever had.

—-

Moving onto the New DiGiorno’s Pizzeria! Primo Pepperoni Pizza!

The New DiGiorno’s Pizzeria! Primo Pepperoni Pizza was, amazingly, just as good as the Four Cheese variety!  Same nice soft top crust, crisp on bottom.  I was amazed that the crust didn’t dry out in the oven, or feel like it was saturated with oil.  But no – again, just like a nice thick Sicilian slice.  My teeth sunk into the top layer easily and then bit through a nice crisp baked bottom layer of crust.  Great texture.

The sauce: strong and tomato-ey.  I feel like the herb flavor of this sauce was stronger than the Four Cheese variety.  Bright and flavorful and maybe a little spicy too?  Really tasty.

The pepperoni was standard – salty and meaty.

The cheese didn’t have the same robustness as the Four Cheese variety, but still had a great Italian herb flavor.

All in all, a great pizza.

—

In recap, I was VERY impressed with both of these new DiGiorno pizzeria! frozen pizzas.  This will definitely be the brand and product line I buy from now on.  It really is amazing how much upping the quality of all the ingredients makes a difference. The tradeoff? These were DEFINITELY pricier than any other frozen pizza I’ve ever purchased.

Flavor-wise, If I had to pick a favorite amongst the two, I’d actually lean towards the Four Cheese – the depth of cheesy flavor was impressive.

Go try these, and let me know what you think!

PURCHASED AT: I’ve seen them at Walmart and Target and Giant Food stores

COST: I’ve seen it range from $6.50 to $8.00

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. Also, you can always email me at junkfoodguy@junkfoodguy.com. Let’s do this.

Sincerely, Junk Food Guy