Pizza

My Uncle Angelo kept a tradition of throwing pizza parties over at his house. He used to be a pizza maker back in New York, and I guess he sometimes missed making pies for a crowd of shouting people. So, about once every three months or so, he and his wife, my father's sister Edie, would invite the family over for all the pizza we could eat. A lot of people turned up for these parties, and a lot of people stayed away. My uncle was a strange man who did strange things.

Michigan-based chain opens its first store in an area heavy with eateries. The first Hungry Howie's pizza in Glendale opened Tuesday completing a culinary row on Glenoaks Boulevard. Hungry Howie's and Maui Wowi will soon sandwich the Quizno's sandwiches while Yum Yum Donuts anchors the southwest corner of West Glenoaks and Kenilworth avenues. Howie's, the Michiganbased pizza chain that features six different flavored crusts, started with 200 stores in Michigan and quickly spread to Florida where it opened another 200, said Howie's franchise consultant Dave Stuart.

Glendale Unified School District elementary school menu through Oct. 27: ? TODAY : Beef rib barbecue, chicken patty on a bun, chef salad, turkey and cheese on French roll. Domino?s Pizza: Franklin. McDonald?s: Monte Vista. Wienerschnitzel: Mann. WEDNESDAY : Nacho cheese and chips, turkey corn dog, taco salad, ham and cheese on bagel. Domino?s Pizza: Mountain Avenue. McDonald?s: La Crescenta. Wienerschnitzel: Glenoaks. California rolls: Lincoln. Barbecue: Jefferson.

According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, independent restaurants are struggling. Since the start of the recession, American consumers increased their patronage of larger chain restaurants and decreased the number of meals at mom-and-pop businesses, forcing more than 7,000 independent eateries to close since fall of 2008. One can only speculate on the reasons for this, but I think most people would agree it's a shame. Happily, some maverick independent restaurants actually expanded.

The new Giuseppe’s in Montrose hits all the right notes. The owners transformed the interior of the old DaFranco’s Italian restaurant to reflect what the Montrose community is all about — family, friends and conversation. They kept the quaint brick-lined coves and wine-barrel motifs, but added long wooden tables, giant mirrors and warm lighting. They also added good, modern, affordable Italian fare. Owner Michelle Capozzoli is the daughter of Bob and Patricia Capozzoli, proprietors of the former Giuseppe’s in Glendale, so Italian food is in her blood.

Judy Seckler COLLEGE VIEW ELEMENTARY -- Domino's Chicken Grill pizza's fund-raising campaign produced $5,000 for the Easter Seals' afterschool program based at College View Elementary. Domino's market development manager, Kristin Noyes, will present the check and hold a pizza party for the program's students at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Rene Guevara, program director of the Easter Seals afterschool program, said the money will go toward program supplies such as toys, sports and computer equipment.

For most people, you can never have too much Italian food. The Tri-city area is blessed with many fine Italian eateries, and Maurizio's Italian Kitchen and Bar is one of Glendale's epicurean delights. Located in "The Exchange" at 135 N. Maryland Avenue, Maurizio's offers "superb Italian food" in a romantic setting that is close to Glendale's entertainment centers. Owners Maurizio and Ruth Iacono have been restaurateurs for more than twenty years.

SCHOOL LUNCH MENU GLENDALE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Today: Pepperoni pizza or hamburger or Hogi Yogi assorted sandwiches, or chef salad or low-fat yogurt, includes salad bar with juice and milk. Thursday: Waffle sticks and sausage (may contain pork) or chicken nuggets or Kilroy's ham sandwich or chef salad or low-fat yogurt, includes salad bar with juice and milk. Friday: Barbecue ribs or cheese pizza or grilled-cheese sandwich or chef salad or low-fat yogurt, includes mini-bear chocolate cookie and salad bar with juice and milk.

