Cheese Pizza at DeLeo Bros. Pizza, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

Replacing the Paisano's that closed in Woodbury is DeLeo Bros. Pizza (pronounced de-LAY-o) which opened this April of this year. DeLeo Bros. kept much of the same interior: a larger cafeteria-style pizzeria with a few televisions and they've added a few classic arcade games and a pinball machine.

The pizza is completely different than Paisano's, however. It's less New York-style and more of a thicker and ingredient-heavy pie -- a single lunchtime slice is very large and quite filling. On first bite, the first thing I noticed was how much cheese there was. This said, after three visits, I'll say that the cheese, sauce and ingredients I've had were all not very notable. I'll confirm, however, what their menu brags: they pride themselves on their "excessive use of garlic." The edges of the crust are painted with a thick coat of garlic butter that's quite overpowering. The bread reminded me of a bagel with a crispy edge. I haven't had a crust quite like it before: it's like having a garlic breadstick at the end.

I've also tried their Garlic Knots, which are doughy balls drenched in the aforementioned garlic butter and parmesan. After considerable pause on this paragraph, I cannot find a better description than "doughy."

The staff here is very friendly and personable but I avoid talking politics -- one of the TVs was annoyingly blaring Fox News on a recent visit. I like their contests: this month there's a chalkboard listing the high scores of the Frogger arcade game near the door. At the end of the month if you're the highest, you win a huge pizza and four drinks and there's prizes for second and third place. As of a week ago I was the best score -- we'll see if I hold on to it.

DeLeo Bros. Pizza
803 Bielenberg Drive
Woodbury, MN 55125
651-714-9315

Pepperoni Slices at Pino's Pizza, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

Tucked away in a strip mall in the eastern part of the eastern suburb of Woodbury lies Pino's Pizza, an unassuming pizzeria with a popular name (it is unrelated to both the Pino's in Saint Paul and the newly opened Pino's in Oakdale). Owner Enzo Lipari, who named Pino's after his father, is frequently the one making your pie and serving your slice.

Lipari is an Italian expat from Sicily who moved to New England in the seventies and threw pizzas in New York. Now in Woodbury, you get the unique-for-the-area mix of a thick Italian accent and heritage with a stereotypical New York attitude and pizza. The interior is a huge open room with tables and chairs and a large counter at the end covered in glass showcasing a number of pizzas you can get a slice of. A pair of glasses rests on a hook next to the cash register. Old family photos along with newer photos of Italy and Greece sit alongside a large team shot of an Italian soccer team and a large print of Lipari smiling and holding a fresh pizza on a peel. On a visit a couple months ago, someone asked for mushrooms on their pizza and Lipari snapped back in an animated manner: "No! I'm not going to give you mushrooms! Want to know why? Because the mushrooms suck!" As he stormed around he explained that he wasn't satisfied with his latest shipment and had to throw them out. On a more recent visit, where a large sign indicates the special for two slices and a soda for $5.75, two guys order the special and the third one asks if he can just get one slice. The reply: "are ya sure? You a rookie or somethin'?" The other two guys laughed and joked to the third, "hey, you're embarrassing us; this is Pino's!" Lipari mumbled, "a rookie... a rookie... a rookie..." This is true Manhattan slice shop grub. After multiple visits, the pizza has consistently been thin, just a bit crispy and a tiny bit of very welcome char. It properly folds to be eaten with one hand perfectly. Not very greasy and a good balance of ingredients. It's not for everyone in this suburb dominated by pizza chains and midwestern-style cheese-heavy independents. If you're looking for a good New York-style slice for lunch, Pino's is true to form. Pino's was voted the best pizza in Woodbury in 2008 by Woodbury Magazine. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best pizza in Woodbury in 2009. Pino's Pizza 2110 Eagle Creek Ln Woodbury, MN 55129 651-998-1555

Pepperoni Pizza at Ronnally's, Woodbury, MN, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

Just off of Interstate 494 and Valley Creek Road in Woodbury rests Ronnally's in a small strip mall. Inside is dimly lit with dark tables, booths along one side and a big gum ball machine.

Around since the 1970s, I've visited periodically over the years as it isn't far from my office. Others have the same idea too: sometimes there's office folk in business casual and golf polos with notepads. In the back I tend to remember seeing either a guy with a beard wearing a flannel shirt or maybe a couple mothers and their kids. You get the idea.

Signs hang near the cash register joking that prices may change due to customer attitude and there's paid advertisements for local businesses on the paper placemats. For kicks, Ian, Nick and I asked what beer they had on tap and they have only one: Michelob Golden Draft Light. Heading back to work after lunch we opted to get sodas and water which came in extra-wide and tall red tumblers.

We got some cheese bread which came simply as very thick toasted slices with liberal portions of cheese on top. Our pepperoni pizza came soon after. Thin, crispy crust with a generous serving of sauce and an even more generous serving of cheese. This is midwestern style pizza at its finest -- that is if you define "finest" as being the closest embodiment of its stereotypes. Midwestern style is generally known for the abundance of cheese, the square party cuts, the thin cracker-like crust and, well, more cheese on top of that. If that's your thing, this is it.

Ronnally's Pizza
1560 Woodlane Dr
Woodbury, MN 55125
651-739-3823

Classic Pizza Pepperoni Pizza, originally uploaded by Aaron Landry.

Ian, Nick and I had a coupon hanging around the office for $5 off a 16" pizza at Classic Pizza in Woodbury, as long as it was on a Monday or Tuesday. I called up and ordered a pepperoni, said I had the coupon and after a short pause I was told the coupon expired a "long, long time ago." I look at it and see that it indeed expired on 1/31/08. I agreed to my mistake but I was interrupted, being told I'm getting the discount anyway. I didn't complain. He told me to expect it in fifteen minutes and before I hung up I asked, "don't you need my name or anything?" They didn't.

We drove down to Classic Pizza which is hidden in a strip mall near a hospital. Walking in we saw that our pizza was the only one being made. He pulled it out in front of us, drilled his pizza cutter through it and charged us $10.70, after tax. I left a couple bucks for a tip especially after he honored my outdated coupon. Mondays and Tuesday must be their slowest days.

What a great smelling midwestern style pizza. Easy to eat and loaded (but not overloaded) with cheese. The sauce was tasty and their thin crust is thicker than most thins. A good layer of pepperonis in there but bunch of grease. It works for what it is: a classic, midwestern pizza. We joked while eating it that it's quite, well, "classic." Even the box is classic.

If you're in the area, skip the chain pizza down the street and stop by the locally owned Classic Pizza. They live up to their name.

Classic Pizza
1850 Weir Dr # 6
Woodbury, MN 55125
651-735-6700‎