By: Mike DeWitt
Before Joanne left on vacation she made one request — pull Daniele’s Pizzeria out of the Going Local hat until she came back. I had to remind her that we run a legit operation here at WKTV News. We couldn’t let a personal request ruin the integrity of our newest feature. The name would stay in the hat and the Going Local Gods would decide our next locale.
Fast forward a few days and the hat made its decision… Daniele’s Pizzeria! Sorry, Joanne.
Four weeks into Going Local and the flavors have been all over the map. My tastebuds have taken a trip from Chinese, to barbecue, to Mediterranean, and now pizza. It’s a world tour right here in Wyoming and Kentwood.
While our last three locations were all sit-down restaurants, Daniele’s Pizzeria located at 846 52nd street is built for takeout and deliveries. There is a small bar area inside that seats up to four and one table outdoors if you wanted to stay and eat, but a majority of patrons choose takeout or delivery. Their hours are also geared towards dinnertime as they don’t open until 4pm throughout the week.
Scanning over the menu, Daniele’s makes more than just pizza. They have dinners with spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, and manicotti, wings and appetizers, stuffed riceballs called arancini, salads, subs and dessert. It’s a small operation, but it packs a lot of punch. With all of those options, we chose to keep it classy and original — a deluxe pizza and cheesy bread.
The deluxe pizza came with mozzarella cheese, ham, sausage, pepperoni, green peppers, onions, and mushrooms, and they did not skimp at all on the toppings. The pizza was packed with toppings all the way to the crust line. I measure a pizzas quality on how well the cheese stays on the crust. There is nothing more frustrating that picking up a slice and having all of the cheese and toppings fall off and land in the box. Daniele’s passed with flying colors as the cheese stayed on the pizza. It’s the little things.
When it comes to pizza, it’s almost impossible to make a bad pie, but you KNOW when you eat a good one. Daniele’s pizza is in that category with their flavor, crust texture, amount of cheese and toppings, and the richness of the sauce. The pizza came out to just under $15 and easily fed three of us.
No pizza is complete without the cheesy bread to accompany it. First off, the cheesy bread is a generous size with 16 pieces of thick, fluffy bread. It is well seasoned and adds the perfect side complement to the pizza for an added five dollars.
Overall, Daniele’s Pizzeria makes wonderful pizza and needs to be tasted if you consider yourself a pizza lover. While the pizza was great, there are two things on the menu that I need to try. The arancini, or deep-fried riceballs, look and sound exceptional. Honestly, I’m bummed I didn’t order one along with the pizza. There is also one other gem on their menu that is only available Monday through Wednesday and it’s called the D-Burger. It’s a 1/2 pound sausage patty sandwiched between two 7-inch pepperoni pizzas.
Joanne, when you come back we’ll need to put the D-Burger in the hat. It’s a perfect creation that is begging to be devoured.
Post Script
Just my luck, I missed out on yet another Going Local foray. So far, I’ve missed China City, Le Kabob and now, Danieles. But who’s counting? So, maybe the food gods are being brutal but Mike, ever the gentleman, kindly saved one piece of pizza pie for me to try — along with several slices of cheesy bread — and that I surely did. I find that the proof of a pizza is in heating it up again the next day.
Our microwave here at work isn’t the greatest, and I unintentionally left the pizza slice heating for a bit too long. (I just can’t win!) I can say this, however: The cheese still stayed on the pie, and the crust was scrumptious. I’m not a fan of sausage, but the other toppings were flavorful and satiated my hungry belly. The cheesy bread was amazing, even the second day.
Joanne, when you come back, we’ll need to get another pizza pie and try the arancini.
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