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"These are the greatest s'mores I've ever eaten," quoth the wife, who grew up in summers around a campfire in Northern Minnesota.

Sherman's in South Haven last night (one of the only places on earth that really remembers how to make a chocolate soda), Stop 50 today. An unexpectedly awesome weekend of eating in Michiana was the only consolation to missing the LTH picnic when we had to bail for a late-breaking wedding.

Colors and flavors were vibrantly bursting today - the summer squash and zucchini with oven-caramelized edges, the local (cubanelle?) peppers embracing a thin, totally greaseless bed of charred Italian sausage, the parmesan-dusted sourdough crusts of both the breadsticks and wild mushroom pizza, the decadent chocolate drizzling the golden-brown glowing marshmallows, all combined for a slice of late summer on the plate and palate.

As mentioned before, the only things that could make this place better would be better temperature control on the sauce served with the appetizers and on the side with the pizza (an extra $3, not worth it for chilled tomato sauce), and some good flaked pecorino or parmigiano reggiano instead of the super-fine grated parmesan (quite mild) that blankets the appetizer plate. With their commitment to local produce, I bet they could put together a killer assortment of salumi and cheeses to better balance the starch-heavy menu.

All in all - fantastic people and cuisine. I think the pizza is a notch above Spacca Napoli and is even challenging Coalfire because of the extra dimension of sour in the crust and more generous toppings at the same pricepoint. Thanks, LTH.

I know there are many LTH supporters of Stop 50 pizza, and that's fine, but I have to say that I am not one of them. Their's is a "Neapolitan" style that I guess I'm not really fond of, especially when the sliced pizza comes baked soggy and limp (maybe mine and a few others experience only -- who knows). And after it's cut into wedges, it cannot be realistically sent back for further cooking. We just grinned and bared it. But they have a big following and others have reported a much better experience which has to be recognized because I do really think they've tried to make a very unique and successful business. And my take-away is that while it just may not be our thing, it is with many, many others.

They will be facing some competition, however, in the near future when the Stickney, Illinois-based Villa Nova opens their new pizza restaurant about 4 miles up the road in New Buffalo any day now (est. sometime in Oct. '08). They make an excellent old-fashioned, Chicago thin crackercrust-like pizza that is very tasty and flavorful (never soggy and limp) using old fashion deck ovens. They are an enormously popular pizzeria in the Stickney/Berwyn suburban area southwest of Chicago (their ordering phone there is almost always ringing non-stop) and they are hoping to duplicate their successful pizza formula in the New Buffalo, Michigan area. Granted its a different style from Stop 50's but one that to me and others -- who like old-fashion Chicago style thin crust pizza -- would prefer and enjoy more. It will be just an option for others in that area that love good pizza, whatever style they prefer.

Villa Nova
134 E. Buffalo St.
New Buffalo, MI 49117
(269) 469-0200

Good point! If your tastes lean toward a more americanized pizza, there are many choices. In fact, your Villa Nova will be in good company with Roma Pizza, just up the road in Stevensville and Bridgman. Not at all Neapolitan, but wonderful in its own right. The Amicarelli's have been doing it right for a long time. The crust is wonderful. Young Alex is making his departed papa proud.

Just a quick public service announcement. Visited Stop 50 a couple weeks ago, and it was great as always (love that roasted veggie appetizer and the stuffed peppers, and the creme brulee cheesecake is very addictive). Stop 50 will be going on winter hiatus the weekend after Thanksgiving. So if you have a need to get there one more time before they close up, you only have a few weekends left.

Glenn

We're huge fans and regulars at Stop 50. But last night we took in a play in Chicago and based on a recommendation here, we tried Coalfire. The menu is more limited than Stop 50, no apps just salads and no desserts, but the pizza was very good (and large). It is a neopolitan style and the crust is very good, the toppings are more generous (too much for my tastes) though and the ingredients did not seem to be of quite the same quality as Stop 50. If you are close to Coalfire, I'd definitely recommend it. But if Coalfire and Stop 50 were next door to each other, I'd go to Stop 50 every time for the pizza alone - and the more complete menu makes it no contest. I should talk to Chris about a Stop 50 franchise where I live so I'd be able to get my pizza fix in the winter...

