Monday, August 8, 2011

Ale Emporium Revisit Review

The last time I wrote about the Ale Emporium on this blog I  was forced to take one of my favorite bar/eateries to task for a pulled pork sandwich that was an embarrassment to everything that real BBQ is about.  As we were looking for a place to have some food and drink one night I thought it would be a good idea to give the food at the Ale Emporium another chance.  I determined that this time I would order something more in their wheelhouse.  I was not disappointed.

Making a choice of what to order was more than a little difficult.  I've heard a lot of good things about the wings at the Ale Emporium and the Hermanaki wings in particular.  However, I remembered one of my friends trying their pan pizza a while back and being extremely jealous when it came to the table.  Relying on those memories The Girlfriend and I decided to split a 14" pan pizza with sausage and bacon.  It would be a mistake to call this a "Chicago style" or "deep dish" as I understand it.  That style is generally seen as having the toppings and cheese underneath and the sauce (a lot of it) on top.  That's not the case here.  This is very thick Midwest style pan pizza.  The toppings were plentiful and the amount of cheese was insane in a totally fantastic way.  I'm telling you there were so much cheese here someone who was lactose intolerant would have a hard time even looking at it.  The sausage tasted fresh, and the bacon definitely brought a nice smoky flavor although it wasn't terribly crisp.  The sauce was there, but it almost seemed like an afterthought compared to the mozzarella.  Maybe this style of pizza wouldn't be everybody's preference, but I absolutely freakin loved it.  Bars usually come nowhere close to putting out something like that.  It's to be commended in a big way.  One last note:  The 14" pan pizza here is enormous.  It would easily serve 4 or 5 people.  I was thinking more Pizza King 14" when I ordered this I guess.  We had leftover pizza for days.


Taste: 9/10  If the bacon was a little crispier and with a little more sauce this would be a 10
Value: 7/10  This is not a cheap pizza.  This is pizza with substance, and you can expect the price to match that accordingly.  On the bright side it will feed several people.

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4 comments:

  1. wibiaAugust 9, 2011 at 8:35 AM

    Awesome pizza and good review. I have one coming up for it and my thoughts were the same.

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  2. Erin L.August 9, 2011 at 8:57 AM

    That pizza looks freakin' awesome.

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  3. Jessica in NoblesvilleAugust 10, 2011 at 11:23 PM

    I love the Ale, but you're doing yourself a huge disservice by not trying the Hermanaki wings! Next time bring some friends, order some while you wait for the pizza.

    And as a Chicagoan, I have to tell you that pizza with the cheese/toppings inside and a second crust with sauce on top is usually called "pizza pie" or "stuffed pizza." Many places in Chicago, including Gino's East, Uno's and Dues, serve "deep dish" style that's actually very much like what the Ale makes. Another similar pizza in Fishers is Nancy's Pizza. But Ale has those damned wings, so that's where I'll be.

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  4. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2017 at 1:34 PM

    I have been known to drive 4 hours just to eat Ale Emporium deep dish pizza. I order plain pepperoni as I find that with one ingredient, they tend to pile on the meat. the cheese is awesome and one pizza feeds me for 3 days. BTW, a warmed up slice of this pizze is almost as awesome as it is when it comes out piping hot.

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