Sunday Notions

I was in Kentucky last week visiting my parents. I spent a lot of time visiting pizzerias in the area, which are abundant and almost universally delicious.

In Western Kentucky and (even more so) in Southern Indiana, there are lots of pizzerias making a style of pizza I grew up with; it’s known as “Una Pizza.” It has a thin/cracker crust with workaday toppings, cut into squares. There are similarities to “Bar Pizza” (found in New Jersey and around Chicago) but only ever seemed to exist by this name in the little pocket of KY/IN where I grew up.

Una is my favorite pizza style. It’s great for groups, free of pretense, and I just prefer a thin, crispy crust above all others. We do a version of this crust at Melfi’s, but fancied up a bit.

A lot of pizza has become precious, overwrought and overdone. I can’t help but be attracted to the no-frills versions I grew up eating. Am I alone? The kind of place where you can get a variety of sizes, it’s easy to share (I like the crustier bits around the edge), there is guaranteed to be ice cold beer in massive frozen fishbowl glasses, there are no fancy toppings, and you don’t have to undergo a lecture about dough hydration and esoteric Neopolitan standards. Can it be okay to just like simple shit again?

Last year I bought an old tire shop here in Charleston and I can’t help but think this kind of nostalgic pizza experience would be just the thing for it. (I’m in no rush, but slowly building out this idea.)

If you ever find yourself in or around Henderson, KY or Evansville, IN, my favorites are Roca-Bar, Turoni’s, Rick’s Una Pizza, and Deer Head. (Don’t get me started on all the great old school German taverns still in the area, which are going strong and are a true American time capsule.)