Home Run Inn Pizza found in Austin!

Several years ago, I stumbled upon Home Run Inn frozen pizzas at Costco. The price was right, three for under $10, and more importantly, they were a product of Chicago. These were the perfect meal for watching hockey too. Somara didn’t care for them which meant more for me. So every time there was a trip to Costco, these frozen delicacies went in the cart. 
 
Then two years ago, they were no more at Costco. I was miffed because their other offerings sucked. OK, California Pizza Kitchen has its days but c’mon, the cities of pizza are New York (overrated), Philadelphia (disappointing) and Chicago (home of the great deep dish pies). I have lived in Austin for 11 of the last 12 years and with exception to Mangia, Central Texans couldn’t make a memorable pizza to save their lives. Enchiladas, tamales and quesadillas they’ve mastered so I won’t eat anything remotely Latin American in other cities. They’ve imported Marc Katz from NYC to set up a good deli restaurant. Why can’t they get someone instrumental on Chicago pizza? Let me come back to Mangia though. This place is very close but it has its shortcomings. There’s only two locations I know of anymore; it’s quite pricey (about 30% more than a standard Giordano’s pie); and it lacks the atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong, Mangia is great yet it didn’t take as much effort to get a deep-dish pizza back in the Midwest. Then again, deep dish isn’t the standard pizza of the Midwest. Thin or thick crust is usually the pizza of choice. Think of it like hamburgers. You don’t go to Fuddrucker’s every time you get a burger. You usually hit the more pervasive chains and you go to Fuddrucker’s at times when you want the “premium” burger. That’s how pizza was to me back in the Midwest. 
 
Today, I picked up the mail and there was a weekly ad for Albertson’s, the lamest grocery store chain in Austin. How lame? HEB (the dominant chain) doesn’t even bother competiting with them anymore, its crosshairs are locked on Wal-Mart and Super Target these days. Anyway, something caught my eye and prevented me from putting the Albertson’s ad in the trash immediately. It was a plug for Home Run Inn Pizza! It was on sale too. As expected, I held my nose and hit the only remaining open Albertson’s in the area to load up on these puppies. It was also my dinner while I watched the Flyers choke against the Rangers tonight. How sweet it was. It’s not deep dish yet Home Run Inn is right there with Mangia, Lucky Dog and WGN on TV. A taste of Chicago without having to endure the crappy weather.