Regular Guy Pizza: Version 1.1

First things first. This isn't a revision of my Regular Guy pizza ratings from July.

This is just an extension. A bonus pack. A special, hidden feature you just found on that DVD you've had for months, by clicking somewhere else on the menu.

Maybe next summer, I will officially renew the Regular Guy pizza list. But for now, Dom's Pizza & Steaks in Newport (998-7154) remains No. 1, with Little Vinnie's on Faulkland Rd. near Wilmington (633-6801) second.

For that story last July, it was tricky to sort out all my favorites, since I enjoy pizza so much. Here are some other places to consider (some of these were honorable mentions in July).

Valle Cucina Italiana in Pike Creek (998-9999), otherwise known as Valle's Pizza. I didn't have to look up their number. Well, it is easy to remember. But, I've been going here since I was a kid. Can anyone remember the smaller place, about one-third the size of what it is now? Remember the enclosed game room with four tightly packed games and a pinball machine? Remember the ice cream and hot dogs from neighbor Tempo's? Ah, the memories.

By the way, you once had to leave your home to play video games. They called them arcades. It cost 25 cents for one game, except of course for... Dragon's Lair. I can't quite remember the games I was best at. Tempest, Tron, Mr. Do and Tapper come to mind. I could sit down at Pole Position right now and know exactly when to ease up on the pedal and when to floor it. Sometimes, I made it past Act II on Ms. Pac Man. Once in a while, I got to drive the boat in Spy Hunter. When all the good games were taken, I played Popeye or Berzerk. If those were taken, I played Joust. But I digress.

It's hard to tell from what place I've eaten the most pizza. If Grotto is first, then Valle's is second, no doubt. Remember the small, the medium, the large, and the medium-plus? Just in case a medium was too small and a large was too big. Lately, I have favored their strombolis. The one I had recently was perfect, packed with cheese and pepperoni. When the sauce and the grease shoot out of the boli with every bite, burning your hand a little, remember, that's a good thing.

Margarita's Pizza on Main St. in Newark (368-4611). Very good pizza. Another great New York-style place, and a classic for anyone who went to University of Delaware. Philadelphia has Pat's Steaks for late night eats. We have Margarita's Pizza. No night at the Stone Balloon was complete unless you went to Margarita's afterward. What do I think of the new building where the Stone Balloon once stood? That one day someone will think, 'Hey, this would be a good place to put a bar.'

Giordano's Pizza in Kennett Square, Pa. (at (610) 444-5733). Another place with good pizza, but to me, even better strombolis. With its large sports bar, separate from the main restaurant, Giordano's is also a great place to watch the game.

Lastly, a word about the Reader's Choice selections. For pizza, the results were (1) Seasons (2) Pizza By Elizabeths (3) Pat's. The pizza at Seasons and Pat's is good, just not tops to me. As for the other place, c'mon. That's not Regular Guy pizza.

The hot dogs came out (1) The Dog House (2) Johnnie's Dog House (3) Jake's Hamburgers. I absolutely agree with No. 1. But where's Deerhead? Or even Charcoal Pit? The readers goofed here. As for Johnnie's, I have been there once, and kinda shrugged my shoulders. Jake's? That's a curveball for the hot dog list. Were the voters confused by some sort of butterfly ballot? I've had a Jake's hot dog. Once. Anyway, where else can you get a great hot dog? At University of Delaware home basketball games, but not the ones at the regular concession stands. Go to where they sell food directly behind the one basket. That line isn't just for roast beef and salad (bleck). You can also get a superb hot dogs there, in a sandwich roll, with cheese sauce and sauerkraut available. If you like hot dogs and are at game there, it's a must try.

As for wings, it went (1) Wings To Go (2) Buffalo Wild Wings (3) Seasons. These are the same three I'd pick. You can't go wrong with any of these, especially the boneless wings at BWW and the Seaso-bites at, well, Seasons.