Pizzabout to get real up in here
Hideaway and Dado's reach pie highs
Happy Friday, Oklahoma, it’s a lovely day to jump back on Pizzabout!
My trusty partner Rob Crissinger and I had planned to share four pizza ratings today, but unfortunately Rob fell ill a couple weeks ago and has had to exclude pizza from his diet – until yesterday.
Instead of the planned four ratings this month, we’ll share two. We promise to make up the two we owe you from May, in July – unless one of us gets sick again.
To help welcome Rob back to the land of the pizza-eaters yesterday, I called in my podcast partner Julie Porter Scott to ring in the occasion at Dado’s Pizza.
Dado’s is one of the 405 diningscape’s newer pizza places. We’re sharing its rating alongside that of an Oklahoma OG, Hideaway.
Don’t get it twisted, pizza-heads. We’re not rating the OG of pizza OGs in Stillwater. That store is under different ownership than those that dot the statewide diningscape. But we’ll get more into that later.
Before we get into the ratings, let me share that watching Rob press his lips against cupped pepperoni for the first time in three weeks was the feel-good move of the summer. It reminded me of pre-9/11 airport-gate reunions.
He reports no ill effects, and is anxious to get out to Flour & Fennel and The Pizza Shack as soon as possible. That’s just a couple of the pizza places on our immediate radar. We still have follow-up trips to Eastside Pizza House, Sauced, and Hall’s to attend to.
Our ratings formula is explained in the graphic. Rob and I will continue to give reports the 14th of each month towards a comprehensive pizza ranking for the 405 diningscape and all of Oklahoma. He’ll soon be joining Julie and me on the Food Dood & Friends podcast as a semiregular.
On to the ratings.
Dave’s Thoughts: Man, I have been eating at Hideaway Pizza since some time in the early 1990s. Since then, it has spread statewide in Oklahoma and now is a regional chain with locations in Arkansas and Texas! Hideaway has been known in Oklahoma since the 1960s. The original in Stillwater was owned for many years by Richard Dermer, who bought it while a student at Oklahoma State University. Originally attached to a regional chain out of Manhattan, Kansas, Dermer’s original outlived that chain and birthed another – but only with Dermer’s blessing, not his partnership.
The chain most of us know and love was opened by a group of businessmen who all had worked for Dermer as students at OSU. They offered him partnership, but he opted to sell them the rights to open everywhere but Stillwater. And that’s pretty much what’s happened, though the business has changed hands a couple of times since it expanded.
The original in Stillwater has a similar pizza and menu, but they are not affiliated. Rob and I will make it up to Stillwater to pay homage soon, but today we’re focusing on the local chain.
Hideaway wasn’t the first pizza place in Oklahoma, but it is Oklahoma’s first place for pizza. It built its reputation on brawny pies and plentiful toppings. The Big Country and Sicilian have long been favorites of mine.
Crust: 1.35
Hideaway does a hand-tossed crust and a thin-crust. Both are as good as you can hope for from a chain its size. There’s always something lost when food is scaled up. Always. I would still choose Hideaway over any other chain, and a lot of independent pizzerias. It’s a marvel, considering how much pizza they make.
Cheese: 1.75
No complaints here, but nothing fancy.
Sauce: 1.82
Hideaway does a great job offering a variety of sauces. From red to pesto with barbecue and Alfredo in between, but olive oil and garlic topped most of my favorites through the years.
Toppings: 1.95
Another area of strength. You can order a Hideaway pizza, eat the toppings off and no crust and leave satiated. Best topping game in the state, in my opinion.
Extra: 2.00
No conversation about Hideaway can conclude without talking about fried mushrooms. Hideaway didn’t invent fried whole mushrooms with marinara and Ranch dressing for dips, but they certainly perfected it. And those frozen Bellini’s …
Total: 8.87
Rob’s Thoughts: Before I begin, I have to mention that for a time I was the marketing director for Hideaway, so I might still be a bit biased, but I love Hideaway Pizza. Dave’s right, it’s amazing as a regional chain and I believe it could become a successful national brand one day. They’re managed so well and have all the elements for it.
Hideaway is Oklahoma pizza if there was such a thing. It’s hearty af, THEY have the meats, sorry Arby’s, and Pepperonipalooza (on the hand-tossed crust) is one of the best pizzas around. I love their classic red sauce, which you can also find in their delicious Bloody Mary’s. Their sandwiches are totally underrated, as is the frozen lemonade pie (made by LaBaguette!).
