Nothin' but a G Thang

Seventh Stop: Giuseppe’s Neighborhood Pizzeria

Date:  March 1^st, 2012

Location: 2607 Madison Avenue Covington, KY

Ranking: 18

We had planned on crossing another pizza off the list last Thursday night, and since Robyn planned to be at Zola later that evening to watch the UK men’s basketball team chalk up another win on their schedule, we opted for a nearby establishment.  Giuseppe’s Neighborhood Pizzeria sits at an intersection between Latonia and downtown Covington.  Robyn had heard that it was a popular law enforcement hangout, and our visit proved the hearsay: when we pulled up, there were approximately 5-6 police cruisers sitting idly in the small parking lot.  Good thing we’re both on good terms with the law*.  

A proud display of their award from Cincinnati Magazine

We were both really hungry, which makes us very un-picky.  Everything sounded good!  Giuseppe’s offers a pizza loaded with meat (the MainStrasse Monster), another loaded with veggies (Levassor Park Garden), and everything in between.  All of the dishes have a clever name alluding to specific neighborhoods, enclaves, and city attractions in Covington.  One of their specialty pizzas, the Guns and Hoses, is a half and half deal in honor of those dutiful officers and firefighters who frequent “The G”, with one side covered in bacon, ham, and sausage, and the other featuring a spicy mix of capicola ham, banana peppers, and jalapenos.  Our patient and super friendly server asked for our order a couple of times, and finally we turned the tables and asked her:  what is your favorite?  Her immediate response was “the Terrace Topper.”  This is a barbecue chicken pizza and, since we’d yet to indulge in such an option, we took her advice. 

We opted out of this choice, but encourage you to partake!  We also will gladly excuse the misspelling here of "drunken," because the pizza is so fantastic.  

Maybe this isn’t a necessary requirement of a good pizza, but by golly, the Terrace Topper is awfully pretty.  The chef works some aesthetic artistry with its ingredients, spreading them out evenly across its diameter and drizzling the top with Giuseppe’s homemade southern barbecue sauce.  The other components include hearty but tender diced chunks of spiced-up chicken, mozzarella cheese, and caramelized onions that are cooked at the time of order.  We know this last detail because our server explained that this pizza would take a bit longer to prepare than some of the others, as the onions are freshly cooked.  On top of all this wonder, fresh sprigs of cilantro add a juxtaposing color and noticeable taste. 

Courtney was a big fan of their crust.  It was thin with a slender rim encasing the circumference of the pizza.  Though we do like a crusty crust, Giuseppe’s does theirs differently.  This one is a soft crust that retains a delicious doughy taste.  The sauce has a slight kick to it, but is not truly spicy (which is good for the two of us).  Our server recommended ranch as a dipping sauce with this particular pizza.  We obliged and, though it was a tasty accessory to our slices, we didn’t find it necessary to the experience.  This pizza is good on its own, as Giuseppe, and perhaps an almighty being intended.   

The stuff that dreams are made of

We were famished when we entered Giuseppe’s, eschewed an appetizer, and in the end, were quite content with two pieces each.  This left two apiece for lunch the next day (or “second supper”, if we are honest).  The leftovers were just as awesome, even in the microwave, which is usually a curse for reheated pizza.  This is a cute little pizzeria with an awesome menu and a friendly staff, and we both highly recommend it.  We agree that it’s one of the best we’ve had so far.  But, be warned, if you are on the lam, you might want to keep driving!   

*There was this one time that Robyn was scolded like a child by a really angry Covington police officer a couple of weeks ago for not using a turn signal while trying to turn around in a parking lot.  Oddly enough, this officer was sitting about 10 feet away from us during our visit to Giuseppe’s, yukking it up with his compatriots.  He seemed a lot happier, which is probably due in part to the scrumptious, award-winning pizza at Giuseppe’s.