Food and Drink continued from page 72 but while its pastas, brunch and happy hour are all notable reasons to visit, ordering a pizza here is a must. Chef Russell Stippich, who took over the kitchen at Bar Dough just before the pandemic put the kibosh on indoor dining, has fi nally gotten the chance to hit his stride, which includes perfecting Bar Dough’s, well, dough. The wood-fi red pies come in several options, including a classic margherita, with seasonal topping combinations like the Il Sovrano, with mortadella, spring onion, ricotta di bufala and garlic oil. Best Pizza by the Slice Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage 2675 13th Street, Boulder 303-442-2032 thepizzagarage.com It was her mom’s sesame-crusted pies that sparked Audrey Sherman’s longtime love of pizza, which led to a mentorship under thirteen-time World Pizza Champion Tony Gemignani before she opened her own place. Since October 2015, Sherman has been slinging pies from a small spot tucked round and thicker square-cut versions. Bo- nus tip: Don’t skip the sausage knots. Best Pickle Pizza Ritual Social House 1209 East 13th Avenue 303-862-4566 ritualdenver.com You may have tried pickle shots or pickle beer — but have you tried pickle pizza? The Real Dill pizza at Ritual Social House is an innovation that speaks to carb lovers and pickle enthusiasts alike. This mountain lodge-themed spot takes a standard dough, then creates a white-sauce base and adds bacon and dill pickles. At $17 for a 12-inch pie and $24 for 16 inches, it’s great for shar- ing — or you can take the leftovers home and keep the pickle party going. Best Pizza Box Benny Blanco’s 616 East 13th Avenue 303-831-9068 bennyblancos303.com Denver has plenty of delicious pizza joints, but Benny Blanco’s takes things to a whole new level with its Ghetto Jesus pizza boxes. The artwork depicts Jesus with a black bandanna across his forehead and a tattoo underneath one of his eyes, with “Benny Blanco’s” written in an urban street art font. Ghetto Jesus is also holding a slice of pepperoni, while a delicious full pepperoni pizza halo frames his face. All that’s needed to complete the Bronx Jesus look would be a puffy North Face, but Jesus would probably get hot in that with all the pizza ovens around. ITALIAN RESTAURANT Denver’s Best Ciao W Best of Denver Awards BEST Italian Restaurant - 2017 & 2018 BEST Old School Italian Restaurant - 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2021 BEST Bloody Mary Bar - 2017, 2018 & 2019 Open For Lunch Monday - Friday Italian Style Brunch Available Saturday & Sunday! 74 3760 TEJON ST. 303.455.9852 SINCE 1947 GAETANOSITALIAN.COM away on the back side of a shopping center. While whole pies — including the sesame version — are on the menu, those in the know wouldn’t dare make a trek through Boulder without a pit stop at the Garage for the gigantic (seriously, they’re huge) slices, which come out hot and fast. Best Destination Pizza Rosalee’s Pizzeria 41 Main Street, Longmont 303-485-5020 rosaleespizzeria.com Pizza isn’t food that often inspires a road trip; usually, the best pizza is the one clos- est to you when the craving strikes. But Ro- salee’s is worth a trip. It specializes in what it calls “old world East Coast style” pies, which are based on American immigrants’ earliest takes on what’s now one of the most popular foods in the U.S. With a slight char and topped with hand-grated cheeses, sauce made with the highest quality toma- toes and additions like house-ground pork sausage, Rosalee’s pies are available in both Best Calzone Full Afterburner Calzones 32 Broadway 719-435-0099 fullafterburnercalzones.com Ben Todd has a passion for fighter jets that began with a toy given to him by his grandfather, who was a fi ghter jet instruc- tor in the ’40s. He also picked up a pen- chant for making a unique calzone dough during his days as a student at Purdue. In 2018, he combined the two and launched the Danger Zone Calzones food truck; the concept led to a brick-and-mortar shop in 2021. Copyright trouble led to a name change, but the magic dough remains the same. Far more than just a pizza folded in half, these ’zones are a sleek, handheld ver- sion of the pizzeria afterthought, ideal for late-night, after-bar sustenance or even a quick on-the-go breakfast. Best German/Eastern European Restaurant Baba & Pop’s Handmade Pierogi 9945 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora 720-476-7183 babaandpops.com Polish cooking smacks of home kitchens and generations of family members work- ing together all day to create a celebra- tory feast. That’s what you’ll fi nd at Baba & Pop’s, which opened just days before the restaurant shutdown in March 2020. Fortunately, frozen bags of pierogi kept the business afl oat until the dining room could reopen, and continued on page 76 APRIL 7-13, 2022 WESTWORD | BACKBEAT | MUSIC & VENUES | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | CONTENTS | westword.com GETTY IMAGES