Pro Tip: be like a Hideaway employee and order the Chicken Florentine pizza and substitute fried chicken bites. Bada bing. Don’t forget a side of creamy Italian dressing AND the best Ranch in Oklahoma (yes, better than Mazzio’s) or you’re just not doing Hideaway right, with a ‘57 Ale in the frosty Schooner. Boom.
Crust: 1.55
The thin crust is the original Hideaway crust, and it’s better when you order a simple pizza (e.g. a one-topping from the build-your-own menu or a cheese pizza), but I prefer the hand-tossed for most of the toppings-heavy specialty pizzas. The crust has a great flavor and texture but execution of it can fluctuate depending on the location you choose, some are better than others.
Cheese: 1.65
Hideaway uses 100% mozzarella cheese of good quality, rather than a mozz/provolone/other mix, and I like that (the Stillwater Hideaway is mozz/prov and some people do prefer it). It’s basic, but it’s solid.
Sauce: 1.65
I love the seasoning in their sauce, and they use awesome California tomatoes, but my taste buds crave San Marzanos which you can find at some of the fancier pizzerias closer to the top of my list. They put the perfect amount of sauce on every pizza, I like a saucy ‘za.
Toppings: 1.8
If there is one area where Hideaway truly excels, it’s in the toppings quality. They source the best of everything and take great pride in that.
Extra: 1.85
Hideaway’s completely original history is all over the walls in the art and the kites, there are so many stories. It’s a very clean and relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere, and the customer service is excellent.
Total: 8.50
Aggregate: 8.69
Killer Squid Hospitality (The Hamilton Superette & Lounge, Café 7) opened Dado’s in November of 2022, featuring a distinctive water filtration system that creates a molecular match for water from The Big Apple. Killer Squid partner Chris Kana reached out to a friend from college who opened the original Dado’s in New York City to bring it here. So glad he did.
Dado’s makes true New York-style pies served by the slice or by the ginormous pie. Garlic knots? Of course. Monthly special pies? You bet. Service? Fantastic, but the thing Dado’s does better than anybody, in my opinion, is make pepperoni pizza.
Crust: 1.94
Eating through five different pizzas, the crust remained superb. It holds up better to certain sauces as you would expect, but is always delicious. Something about that robot water.
Cheese: 1.90
The balance of cheese on Dado’s slices has been exemplary each time I’ve visited.
Sauce: 1.87
I’ve had a smaller variety of sauces at Dado’s, but I can vouch for the Vodka sauce among non-traditional pizza sauces. Wow.
Toppings: 1.93
This score is based almost solely on fermented pineapple used once used on a monthly special and perfect cupped pepperoni.
Extra: 1.25
Dado’s is a no-frills pizzeria. Groups of more than four are most likely looking at outdoor seating, and any place that chooses Pepsi over Coca-Cola products gets some amount of stink-eye from me. It is built for slices and big pies to-go.
Total: 8.89
Rob’s Thoughts: Dado’s is hand-down my current favorite NY style pizza in Oklahoma – and in my top 5 overall – and it’s mostly about the crust for me. It’s the thinnest, but still sturdy enough for a superb fold without too much tip dip. Great flavor.
I’ve had a lot of this pizza since it opened. I was skeptical before my first visit because of the obvious marketing ploy of the NY water thing, even though I know how important every element of the crust is including the water and environment. Still not 100 percent convinced it’s the water making the difference here, but you can’t deny it’s a stand-out fantastic crust so…you tell me.
My biggest complaint about this place is that it’s not within walking distance of my apartment, and that’s also probably a good thing.
Crust: 1.95
Not sure how you improve upon this for a NY style pizza, but I’m stopping just short of a perfect 2.0 score to leave room for someone to surprise me with something better in this style.
Cheese: 1.75
Good quality, well portioned for the thin crust, good stuff.
Sauce: 1.65
Fresh tomato flavor, very simple, very good. If I was judging the Vodka pizza sauce only, you’d be looking at a 1.95, it is amazing.)
Toppings: 1.8
I’d like more pepperoni on my pepperoni pizza, but what is there now is a delight. The sausage looks like I will love it, but I haven’t tried that yet.
Extra: 1.5
The location (aside from not being next door) is its Achilles heel for me. It’s weirdly shotgun skinny in a random strip mall and not very comfortable, no bar, no vibe, just pizza (although I did appreciate the 90s hair band mix music on our visit yesterday).
Total: 8.70
Aggregate Rating: 8.80