Pizza Show Down CONTINUED - Columbus Market - Kate and Al's - vs - Pete's - Columbus, J

This thread was originally started on March 19th, and the link to the first part of this "battle" can be found HERE.

With it being a beautiful 60 degree plus day, what better reason to get out of the office for a little while and head back to Columbus to put the Pete's-vs-Kate and Al's showdown to rest! Grabbed my hat, and headed over to Columbus, and it was a mob scene today! Actually had to sit through 3 stop lights to get into the parking lot, but thankfully, found a spot immediately as a car was pulling out.

Headed over toe Kate and Al's, and there was a bit of a line. At the time, all they had was plain cheese slices available, but this was actually good, as I tried a piece of plain at Pete's. Waited a few minutes, and got my two slices. Kate and Al's unfortunately does not have any seating, and the 3 tables near there where full, so I stood at the opposite end of their counter, in an area that they do not use to serve.

The first thing I noticed was that they were about the same size, but to me, the thing that was really obvious was the fact that the slices were much thinner, and more condensed. The first bite revealed a firmer, crunchier crust. I looked at the bottom, and it was cooked just right, with a nice golden color to it, but was definitely a bit thinner. It just didn't have that airiness to it that Pete's had.

As for the sauce and the cheese, I thought that the two were very similar, and they were both good. The sauces had a similar flavor in my opinion, and they use about the same amount of cheese. Flavor wise, I think it would be hard to pick who has the better sauce.

So to me, what it comes down to is the crust, and I thought that Pete's had the advantage. Being right here however, why not head over to Pete's and try another slice, just to make sure that my mind was made up.

Pete's too was packed, so I walked up and ordered at the counter. As I went to pay, a really nice lady at the end of the counter said that the slice was on her, and she said "Thanks for serving." What a nice gesture, so ma'am, if you are reading, thank you again! I guess that is the beauty of being in uniform, and I couldn't be any more thankful.

First bite revealed a thicker, less crunchy crust, that was very light. The sauce, again, very similar, with good cheese, etc. That said, against the opinions of most others, I have to say that I liked Pete's better because of the crust.

All in all, both make a good pie, and who knows, maybe the slices I was served from Kate and Al's were a bit overcooked compared to others. I don't know, but I stand by my palate, and I enjoyed Pete's the most. I'll definitely try slices from both in the future, and I look forward to it. It may not be Chicago style, and definitely isn't the original Pizzeria Uno in downtown Chicago, but it isn't bad for New Jersey! Cheers! –F. Scott