We made our annual trip to Stop 50. We stop there on our way to visit our son at the University of Michigan. The pizza was fabulous, as ever. We had the proscuitto with mozzerall, sage and pistachios. Perfect balance, outstanding crust. If this place were in Chicago, it would rank second, in my pizza pantheon, just below Spacca Napoli. I say this not to trigger a debate on Coalfire v. Spacca Napoli, etc, but just to show the high regard I have for the product they produce at Stop 50.

Jonah

We finally made it to Stop 50 on our way up to Michigan for the weekend. We arrived around 2pm on Friday afternoon. It was the perfect time as we were the only customers. We started with the sausage stuffed peppers - I loved the tomato sauce - it tasted so fresh. The peppers that my boyfriend had were fire alarm hot, whereas I found mine to have the perfect amount of heat. We decided to stick with the Margherita so that we could fully appreciate their pizza making skills and fresh ingredients. We were not disappointed - the crust was so light and the garlic was just perfect. I told Chris that it was better than Pizzeria Bianco! We capped our lunch with the creme brulee cheesecake w/a scoop of vanilla gelato and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Oh so heavenly. I loved to see all the little vanilla beans. I really wanted to stop by on the way home tonight, but we were just too tired and anxious to return home. We're looking forward to making the detour on our future road trips East.

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Local Beet

Driving back from Michigan today through what were reported to be, at worst, tornadoes, and, at best, mad, driving rain, we decided to take a respite at Stop 50. As we approached, the dark clouds parted and the sun shone through blessing this little restaurant while 60 degree temps warmed us.

Anyhow, first weekend open and they were, to use a cliché, firing on all cylinders. This pizza keeps getting better; the crust is crunchy at the edges, soft and bready inside, no sogginess and slight char to remind you it's baked in a wood oven. My favorite, prosciutto, pistachio and rosemary, is still my favorite, and the special, sausage and red potato, featured soft, roasted, buttery potatoes, which improved my view of pizza with potato on it, something I find to be bland and over-starchy, IMHO.

So glad this place exists. . .

If I could change one thing about Stop 50, it would be that they would stop playing Andrea Bocelli, pop opera which makes The Who seem like more authentic operatic composers, not to mention it gives me indigestion, but to each her own and I suppose that's a minor complaint . . .

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Local Beet

Went to Stop 50 awhile back as I was driving back from the Detroit area. Stopped by about 7pm.

Got off 94 at the 20/35 exit, then took 212 north to Rt 12, went east on Rt 12 for 1/2 mile, the turn off sign for Michiana Shores is not large whatsoever, so be on the lookout. (need to go over the RR tracks.)

Now for the crazy fate oriented things that happened that evening, they say timing is everything.

I drove up to the restaurant and the hostess asked if I wanted to sit outside or inside. It almost was a coin toss type decision but seeing as it was just a bit too humid for me, I chose inside. Glad I did because as I'm walking to my table, I hear a voice from where the pizzas are being made say in a questioning voice "Sweet Willie ?" Turns out the guy making the pizzas (the owner Chris) and I worked for years at the same company HQ'd out of SW Michigan. We didn't work on the same accounts but knew each other. We shot the bull while my pizzas (yes plural) were being prepared.

We also discussed the wines of a FT'er which Stop 50 was serving. Quite delicious I may add.

Stop 50 masters what I consider a big downer about "true" Neapolitan pizzas, the fact that every Neapolitan pizza I've had the center crust is mushy, not at Stop 50, the incredibly thin crust is crispy all over the on the whole pie. Chris mentioned that he also did not like the mushy crust of a true Neapolitan so he cooks the pizzas so they don't have this.

