The different pizza styles served by Eric Fick at Hot Rod Willy’s at Shaw and Fresno in north Fresno warm your soul.<\/p>\n
“It was amazing,” he said. “The amount of response was, ‘Oh, my God. I need this in my life.'”<\/p>\n
Let’s start with Chicago style.<\/p>\n
“It’s thin on the bottom and thicker on the side to support the weight,” Fick said. “Then, it’s mostly cheese, then your toppings and then a layer of red sauce.”<\/p>\n
This very heavy pizza was full of salami and pepperoni.<\/p>\n
A bite from each variety soon became my favorite. Take this California-style four cheese pizza.<\/p>\n
“It’s soft and crispy at the same time,” Fick said. “This one has an alfredo base, and then it’s asiago, romano, parmigano and the mozzarella.”<\/p>\n
The incredibly tasting white pizza is known simply as “OMG the Cheese.”<\/p>\n
“The fermentation process takes time, and because of that, it changes the texture of the dough, the flavor of the dough,” Fick said.<\/p>\n
“The sauce is actually my grandmother’s sauce, so I’ve been making this my whole life,” he continued.<\/p>\n
Detroit style was next.<\/p>\n
“It’s grilled around the outside with all the cheese, and it becomes part of the crust,” Fick said. “That’s what people really dig the most, is that grilled cheese on the outside. That’s what people love. I love the racing stripe on the Detroit style.”<\/p>\n
Some might think Eric is Willy, but the name of the pizzeria honors his 1952 Willy’s Hot Rod.<\/p>\n
“This one’s the Sicilian, so the cheese doesn’t go all the way to the edge,” he said. “It’s constructed with the sauce on the bottom and then cheese, toppings and a little bit more cheese.”<\/p>\n
It is the Sicilian grandma pizza.<\/p>\n
The personal-sized pizzas are filling enough, so be prepared if you go with the large pizza.<\/p>\n
“One guy ate it for four days,” Fick said. “He comes back all the time.”<\/p>\n
Each variety has its own unique taste due to how they’re created and whether or not it includes butter or olive oil.<\/p>\n
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