Back To The Future

Hello. I know it’s been awhile. I apologize. I’m a great procrastinator sometimes. Most times. Let’s move forward, shall we? I have mentioned in prior ramblings that I really enjoy living in the Fox River Valley area. There’s  always something to do, not to mention the shopping, the restaurants, etc. So this past Friday evening we found ourselves in the vicinity of downtown Appleton and in need of supper. So we decided to do something we haven’t done since we moved over here. We went out for pizza. We decided to try a Valley original, Franks Pizza, which has the distinction of being the first pizza joint in Appleton.

So we went in, seated ourselves, and ordered some drinks and a pizza. The drinks came about five minutes after ordering. The pizza wasn’t quite that quick by comparison. After twenty minutes we were informed by our waiter that the pizza would be ready very soon. Ten minutes later, our pizza made it to our table. Thirty minutes for a pizza. This had better be good. It wasn’t. Burnt crust, thin sauce, and tasteless toppings were the most easily recognizable features of the “special” we ordered.

Maybe it was just a bad night, but it will be a very long time before we go back there.

So on Saturday we headed back to Manitowoc for a visit and to deliver Girl Scout cookies. As the day was coming to a close and we began to prepare to leave for home, my wife had a great idea. Let’s stop at the Pizza Garden and pick up a couple of pizzas to take home with us. Unbaked of course. Genius! I had worked at the “Garden” for a couple of years and it still is to this day the best job I’ve ever had. I’ve never enjoyed working somewhere more. Plus it would be great to see Dennis and Sherry, the owners, and the new building the Pizza Garden calls home now.

We ordered our pizza, visited with my former employers, and got a small tour of the new place, which is quite an impressive upgrade over the old place downtown. We said our goodbyes and headed for home.

Once home, we immediately preheated our oven and made our pizzas. Man, what a difference. I’d forgotten what a really good pizza tastes like. I’m partial to “Garden” pizza. Being a former employee, I have a somewhat emotional attachment to the place and the food. But with that said, it is still the best pizza around. After the terrible experience the  night before, Pizza Garden pizza saved us and quieted or urge for a good pizza.

We will be going back much more often in the future. And for those of you who either live in that area or whose travels take you to the Lakeshore, do yourselves a favor and discover the Pizza Garden. You won’t be disappointed.

That’s all for now. I’ve got to get ready for grocery shopping. But we’ll talk again soon when I’m playing in quicksand.