When Wendi and I were on what we believed to be the final leg of a 10-day vacation to see our nephew get married, we each were thinking as we drove through Cincinnati: You want to get LaRosa’s Pizza for dinner? We had a somewhat late lunch in Lexington, Ky., with my brother from another mother, Shawn, and his wife and son, but LaRosa’s was just too tempting. So, as we were making our way up Interstate 71, I asked, “Do you want to get LaRosa’s for dinner?” Lo and behold, Wendi informed me she was thinking the same thing. This was not the first time in our 23-year marriage that she used the Jedi mind trick on me — or maybe it is just we are so in sync with one another — but either way, LaRosa’s for dinner was on both of our minds.
Buddy LaRosa started his LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria in 1954 on Cincinnati’s West Side. Wendi and I learned about LaRosa’s when each of us moved to Cincinnati. (We met while students at Cincinnati Bible College.) My buddy, Shawn, who I followed to Cincinnati and the school, introduced me to LaRosa’s. The pizza had a good taste. The sauce is a little sweet, but it is good. What I didn’t realize at the time was LaRosa’s used provolone cheese on its pizzas.
While I prefer a plain cheese pizza and Wendi would like mushrooms on hers (something I can’t stand), when we order one pizza it is our favorite combination: pepperoni and bacon. We decided to get the hand-tossed crust with a side salad, that we were going to share. I could not believe how big the side salad was, and I could not believe the number of croutons adorning it. When I took about half of the salad, both of us still had a nice-sized “side salad.” The croutons were incredible. It was like little bits of crunchy, garlic bread. As salads go, it wasn’t the fanciest, but it was good … especially those croutons.
When Wendi and I got settled at our table in the Kenwood restaurant, we both realized we were too tired to drive the final three-and-a-half hours home to Wooster. We were also pretty close to two of our friends, Dave and Kerry, but we were so worn out, I texted Dave to let him know we were in town and I wasn’t ignoring him, but there was no way I would be up to visiting him. Dave texted me back and made me feel good: He and Kerry were in Chicago, and he happened to be eating pizza with his nephew in the Windy City. (Dave also said that the Kenwood location was his “home pizzeria”).
I am so glad Dave and Kerry were in Chicago, because it would have been sad to be so close and not see them. Wendi and I really enjoyed our pizza. While there, I had to rub it in my minister’s face that Wendi and I were at LaRosa’s. Yeah, not so sure I am the best parishioner at Parkview Christian Church in Wooster. After all, when Brian White and his family travel back home to the Cincinnati area, he always offers to bring me back LaRosa’s sauce. I know; I am terrible.
As for the title of this blog, in 1991, LaRosa’s went to a universal number for all its locations: 513-347-1111. That was the only number you needed to know to get a good pizza in Cincinnati. It was good we stopped there. We got a good meal and it brought back a lot of good memories. We loved our time in Cincinnati. And, it made us realize how tired we were. So we extended our trip by one more night out at the Red Roof Inn just up the road. I suggest if you are in Cincinnati, make sure you call: 513-347-1111.
