Chester County Pizza. Not Much To Offer. Exton. West Chester.

I'll tell you one thing. If you live in New York you're lucky because you can't get great pizza here in Chester County, PA. It's amazing that a food that requires so few ingredients and a very simple cooking process results in so many different things.

I've read that the water is the key to why New York has the best pizza but I've heard that the oven that it's cooked in is also crucial. Here are my picks for a few of the "pretty good" slices that you can get in Chester County. The first is from Rocco's in Exton. Pretty good thin crust. Gemme dat!


Next up is Marzano's Pizza in Exton (Next to the Duncan Donuts on Route 30). Kind of a light and airy crust but great sauce! Philly mag mentioned it as one of the best in the area.



And lastly the good old Las Vegas Pizza. This place has been around for at least 35 years. I used to go there in high school. Not toooooo shabby thin crust*.

So what's your favorite pizza?

*One time in high school I took this chick to the Exton Drive-In. Then on the way home she was like, "Let's stop at Las Vegas Pizza!" I stopped but was kind of embarrassed because she was super loud and annoying. When I walked in I was thinking, "I hope nobody I know is here." And Phew!! Luckily the coast was clear.

Brother's Pizza In West Chester - One of The Best for Slices

I would like to thank my good friend/neighbor John Jones for suggesting the Buffalo chicken pizza that we ordered from Brother's Pizza a few weeks ago while shooting darts. I would have never guessed that pieces of spicy chicken on pizza would taste so great! I hereby name Brother's Pizza as being That Blue Yak restaurant approved. Let me just tell you that it's pretty hard to find great pizza in Chester County. This place does pizza right.

For those of you flying in to try it, Brother's Pizza is located in the Bradford Plaza on Downingtown Pike. You know, in the shopping center with Avante' Spa and the Giant. You'll have to get directions from the Philly airport to West Chester on your own. What am I?.. Google maps?

Hey! Look At That Guy With The Huge Beak!

Did you know that this week is National Children's Book Week? Years ago, I used buy books at sales and then sell the books on Amazon. It was kind of an obsesson. Along the way, I picked up a great amount of books for my own Zibbs library. One of the beauties is called, "Why Does That Man Have Such A Big Nose?"

The book is to help children understand that people are different. People come in all different shapes and sizes, wear different clothes and behave in different ways. I'm glad they explained that on the back cover because I thought it was a joke book. And for the record, I still think they should have called it, "Hey...Get a Load of Fatso!*"

*This is a quote from The Honeymooners where Norton and Ralph are planning to stage a fight, and this was the line that was to be used as a code. This is also a phrase that I say, usually to myself, when I see a fat guy. Except last week, I was getting pizza in Exton at Rocco's and I saw a fatty and I said it out loud. Luckily my car windows weren't down.

Practical Joke I Did During A Blizzard

I love practical jokes. In fact, I may just make this a regular feature on the ole' TBY. Here's one that I did years ago:

Setting: Early 1990's during a blizzard in PA. We lived in a condo in Delaware County. About 8 inches were already on the ground. Everything, well, almost everything was closed. Annnnnnd ACTION.

Tom, our neighbor in a third floor units has ordered a pizza. A man who looks as if he is 70 years old, trudges past our first floor unit and makes his way up the outside wooden stairs to deliver the pizza to Tom.

Me: (to wife) What the hell? Look. What's that old guy doing with that pizza?
Wife: (looking out window in amazement) I thought everything was closed? Oh my God he's going to kill himself. Who the hell ordered a pizza in this?
Me: Holy crap Tom did it.

Grasping to the railing, Pizza man slowly makes his way down the icey steps, carefully gets into his way to his car and leaves.

