i remember when. pizza papalis was the premier pizza restaurant in detroit for many years before greektown was ruined by the casino and corporate (and civil government) greed. i well remember being absolutely astonished by the amazingly delicious quality of the first, deep-dish pizza i enjoyed there with friends many years ago.
seeking to recreate that experience for my three sons while my wife and daughter were away (ironically, in chicago,) we had a boys night out at papalis in an unnamed suburb.
perhaps because i was with a bunch of friends all those years ago, i don't remember being told (warned) that the pizza would take 30 minutes to arrive, but that was okay, my boys and i were together having fun. we ordered an appetizer and drinks and watched the game show on the little tv (which wasn't there either, all those years ago, but my kids liked it,, so...)
the sodas came right away, then we waited. twenty minutes later the appetizer finally arrived - a white bread hoagie bun split open, with sauce, cheese and (count 'em) 6 pepperoni slices broiled into it - $6.50! we devoured that in less than 10 minutes, then went on to the next game show.
forty minutes after that, following intermittent brief, dumb (silent), visits from mickey mouse and elmo (???) our 30 minute pizza finally arrived, an hour after we ordered it. theplacewas not crowded, so unless mickey and elmo should have been in the kitchen, i don't know why it took so long.
i'd love to say it was worth the wait, but it was not.
the sauce that was on the pizza and on the appetizer is the best i've ever tasted.
however, if they really went to kansas for the perfect flour to perfect their crust, like the website says, i can only say '"we're not in kansas anymore." this was the worst pizza cardboard, i mean, crust, i've ever waited any amount of time for, ever! those $5 assembly line pizzas have more flavor, texture and satisfaction than this bland, chewy, leather.
the sauce is the absolute best, but after waiting so long, my 3 boys and i hardly tasted the delicious sauce and fresh toppings. we wolfed down the large pizza and could hardly wait to leave. i wanted to leave without tipping, but having worked in restaurants myself, i know how hard it is for the wait staff to get by on the pittance they're paid. our waitress seemed positively relieved when i asked for change to leave any amount for a tip. the total wasn't worth half of what the bill came to. i left 10% instead of my usual 20-25%.
unless your company or contact has an unlimited expense account and offers extended time for lunches, don't waste either precious commodity in this place!