Then on the way home from Stop 50 I was driving along Rt 12 and had not seen any police cars which I thought was strange, then in a very short period I saw 5. Next thing I know is I look in my rear view mirror and here comes a car FLYING (probably 70+ in a 25mph zone) with the 5 police cars right behind him. I hear screeching of tires and he skids by my car (maybe 5') then shoots offroad into an embankment 20' from my car and crashes into 3 parked cars in a lot (I think of a bowling alley). The cops are all out of their cars in seconds with guns drawn, I hightailed it out of there and proceed on a leisurely drive down 12 until it met up with the Skyway where I merged on and finished the drive home.

Timing's everything.

Thanks Chris for producing a great pizza.

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I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.

Sweet Willie-

Thanks for the cool anecdote.

I should probably mention that Chris is venturing into new territories and will be opening soon (early April?) a carhop specializing in hot dogs appropriately called Sodadog. It will be located up the road from Stop 50. I talked to Chris about it last weekend and he told me that Sodadog will specialize in natural casing, all-beef hot dogs that will be produced specifically for them by an outfit out of Grand Rapids. Sodadog will also serve microcrafted sodas. Given Chris' attention to detail at Stop 50, I can only imagine that the product will be fantastic. I can't wait to check it out when it opens.

P.S. There is an ad for Sodadog in this month's Lake magazine.

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Local Beet

As a local in Michiana Shores I have to say that Stop 50 is too highly priced for the area. Yes, the pizza is good but the starting price is $12.00 for a personal size and $8.00 for a dinner salad. Then you add the wine and this is not a good value. Maybe rich Chicagoans are willing to drive an hour and a half just to buy overpriced pizza in a loud establishment but the locals can get a better value elsewhere.

Notgoodvalue,

I understand what you are saying, but you are confusing value with quality. Most LTHers are in it more for the quality of the food than the price.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

I agree with Stevez, so it's not a good value...Where is a pizza just as good or better and a better value as you claim? I am always skeptical when somone says there is a better place or value, but never gives the list of where to go, just saying "in the area". Give me specifics please.

I'm guessing from your chosen handle that we're unlikely to hear from you about anything else but if I'm wrong, I'd love a list of pizzerias in the area that you believe provide better value.

Thanks,

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Spit out the gum, sister!

Twitter: ronniesuburban

I've spent a fair amount of time in Harbor County the past few years and I've eaten at Stop 50 as well as other pizza places.

"notgoodvalue" is absolutely right. There are many places that will give you a ton of crappy pizza for a lot less money per slice than the first-rate stuff at Stop 50.

If you want to stuff your gullet with as much cardboard dough, canned sauce, and plastic cheese as you want, and still get change back from a $20, then don't go to Stop 50.

If there's someone out there that provides the quality that Stop 50 does at a lower price, I'd love to hear about it.

damn "rich Chicagoans".

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I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

notgoodvalue, I suspect you would believe New Yorkers are "super" rich if you seen the prices at Una Pizza Napoletana.

'That's just crazy talk.' If you like Neopolitan style, Stop 50 is as good as they come, it is a great value for the quality. If you mean there are cheaper places where you can get deep dish or more volume for your money, by all means that's true. I'd rather eat at Stop 50 once than ten times at Pizza Hut, Villa Nova, Miller Pizza, Domino's, and all those places...YMMV

I knew it.....only one post from notgoodvalue.......

To be fair, if I lived near it, I might well find evenings when I just wanted a lot of old school pizza for not an exorbitant sum, and would order from my local old school place. It's a different thing from an out of towner passing through there only once or twice a year and feeling the need to maximize my proximity to Stop 50.

There are many pizza paths to happiness.

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But, to be fair, would you go out of the way to trash it as a poor value on a message board?

The members of this board are representative of perhaps 2% of the greater-Chicago-area population. And I'm being generous, my gut feeling is that the number is under 1%, and due to the economic climate I suspect that number has been decreasing.

In addition, it's a matter of taste as to whether one enjoys Neopolitan-style pizzas. For example, while some do it better than others, I've never had a Neopolitan-style pizza that wasn't to my tastes excessively cooked at the edges and/or (mostly and) excessively soft in the center. So for someone like myself who doesn't like that style, Stop 50 could sell their pizzas for half-price and they would still represent poor value.