Me: That's it (reaches for phone and dials Tom's number)
Wife: What are you doing?
Me: Oh you'll see. (Tom picks up phone on the other end of line. I start talking like an old man in pain). Are you the guy that ordered the pizza?
Tom: It was already delivered.
Me: (still talking as old man) No. I'm the one who delivered it. I just fell. I'm lying in the parking lot out here!
Tom: (frantic) WHAT? OH MY GOD!
Me: I just fell and I'm talking from my cell phone in the parking lot. I think I broke my back. Help me. Help...(voice fades)

Tom then hangs up the phone and comes barreling down three flights as fast as he can without falling. He goes past our condo and into the parking lot. I walk out calmly. Tom is looking all over, no old man is in site, he heads back toward his condo and confronts me.

Tom: (confused) You're not going to believe this.. I ordered this pizza..and then this old guy came and then...(looks at me)
Me: (leaning up against post, eating a sandwich. Trying to act as if I'm intrigued by his story.)
Tom: ..And then....and...OH YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE!

And Cut!

Does anyone else have any good practical jokes stories they want to post? If you do, leave a note in the comments telling us that you've posted it.

Sirrico's Pizza In Vegas Receives Ten Stars

Review of Sirrico's Pizza at New York, New York Hotel and Casino by THAT BLUE YAK'S fat marketing assistant Mike Touchton:

"OK, so I'm the fat guy, but here it is: Sirrico's is the best pizza in Las Vegas. It's hard to tell by this slice, but trust me, it was perfect. Thinnish crispy crust, great sauce and great cheese. This particular slice had pepperoni and jalapeno, but this was one 8 slices I had during the week. I like to mix it up. Only 2 slices dipped below the 7 out of 10 rating due to the temperature of the slices. I don't know how they do it with the crappy Vegas water but this is really world class pizza. The bottom of the crust has the ALMOST burnt crisp, but the top is ohhh so tender."

"Here are my tips, for Sirricos however, spend a few bucks and get another cashier. You have enough people standing around but things are a' slowin at the line. I do like the cat eyed mascara on the cute cashier. At first, I thought it was a gimmick, but once I heard the accent - I knew this was a real Italian gal - not savvy to the fact that only American gals that are trashy wear makeup that way. I started to tell her that as a pickup line, but as I started to talk to her I panicked and ended up asking her about the Patriots. She looked at me funny. Maybe I need to loose some weight. I'm sad."

Jack's Pizza in Exton - Excellent

It's very hard to find a decent slice of pizza in Chester County - until now. Gilly Norris presents his review,

"It was beautiful. I walked into Jack's Pizza at the Whiteland Towne Center and there it was - the perfect slice of vegetable pizza. Topped with roasted tomatoes, onions, peppers and olives - it was pure beauty."

"As the Spanish station played soccer on the tv and a 2 month old slept on the counter next to the industrial meat slicer, my pizza was warmed."

"I requested a Pepsi and proceeded to my car - walking at a faster than usual pace than usual. As I passed onlookers, I held the bag up to their faces and smiled and nodded in a creepy way. I got into my car. This is where I took this photo of the Exton slice. It's crunchy texture was pure heaven. I give it 10 That Blue Yak stars out of 10."

Good Pizza is indeed hard to find in Chester County when one yearns for the Jersey shore's Mack and Manco Pizza . Here are a few local standout pizza eateries in Chester County (Exton - West Chester area):

Jack's Pizza - (610) 280-9490 / 135 W Lincoln HwyExton, PA 19341 (Whiteland Towne Center). See review above.
Bravo Pizza - (610) 594-1599 / 123 E. Swedesford Road in Exton (in shopping center with Giant). They're not greedy with the slice - very large portions.
Las Vegas Pizza - (610) 692-4785 / 515 E Gay StWest Chester, PA 19380 . (Right there on good ole' Gay Street). The key to eating this pizza is to wait about 2 minutes after it comes out of the oven or it will slide off the crust like soup. Tip: Don't talk to the 17 year old Henderson High greasers that hang out there during the day - they're dangerous and carry switch blades.

Happy eating.

Learn more about West Chester Food at WCDish .