Los Angeles County District Atty. Steve Cooley is calling on court officials to order the execution of a death row inmate who strangled and drowned a Domino's Pizza delivery man in a Glendale hotel room more than 26 years ago. Cooley requested that the Los Angeles County Superior Court order single-drug execution methods for 52-year-old Mitchell Sims, who was sentenced to death in 1986 for the murder of 21-year-old delivery driver, John Steven...

According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, independent restaurants are struggling. Since the start of the recession, American consumers increased their patronage of larger chain restaurants and decreased the number of meals at mom-and-pop businesses, forcing more than 7,000 independent eateries to close since fall of 2008. One can only speculate on the reasons for this, but I think most people would agree it's a shame. Happily, some maverick independent restaurants actually expanded.

The Hot Spot Café & Pizzeria, from all appearances, is just that — a hot spot. The Glendale Police Department is a few steps away out the back door; City Hall is a stone’s throw away, and the courthouse is diagonally across the street. Next door, day workers ply their trade in front of Dunn-Edwards Paints. “Everything in here is great,” offered a day worker as he chowed down on a lunch of fried eggs, bacon, hash browns and white toast. It looked good. The eggs were cooked exactly the way I like them — fried and up. A police detective came in the back door and sat down at a table behind me. He’s a regular.

The new Giuseppe’s in Montrose hits all the right notes. The owners transformed the interior of the old DaFranco’s Italian restaurant to reflect what the Montrose community is all about — family, friends and conversation. They kept the quaint brick-lined coves and wine-barrel motifs, but added long wooden tables, giant mirrors and warm lighting. They also added good, modern, affordable Italian fare. Owner Michelle Capozzoli is the daughter of Bob and Patricia Capozzoli, proprietors of the former Giuseppe’s in Glendale, so Italian food is in her blood.

Lucy’s Pizza Corner was full of surprises. Its Burbank Boulevard location is not in the best Burbank neighborhood — it is attached to a liquor store and its overhead sign says, “Al Forno.” Furthermore, it has no web presence. If you Google it, you only get an address, phone number and basic information. Google “Burbank pizza places,” and you get nothing. I wasn’t holding out much hope for the quality of the food. But that turned out to be my final surprise.

Eureka! I?ve found it! I have found the best pizza in Glendale, and it comes from a little shop near Glendale Avenue and Colorado Street. Co-owner Gianluca Marcon hails from Italy and puts obvious pride into each one of his pies. I use the word pie literally here because these pizzas are more like multilayered culinary objets d?art than slabs of dough with stuff thrown on top. Any good pizza, of course, starts with good crust. And the crust at Rocky?s is no exception. They talked me into the deep-dish crust for $1 extra and, admittedly, it was outstanding.

DOWNTOWN — Nestle fueled speculation about a shift in the global confectionary market Tuesday after it announced a $3.7-billion deal that would put its Glendale-based USA division in charge of a slate of frozen pizza brands to be acquired from Kraft Foods. The agreement, which would involve a cash purchase of North American frozen pizza labels DiGiorno, Tombstone, California Pizza Kitchen, Jack’s and Delissio, came as Kraft is preparing to sweeten an offer to buy British candy maker Cadbury.

Hungry Howie?s thinks pink This month, Hungry Howie?s Pizza will join the fight against breast cancer. Through the end of the week, all pizzas will be served in bright pink boxes emblazoned with breast cancer awareness ribbons instead of the original classic Howie yellow boxes. For every pizza purchased, Hungry Howie?s will make a donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Hungry Howie?s Glendale is at 600 W. Glenoaks Blvd. For more information, visit www.hungryhowies.

Glendale Unified School District elementary school menu through Oct. 27: ? TODAY : Beef rib barbecue, chicken patty on a bun, chef salad, turkey and cheese on French roll. Domino?s Pizza: Franklin. McDonald?s: Monte Vista. Wienerschnitzel: Mann. WEDNESDAY : Nacho cheese and chips, turkey corn dog, taco salad, ham and cheese on bagel. Domino?s Pizza: Mountain Avenue. McDonald?s: La Crescenta. Wienerschnitzel: Glenoaks. California rolls: Lincoln. Barbecue: Jefferson.