While I understand why some members here have jumped all over "notgoodvalue" about the pizzas at Stop 50, I hope those members keep in mind that "notgoodvalue"s opinion of the value of the pizzas most likely DOES represent the opinion of the vast majority of the population. I also note that more than pizza was mentioned when it came to lack of value.

For the record, I've been to Stop 50 once and would never return. See above.

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Pi r round.

No, but even if it's from either a disgruntled ex-employee or a rival pizzamaker, both good bets, that doesn't mean it's a point of view that should be stamped down as soon as it pops up. That's why there's too damn many GNRs-- because there's not enough challenging of the orthodoxy on too many of them.

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Watch Sky Full of Bacon, the Chicago food HD podcast!
New episode: Soil, Corn, Cows and Cheese
Watch the Reader's James Beard Award-winning Key Ingredient here.

I didn't Like the post either but in this area it is not an uncommon sentiment.There are plenty of locals that feel many restaurants and other establishments are sort of for "Chicago People" or tourists etc.When there are many places to get pizza much cheaper in a more familiar style, Stop 50 is one of the restaurants that get held up to that criticism.I am certain in other weekend or second home markets there are similiar sentiments towards these types of restaurants.
It sure seems to me though that Stop 50 is doing very well and it couldnt happen to nicer people.
Their new restaurant Soda Dog just opened and I think it will do well.

I hope you get there and tell us about it.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
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Actually I have eaten there.I thought the hot dog was good.I guess it is a special blend.It has a good bite and taste to it .The dog is kind of small I think it could be bigger for the price.I had the Chicago dog.I think they are going to eventually do a sort of different kinds of dogs for various regions,Detroit coney,New York dog etc I think.The fries are fresh cut and very good.I don't think they have their handcrafted sodas yet.There is car hop service also.
My sense is they will do fine.It is a lower cost eating alternative for families in the area.They may have to expand the menu in time.Can I recommend people roadtrip specifically for a hotdog?No.If in the area and looking for a simple non chain meal one would do fine there.

I've been to Stop 50 twice and will not return for a third strike. Am reluctant to say anything about it because it seems there is a group on LTH who are greatly in love with the place and are quick to be negative to non-supportive opinions. I don't know about the value thing. I thought they were a little expensive, especially for what you get, but then again I see at some of the other pizza places that prices are rising rapidly also.

I guess my problem is really not appreciating "gourmet" Neapolitan pizza and I am quickly coming to the opinion that most (but not all) of this style pizza is synonymous with the term "soggy." Only the rim of the pizza, generally, has a little crispness to it and the center is most often very limp, soft and . . . well . . . soggy. The pictures posted on here are very nice, but the actual taste didn't match my taste bud's expectations. Again that may be just me and my circle of friends. And contrary to the above report, the pizza center in my two experiences was "mushy" (only one main ingredient for those who will jump on it and say I may have had too many ingredients).

The owner does a fantastic job trying to provide for a good place to eat, but I think the style is a kind of niche thing and I don't think -- my opinion only -- that it generally can have a very popular reception. But that shouldn't be the criteria on which to select a place to dine, I guess. Will have to try the hot dog place, though. I love "fresh cut" fries along with a good all-beef hotdog.

I think you've done an excellent job of detailing why you don't care for this style of pizza, or the way it was exexcuted during your visits. Absolutely nothing to be reluctant about, imo.

=R=

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Spit out the gum, sister!

Twitter: ronniesuburban

A perfectly fair minded opinion. All I can tell you is the place is typically very crowded especially on Fri & Sat - you get there early or you wait. However, seems a little slower this season, the economy is hitting them just like everyone else evidently.

My wife and I tried SodaDog. We both had brats w fries, she had a diet Pepsi, I had a (Faygo) root beer float - $22 after tip. That seems a little high, especially (again) in this economy. And my wife does not eat red meat (the brat was a very rare exception, it's been years) and there are really no exceptions for non-redmeat eaters. There is an all veggie sandwich, but she needs some protein like anyone else. Not sure why they don't have at least a chicken or turkey sausage option. There are certainly gourmet versions of same.