Tenuta's Take-N-Bake Pizza

It's Friday night, and you're dying for a good slice of pizza. Where do you go? Enter Kenosha, Wisconsin- a cornucopia of pizzerias galore. Although, to be frank, the town is as cold as hell more than half of the year, and plenty enough of my friends complain there's nothing to do, Kenosha has its good points: one is that there are more than a dozen of authentic, traditional pizzerias. Yes, you could order from Papa John's or Domino's or Pizza Hut here, but why would you? That would be like going to, say, Italy and stopping at Olive Garden for lunch. Get what I mean? Anyway, today was Friday, and it's become a family tradition to get pizza every Friday night. This time, my family and I decided to drive over to Tenuta's Delicattessan to grab some take-n-bake pizza. Sure, at first, take-n-bake might seem a bit tedious... Having pizza delivered seems so much faster and convenient. BUT... Tenuta's has some of the best pizza I have ever tasted (yes, I've had it numerous times), so I'm willing to bear with the whole cooking-in-my-own-oven thing.

For once, the weather was actually likable today. It even passed over 60 degrees! (Ooooh, ahhhh...) In fact, it was so nice out, that a couple of employees of Tenuta's were out working the grill. When it warms up, Tenuta's serves food outside, including hot dogs, bratwursts, and polish & Italian sausage.

Sorry, guys- no sausages today. I need my pizza fix!

And here they are! Another great thing about Tenuta's pies are that they are SUPER cheap. The average 12" pizza, plenty enough even for my dad, is only about eight or nine dollars. That's less than the cost of an entree at an average restaurant, and in my opinion, you get a lot more food too. Feels like it anyway. 

My father ended up getting a Meat Supreme. It comes with pepperoni, sausage, prosciutto, black olives, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, red peppers, and cheese, naturally.

My brother, who stayed at home to walk the dog, asked us to pick him up his standby pizza, Cheese & Pepperoni. He's easy to order pizza for.

As for me, I'm a bit more picky. I'm a bit of a health nut (says the girl going out for pizza), so I don't do toppings like Pepperoni and Sausage, as good as they may be. Tenuta's has a few options I'd be okay with, like Hawaiian and Veggie Supreme, but I also like to go "light on cheese." What's so great about Tenuta's is that that is no problem for them. If you ask the deli counter to make you a special pizza, they'll get right on it. Just tell them what you want and you're good to go! I asked for a 12" pizza with ham, mushroom, onions, roasted red peppers, half the amount of cheese, and extra sauce. (I also asked if  they had spinach, but they didn't. Ah, well.) After ten minutes or so, your pizza will be ready for you to take home! Even if ten minutes seems like a lot, there's plenty to see at Tenuta's. I swear they have nearly a whole aisle of different brands of olive oil. You could look at all of those. Or, maybe just stare at the baked goods, as if in a hypnotic state.

Yes, sweet cannolis, I shall do your bidding!

Fresh meats and cheese, sure to please.

And a huge array of salads (the term "salad" being used very liberally).

The big cheese!!! I wonder how much the whole things costs. And yes, it's real.

Before long, one of the employees came out from behind the counter with my pizza, the plastic wrap still a bit hot from just being placed on. It looked perfect, of course. They certainly don't skimp on toppings, and when you want them to (with my light cheese, for instance) they get what you mean. If you're looking for less mozzarella, you won't feel there's still too much on when your pizza is finished.

Ah, Bellissima! 

Afterwards, my dad and I checked out our three pizzas and headed home. To cook the pizza, you simply preheat the oven to 425 degrees and put them in for 20 minutes, give or take a few depending on the amount of toppings. Before I put my pizza in, I always like to doctor it up a bit with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, basil, fresh garlic, red pepper, black pepper, and a pinch of Tabasco.

My dad says you can't see the pizza underneath all of the spice, but they really just cook up so well with the pizza- it's incredible. I guess I can be a bit heavy-handed on the spices though.... Oh well, time to put this baby in.

This is actually my second slice of pizza. I was so excited to eat the first one that I forgot to take a picture.

YUM. Really, Tenuta's has some of the best pizza out there. Sure, I modify mine a bit, what with the whole light cheese thing and all of the extra toppings I put on once I get home, but I'm sure that doesn't change the taste all that much. The crust is hard to describe- it's crunchy like a cracker, but not exactly crispy. It's delicious. So is the sauce. Tenuta's has some of the best tasting sauce out there. It's very distinct. The ham and all the other toppings taste great as well, and each one is able to stand out from the rest while still working in excellent harmony. I ended up eating all of my pizza, no surprise there.

Anyways, Tenuta's may be pretty well known around these parts, but I'm pretty sure it's not the first place someone would think of getting pizza from. But they should. Tenuta's has always had great food, and their pizza is certainly no exception. Oh yeah, they even have plain homemade crusts that you can use to create your own pizza at home, and even packages of pizza dough!  Next time you're in town and feel like a slice, try Tenuta's! You will not be disappointed.

RiRi Rates Tenuta's Take-N-Bake Pizza as: 9.5/10

Anyway, where do you guys like to get pizza from around town? What toppings do you prefer? What kind of crust? Be sure to leave your comments down below!

Till' next time, this has been RiRi Ri-Porting!